Draft:Pikachu and Jigglypuff (CoroCoro promos)

Jigglypuff LV.12 プリン Purin

Illus. Keiji Kinebuchi

Evolution stage Basic Pokémon Card name Jigglypuff Type Colorless HP 50 weakness None resistance None retreat cost None Japanese expansion Unnumbered Promotional cards For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Jigglypuff.

Pikachu LV.16 ピカチュウ Pikachu

Illus. Keiji Kinebuchi (Ken Sugimori erroneously printed)

Evolution stage Basic Pokémon Card name Pikachu Type Lightning HP 60 weakness None resistance None retreat cost None Japanese expansion Unnumbered Promotional cards For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu.

Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ Pikachu) and Jigglypuff (Japanese: プリン Purin) are two Pokémon cards released as promos in the November 1996 edition of Corocoro comic. They are best known for being the first Pokémon TCG cards. The cards were released on October 15 1996, five days before the Japanese no rarity Base Set.

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• Background
• Card text
• Pokédex data
• Release information
• Trivia
• References

Contents

Background

Unpeeled CoroCoro comic with Pikachu and Jigglypuff insert.

Like other CoroCoro promos, Pikachu and Jigglypuff were included as goodies called furoku at the beginning of the November 1996 CoroCoro comic, where they were peeled out of an insert. Each month's comic came out roughly halfway through the previous month, with the November comic coming out on October 15. Both cards have no rarity symbol, just like the original base set cards – rarity symbols were added only in later base set printings. Both cards are examples of early 3D art characteristic of Keiji Kinebuchi.

There are a number of very similar Japanese reprints of the original CoroCoro Pikachu and Jigglypuff. For Pikachu, the correct original card can be uniquely identified by the illustrator listed, which is Ken Sugimori. This was an error and was corrected in future printings, as the actual artist was Keiji Kinebuchi. For the Jigglypuff card, the original promo can be uniquely identified by its glossy surface: reprints were printed in matte. The gloss is easiest to recognize in direct light, but in frontal photographs, the glossy card has a visibly darker and more saturated coloring. Note that the Pikachu card is also glossy, but is more easily identified by its illustrator error. There was also a glossy reprint of the Pikachu card, unlike Jigglypuff.

Japanese base set poster from 1996 depicting the 2 Pikachu and Jigglypuff promos collectible alongside the base set for a total of 102+2 cards. Card description reads:
コロコロ付録カード : CoroCoro furoku card
コロコロ11月号 の付録カード。: The bonus card from CoroCoro's November issue.
もちろんゲームでも使えるぞ!! : And of course, you can use it in the game too!!

In early Japanese sources, The Pikachu and Jigglypuff Corocoro promos were advertised alongside the original base set to be collected as "102+2" cards. A poster (right) included as a furoku in the next month's Corocoro comic shows all 104 cards together.

Copies of the Pikachu or Jigglypuff promos in good condition are very rare. Most copies were released with "lip" (a small bend) along the top edge of the card resulting from the curvature of the magazine. The cards were released in large numbers, but at the time of their release, it was not anticipated that the TCG would be a success, and Tsunekazu Ishihara had difficulty finding distributors willing to take it. This gave little reason to make extra efforts to keep the cards in good shape. Today, almost all available cards have been damaged, and many came with centering defects or lips to begin with. As of July 2026, out of 1,485 copies graded, none have received a PSA 10, a grade given to the best-condition cards. This makes the CoroCoro Pikachu with Sugimori error the most-graded Pokémon card on PSA's population report to have no examples of a 10, exceeding Prerelease Clefable. There are two PSA 10 copies of the glossy Jigglypuff on the population report, but earlier discoveries of matte reprints that were mislabeled as the original promos make their authenticity dubious.

Pikachu and Jigglypuff were the first TCG cards, colloquially referred to just as "Pokémon Cards" today. However, outside of the TCG, two vending machine sets were released earlier: Carddass Part 1 & 2 and the Jumbo Carddass Chip Shooter cards. Jumbo Carddass Chip Shooters were released late June 1996 and were a set of 11 jumbo cards far larger than the TCG size, depicting the town map on the back. Their front could be peeled to reveal cardstock coins depicting individual Pokémon and items. Carddass Part 1 & 2 were released in late September and early October 1996, and were slightly smaller than TCG size. Both sets depicted all 151 Pokémon. The Part 1 & 2 sets have far more copies in high grades than the Pikachu and Jigglypuff promos, making them accessible in excellent condition to a larger pool of collectors despite their early release.

For additional context, partial scans of CoroCoro comics can be viewed online, with zoidsland and a Japanese blog being two of the richest sources.

Card text

Growl

なきごえ

If the Defending Pokémon tries to attack during your opponent's next turn, your opponent flips a coin. If tails, that attack does nothing.

Thunder Shock

でんきショック

20

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.

First Aid

かいふく

Remove 1 damage counter from Jigglypuff.

Double-edge

すてみタックル

40

Jigglypuff does 20 damage to itself.

Pokédex data

Pikachu - Mouse Pokémon

No.

025

Height

1'4" (0.4 m)

Weight

13 lbs. (6.0 kg)

Pokédex entry

ほっぺたの りょうがわに ちいさい でんきぶくろを もつ。ピンチのときに ほうでんする。

Jigglypuff - Balloon Pokémon

No.

039

Height

1'8" (0.5 m)

Weight

12 lbs. (5.5 kg)

Pokédex entry

まるくて おおきい ひとみで さそいこみ、ここちよい うたを うたい、あいてを ねむらせる。

Release information

A two-page spread in the November 1996 issue showing base set cards freshly printed from a "Pokémon Machine" and reminding kids that the furoku promo cards could be used alongside the main release.
今月の付録は、製品といっしょに使えるぞ‼ : "This month's furoku can be used together with the retail products!!"

In 1996 Japan, Pokémon was an unproven franchise. Though the games were released in late February, it would take until the summer of 1997 for them to reach peak sales in Japan. Nonetheless, Pokémon was regularly promoted early on in a popular kids' comic: each month, CoroCoro subscribers received a 700+ page comic containing the next chapter of a number of different manga. An additional bimonthly "bessatsu" (別冊) edition was available for another ≈700 pages of content. In between manga in both issues, kids would find colorful pages advertising new or upcoming games, merchandise and sweepstakes. CoroCoro was the organizer of the famous giveaway of Mew to a small number of readers, who were mailed a cartridge with the Pokémon.

While the Pokémon TCG was ignored by other media, CoroCoro was willing to have it featured. To keep readers interested, CoroCoro magazines included furoku such as scratch cards or posters. The most-anticipated Pokémon furoku were collectible cards, of which 36 were released. The first were a set of the Pikachu and Jigglypuff promos with art by Keiji Kinebuchi, timed just before the base set to get kids ready for more. The promotion was a success, and the TCG was instantly popular on release.

Trivia

• The bottom-right description in Japanese is the original Pokedex entry from the Japanese Red and Green games. That description was only seen in Japan in the original games, as the international games got their entries from the later-released Japanese Blue version.

This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.