Pokémon 20th Anniversary
The entire year of 2016 was celebrated as Pokémon's 20th Anniversary, as February 27, 2016 marked the twentieth anniversary of the original Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green Versions, and therefore the twentieth anniversary of the Pokémon media franchise as a whole.
Event distributions
Various level 100 Mythical Pokémon were distributed to American and PAL region Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. The distributions also correspond to the release of merchandise related to the Pokémon.
| Pokémon | Duration | Method | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mew | February 1 to 24, 2016 June 1 to 30, 2016* June 10 to August 31, 2016* |
Serial code |
|
Celebi | March 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
|
Jirachi | April 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
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Darkrai | May 1 to 24, 2016 September 1 to 30 2016* September 27 to October 31, 2016* |
Serial code |
|
Manaphy | June 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
|
Shaymin | July 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
|
Arceus | August 1 to 24, 2016 December 1 to 31, 2016* |
Serial code |
|
Victini | September 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
|
Keldeo | October 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
|
Genesect | November 1 to 24, 2016 | Serial code |
|
Meloetta | December 1 to 24, 2016 | Nintendo Network |
Super Bowl 50
The Pokémon Company International aired a 30-second commercial advertisement on February 7, 2016 with the motto "Train On." during Super Bowl 50. An extended version of the commercial was posted on Pokémon.com's official YouTube channel on January 25, 2016.
#Pokemon20: Pokémon Super Bowl Commercial (extended version)
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Pokémon: Train On. (30-second broadcast version)
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
#Pokemon20
Posts with the hashtag #Pokemon20 on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube were selected and displayed on Pokemon20.com. The official website states that selected submissions "may get something special".
Pokémon Day
- Main article: Pokémon Day
Special events were hosted on February 27, 2016 at retail locations.
In the United States, Toys "R" Us had special Holofoil Pikachu and Magikarp TCG cards from the new Generations set, a Pokémon activity book, and a poster with the original 151 Pokémon. There were also binders themed around the Generations expansion for sale. GameStops had an exclusive Mew plush and gave customers buying any Pokémon products a Mythical Pokémon poster. Stores in select cities also hosted Early Access Competitions for Pokkén Tournament, with a grand prize of a trip to the 2016 US National Championships. Nintendo New York held an event from 9 AM to 5 PM. The JapanLA Pop Culture Shop in Los Angeles, California had a pop-up shop dedicated to Pokémon merchandise that ran until March 27.
In Brazil, Copag promoted Pokémon Trading Card Game tournaments at selected stores across the country, where players received exclusive products. The company also sent a kit with 55 exclusive Pikachu Promo cards, three Badge cases, three bags with the Play! Pokémon logo, and 12 Mewtwo deckboxes to each selected hobby store. Players could also receive the Pikachu Promo card by buying two Pokémon TCG products (except boosters) at RiHappy, PB Kids, BMart, and Planeta Brinquedos from February 27 to 28.
In South Korea, events were held at Pangyo Hyundai Department Store in Seongnam from February 27 to March 6, 2016. During this time, visitors could collect stamps hidden across four areas in the department store. Visitors who successfully collected all four stamps were able to receive an original Pokémon Day notebook. The Pokémon Store shop is also set to sell various exclusive items. The store also distributed cards illustrated by Game Freak on the 26th to visitors who purchased a certain amount of goods from the store or online. A Mew was also be distributed via infrared on February 27 to 28, 2016. This Mew was level 5, similar to the Mew distributed to Japanese games rather than the international Mew. During these two days, a Pokémon Battle Event was also held. On the 27th, only Kanto Pokémon could be used in the "Kanto Champion" tournament, while on the 28th, all Pokémon were allowed in the "All Star" tournament. Only players with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were allowed to participate. During the 27th and 28th, a Pokémon TCG "3 vs 3 Winners League" tournament was also held, with all competitors receiving a special promotional card. A Pokémon Mini Museum and a Pokémon Mini Attraction were also held over these two days.
The official Pokémon Twitch channel showed Pokémon gameplay, interviews, and discussions from at 1 to 9 p.m. EST. At 9 p.m. EST, a 24-hour anime marathon began on the officially-endorsed channel Twitch Watches Pokémon, which showed the following movies and specials:
Players who logged on to Pokémon Trading Card Game Online received a set of commemorative card sleeves.
Games
In addition to the following, Pokkén Tournament for Wii U and Pokémon GO were released worldwide in 2016. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon and a physical version of Pokémon Rumble World were released in Europe in 2016. Officially announced on January 26, 2016, Detective Pikachu—the concept for which was initially unveiled in 2013—received a digital release on the Nintendo eShop in Japan on February 3, 2016.
Pokémon Sun and Moon
Pokémon Sun and Moon, the primary paired versions of Generation VII, were announced at midnight JST on February 27, 2016 in a worldwide Pokémon Direct. They were released on November 18, 2016 worldwide except in Europe, where they were released on November 23, 2016.
Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow
The Generation I core series games—Pokémon Red and Green, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Red and Blue, and Pokémon Yellow—were released on February 27, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS on Virtual Console. A series of limited-edition Nintendo 2DS systems pre-installed with one of the Virtual Console games were released in Japan, Europe, and Australia; a New Nintendo 3DS pre-installed with both Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue was released in North America.
Pokémon Photo Booth
Pokémon Photo Booth was released on February 24, 2016 for iOS.
In other Nintendo games
Nintendo Badge Arcade
On February 25, 2016, North American versions of Nintendo Badge Arcade celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon with ten sets of Pokémon badges, including the first badges of Mega Evolved Pokémon. Pokémon-themed HOME Menus were displayed on the game's Miiverse Gallery for a period after March 6.
Splatoon
In commemoration of Pokémon's 20th Anniversary, a Splatfest was held on February 20, 2016 at 6:00 AM UTC, pitting players who prefer Pokémon Red against players who prefer Pokémon Blue*/Green*. The Splatfest, like all Splatfests, was divided and tallied by game region. At the end of the Splatfest, in all three regions, Red lost to Blue and Green.
In Japan, replicas of the Red Team and Green Team T-shirts distributed in-game to participants were sold in Pokémon Centers across the country.
Super Mario Maker
An Event Course entitled I Choose You! was uploaded on February 11, 2016. When the player completes this course, they will unlock a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle costume. Completing the course three times will unlock all three. Unlike the Super Smash Bros. Pokémon costumes, these costumes have a full set of custom sound effects and music taken from Pokémon Red and Green.
Trading Card Game
International
The English expansions Generations and Evolutions were released in commemoration of Pokémon's 20th Anniversary. The expansions primarily focus on Generation I Pokémon and concepts. The Evolutions expansion and its Japanese equivalent, Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary features re-releases of Original Era cards revised to fit the current game's meta. For example, the Charizard based on the famous Base Set Charizard now has 150 Hit Points instead of 120 HP, and its signature Fire Spin now does 200 damage, as opposed to 100 damage.
Japan
Several commemorative Pokémon Trading Card Game products were released in Japan as part of the Pokémon 20th Anniversary. These included concept packs, special packs, books, premium collectibles, accessories, and recreations of early TCG products.
Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary
The Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary (Japanese: コンセプトパック「ポケットモンスターカードゲーム 拡張パック 20th Anniversary」) was a concept pack released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon Card Game. Its packaging recreated the design of the original Japanese Expansion Pack, the first Pokémon Card Game expansion released in 1996. The set focused on nostalgia for the earliest period of the TCG, featuring cards based on classic Pokémon and designs from the original era.
20th Anniversary Special Pack: M Slowbro-EX + Surfing Pikachu
The 20th Anniversary Special Pack: M Slowbro-EX + Surfing Pikachu (Japanese: 20th Anniversary スペシャルパック「ヤドランEX＋なみのりピカチュウ」) was released alongside the 20th Anniversary concept pack. It included an original card recreating the 1997 Surfing Pikachu promotional card, as well as Slowbro-EX, which marked Slowbro's first appearance as a Pokémon-EX. The product also included three packs of the 20th Anniversary concept pack.
Pokémon Card Game Art Collection
The Pokémon Card Game Art Collection (Japanese: ポケモンカードゲーム アートコレクション) was a special book released for the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon Card Game. The book collected more than 350 selected illustrations from over 10,000 cards released from the earliest Pokémon Card Game products through the XY BREAK Series. It also included special 20th anniversary feature pages and came with a special case, making it a collector-oriented commemorative publication. Also included was a Full Art Charizard
promotional card.
The Pokémon Card Game Art Collection Pokémon Center Limited Edition (Japanese: ポケモンカードゲーム アートコレクション ポケモンセンター限定版) was also released exclusively through Pokémon Center stores. This version included a set of Deck Shields featuring the illustration used on the book’s cover, making it a more premium collector-focused variant of the standard release.
Pokémon Card Game 20th Anniversary Pikachu Solid Gold Card
The 20th Anniversary Pikachu Solid Gold Card (Japanese: ポケモンカードゲーム20周年記念 ピカチュウ 純金製カード) was a premium commemorative product based on the original Pikachu card from 20 years earlier. It was produced in collaboration with Tanaka Kikinzoku Jewelry and consisted of one pure gold card made with 11 grams of pure gold, along with an acrylic stand. Preorders opened on October 19, 2016 and were available for 20 days, with the product sold by made-to-order production for ¥200,000 plus tax. The card was not usable in official tournaments.
20th Anniversary Team Rocket Special Case
The 20th Anniversary Team Rocket Special Case (Japanese: ポケモンカードゲーム 20周年記念 ロケット団スペシャルケース) was a made-to-order premium storage product themed around Team Rocket. Preorders opened on November 3, 2016. The set included an attaché case, a premium holofoil Giovanni's Scheme card, a premium holofoil Here Comes Team Rocket! card, a deck case, a set of 64 Deck Shields, and a premium Pokémon coin. The product was sold for ¥12,000 plus tax and was scheduled to ship from mid-February 2017 onward.
Deck Shields
The Pokémon Card Game Deck Shields (Japanese: ポケモンカードゲーム デッキシールド) were a line of card sleeves released for the anniversary. Several designs were sold, including Deck Shield Premium Gloss: Expansion Pack 1st Edition (Japanese: デッキシールドプレミアム・グロス 拡張パック第1弾), which recreated the packaging of the original Japanese Expansion Pack using a shiny aluminum-sheet style. Other anniversary-related Deck Shield designs included Mega Mawile (Japanese: メガクチート), Coin Pattern (Japanese: コイン柄), Misty (Japanese: カスミ), Charizard ver.2 (Japanese: リザードンver.2), and first design.
Playmat
The Pokémon Card Game Playmat (Japanese: ポケモンカードゲーム プレイマット) released for the anniversary included the Rubber Playmat Full Size 20th (Japanese: ラバープレイマット フルサイズ 20th). It was a Pokémon Center-exclusive full-size rubber playmat released on February 27, 2016 for ¥5,000 plus tax.
BREAK Starter Pack
The Starter Pack (Japanese: ポケットモンスターカードゲーム スターターパック) was released on February 27, 2016 as a recreation of the original Japanese First Starter Pack from 20 years earlier. It included a 60-card random deck, damage counters, markers, and a rulebook, allowing players to begin playing immediately. The product also recreated nostalgic elements of the original starter product, including a Chansey Pokémon coin and packaging styled after the original release. Cards were selected from Pokémon that appeared in Pokémon Red and Green, and the deck always included either Venusaur-EX or Charizard-EX together with its corresponding Mega Evolution Pokémon.
The Starter Pack Blastoise ver. (Japanese: ポケットモンスターカードゲーム スターターパック カメックスver.) was a variant of the Starter Pack featuring Blastoise-EX. It retained the concept of recreating the original First Starter Pack, but was centered on Blastoise instead of Venusaur or Charizard. The product was first sold early at the official Pokémon Card Game Kamex Mega Battle tournament and was later released at Pokémon Center stores on June 17, 2016. It included one 60-card random deck and was sold for ¥926 plus tax.
Merchandise
Several merchandise items were made in celebration of Pokémon's 20th Anniversary.
Figurines and plush toys are set to be sold exclusively at Toys "R" Us, Walmart, GameStop, Walgreens, Target, and specialty stores in the United States, depending on the item, being released throughout the year.
Clothing and other accessories are set to be sold from the online Pokémon Center in the United States.
Trailers
#Pokemon20: Celebrate 20 Years of Pokémon!
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UK: Celebrate 20 Years of Pokémon with #Pokemon20!
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#Pokemon20: GAME FREAK's Junichi Masuda
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#Pokemon20: The Pokémon Company's Tsunekazu Ishihara
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Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Mew!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Celebi!
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Celebrate 20 years of Pokémon with the Pokémon TCG!
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Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Jirachi!
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Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Darkrai!
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Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Manaphy!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Shaymin!
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Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Arceus!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Victini!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Keldeo!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Genesect!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Celebrate #Pokemon20 with the Mythical Pokémon Meloetta!
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
In other languages
Train On.
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ジブンを超えよう。 Jibun o koeyou. | |
| Chinese | Cantonese | 超越自我 Chīuyuht jihngóh |
| Mandarin | 超越自我 Chāoyuè zìwǒ | |
| European French | L'entraînement continue. | |
| German | Das Training geht weiter. | |
| Italian | L'allenamento non finisce mai! | |
| Korean | 자신을 넘어서라 Jasin-eul neom-eoseora | |
| Portuguese | Brazil | Continue Treinando! |
| Portugal | Continua a treinar! | |
| European Spanish | ¡Sigue entrenando! | |
Related articles
External links
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This article is part of Project Real-Life, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on Pokémon activities and events experienced in the real world. |