Collectables

Pokémon

Pokémon was developed by Satoshi Tajiri. Developing Pokémon – Japanese romanji meaning "Pocket Monsters" – Satoshi created a plethora of animal-like characters inspired by his childhood pasttime of bug catching. Pokémon began its life as a Nintendo Gameboy video game. It's popularity in Japan, and later worldwide, propelled both the Gameboy device and the Pokémon franchise into a worlwide phenomenon.

Following the success of the original video game(s) (Red and Blue) came movies, merchandise, anime and the Trading Card Game (TCG). Like so many other fantasy products, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) began producing Pokémon merchandise – most prominent of which was the TCG. Further expansion sets quickly followed as the game gathered momentum. The TCG, similarly to the video game and Dungeons & Dragons, allows the player to develop characters and character attributes. To become a skilled player or collector requires buying rare and expensive cards. Early Pokémon cards began to fetch high prices and frustrate parents who were eager to please their children.

Pokémon characters and sets are listed below – as well as further references for interested readers: