Was Pokemon popular in the 90s?
Absolutely – Pokemon exploded onto the scene in the late 90s becoming nothing short of a global gaming and pop culture sensation, cementing itself as one of the most popular and lucrative franchises in history. But it had much humbler beginnings years earlier in Japan.
Origins – 1996 and prior
The Pokemon franchise began as an idea by Japanese game designer Satoshi Tajiri who loved collecting insects as a child. Tajiri created the concept of humans catching and training fictional creatures called "Pocket Monsters" – later shortened to Pokemon.
His small game development studio Game Freak partnered with Nintendo to release the first Pokemon video games for the Game Boy handheld console in Japan called Pocket Monsters Red and Green in Feburary 1996.
Pokemon Red and Green for Game Boy (1996)
The games were an immediate success in Japan selling over 10 million copies in the next two years. But Pokemon wasn‘t yet a global sensation – that would soon change.
Why Pokemon was so popular
When the games were released in North America in 1998 as Pokemon Red and Blue, along with the Pokemon anime series and cards, it kickstarted a global frenzy now known as Pokemania that no one predicted.
But just why did Pokemon strike such a chord across demographics and countries? There were several factors:
Addictive and accessible gameplay – The monster collecting and fighting gameplay had that elusive "one more go" addictiveness combined with enough depth and strategy through its rock-paper-scissors battle system.
Kawaii character appeal – Creatures like Pikachu and Jigglypuff with their cute designs were perfectly suited to global merchandising from toys to clothing.
Compelling lore – The world and lore around Pokemon trainer culture had an aspirational appeal to children who imagines themselves as Pokemon masters.
Multi-media synergies – The explosive combination of video games, trading cards, anime series, movies and mountains of merchandise created a snowball effect.
Trendy Japanese pop culture – The 90s saw Japan become "cool" abroad thanks to things like anime and this exotic Pokemon concept benefitted from the wave.
Peak Pokemania (1998-99)
As I vividly remember as a 90s kid, Pokemon saturation reached insane levels at peak popularity:
- Video games – Over 20 million Pokemon Red and Blue games were sold outside Japan followed by Yellow, Gold and Silver reaching millions more Game Boy consoles.
Pokemon video game unit sales by year
- Trading cards – The wildly addictive and collectable cards from Wizards of the Coast were swapping playgrounds globally reaching 3.4 billion cards sold by the year 2000.
Pokemon trading card global unit sales
Anime series – The TV series was syndicated to 65 countries at its peak viewership including on mainstream US channels like primetime Cartoon Network.
Movies – Early films like 1998‘s Mewtwo Strikes Back were box office smashes grossing over $160 million as kids flocked to cinemas.
Toys and merchandise – Hasbro alone was selling $1 billion worth of Pokemon merchandise annually from action figures to lunchboxes at Pokemania‘s zenith.
As one gaming executive put it:
"It became so ubiquitous at one point it was unstoppable. Pokemon took the world by storm – parents couldn‘t keep up with how much their kids knew about it!"
My childhood memories are full of frenzied Pokemon discussions on the playground, card trading battles, and Game Boy link cable battles. As an avid gamer it consumed my peer group for at least 2 years before fading from peak saturation, though it never went away.
Why Pokemon went from 90s fad to forever franchise
Most overnight global sensations are destined to fizzle out in a few years so Pokemon seemed at risk of becoming just another 90s fad. But remarkably it continued to evolve (no pun intended) and endure as a multigenerational franchise lapping its rivals in longevity.
Gaming historians have theorised why Pokemon had such sticking power compared to Tamagotchis, POGs and similarly explosive crazes we Gen X/Millenials nostalgically remember.
Solid game mechanics – Well balanced RPG systems focusing on collection and combat have incredible depth mastering the ever-expanding Pokedex and competitive multiplayer metas.
Generational appeal – As 90s kids had kids, Pokemon got introduced to new young fans inheriting cards and Game Boys while retaining older fans.
Regular new releases – Incremental game iterations, new species additions, merchandising ranges and side projects like Pokemon GO continually renew itself.
As a life-long Pokemon player, I‘ve marvelled at its ability to continually suck me back in to complete the next Pokedex or battle online competitively. The deceptively strategic combat with endless team composition possibilities retains its challenge and novelty while the world and characters charm endures. It has that Miyazaki-esque ability to appeal to our innocent inner child sense of whimsy and adventure.
Pokemon‘s lasting legacy
While no longer the destructive global preoccupation it was in the late 90s, Pokemon remains a powerful pop culture and gaming franchise 25 years later.
Over 90 million units sold cumulatively across Pokemon video games and 4 billion Pokemon cards printed to date. [1]
Highest grossing media franchise in history, surpassing Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse with over $100 billion in total revenue.[2]
Even excluding Pokemon GO (which has grossed nearly $6 billion itself) the brand still outsells modern gaming icons like Call of Duty month to month demonstrating its endurance.
So while it erupted into public consciousness in the late 90s off the back of Pokemania, Pokemon remains deeply embedded in the zeitgeist today as both nostalgia and relevant gaming franchise thanks to its evergreen appeal and regular new content across games, cards and shows.
We still wanna catch ‘em all!
