Pokémon Day
- This article is about the anniversary of Pokémon Red and Green. For individual events named Pokémon Day, see Pokémon Day (disambiguation).
Pokémon Day is an annual celebration of the original Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green, held on February 27. Various events are held around the world to mark this occasion, including announcements about new games, events and updates to all aspects of the franchise. Many of these announcements are revealed in official live streams known as "Pokémon Presents".
2016
Releases
As part of the year-long 20th Anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, the Pokémon Day in 2016 saw the Virtual Console releases of the Generation I games Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. In Europe, Australia, and Japan, special edition Nintendo 2DS bundles were released, pre-installed with one of the Virtual Console titles; the systems are transparent, matching the color of the installed version. The Japanese bundles included a map of the Kanto region, a set of stickers based on the VC game's mascot, and a serial code for a Mew for the Generation VI games. The European and Australian bundles included a download code for a HOME Menu theme and a different sticker set. In North America, New Nintendo 3DS bundles were released, with pre-installed copies of both Red and Blue, two cover plates themed on Red and Blue, and a HOME Menu download code.
A New Nintendo 3DS cover plate was also released in Europe, Australia, and Japan, featuring in-battle sprites from Red and Blue.
In Japan, the BREAK Starter Pack was released. The set only features Generation I Pokémon and emulates the Original Era Starter Deck in design and semi-random card inclusion.
At 12 a.m. JST, Pokémon Sun and Moon were announced in a worldwide Nintendo Direct.
Online events
The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online gave a set of commemorative card sleeves to players who logged in on Pokémon Day.
On the official Pokémon Twitch channel from 1 to 9 p.m. EST, Pokémon gameplay, interviews, and discussions were shown. A 24-hour anime marathon began on the officially-endorsed channel Twitch Watches Pokémon at 9 p.m. The channel streamed several movies and Pokémon Chronicles episodes, as well as the Pokémon Origins series on the following schedule:
On-site events
Several on-site events were held in various countries.
In Brazil, the local TCG distributor Copag sponsored tournaments held at select stores. The stores each received a kit with 55 prints of the exclusive XY Promo Pikachu card, three Badge cases, three bags with the Play! Pokémon logo, and 12 Mewtwo deckboxes. Exclusive merchandise was also available at these tournaments. The promotional Pikachu card could also be obtained at RiHappy, PB Kids, BMart, and Planeta Brinquedos from February 27 to 28, when customers bought two TCG products (barring booster packs).
In South Korea, a week-long event was held at Pangyo Hyundai Department Store in Seongnam. Stamps were hidden across four areas of the department store that, when collected, rewarded customers with a Pokémon Day notebook. On the 27th and 28th, players could receive a Mew between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Video game and TCG tournaments were also held for the two days. A Generation I Pokémon-only "Kanto Champion" tournament was held on the 27th, while an "All Star" tournament took place the next day; only Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games were permitted to be used. The "3 vs 3 Winners League" TCG tournament ran for both days and competitors received the promotional All-Night Party card. A Pokémon Mini Museum and a Pokémon Mini Attraction were also held over these two days.
In the United States, select GameStops hosted Early Access Tournaments for Pokkén Tournament, with a grand prize of a trip to the 2016 US National Championships. All stores had exclusive Mew plushes and gave customers buying any Pokémon products a Mythical Pokémon poster. Holofoil Pikachu and Magikarp cards, activity books, and a poster featuring the original 151 Pokémon were given away at Toys "R" Us stores for the day. Binders themed on the Generations TCG expansion were available for sale as well. In New York City, New York, an event was held at Nintendo New York from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In Los Angeles, California, the JapanLA Pop Culture Shop had a Pokémon-based pop-up shop run from Pokémon Day until March 27.
2017
For the 2017 Pokémon Day, Mewtwo Strikes Back, Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, and Zoroark: Master of Illusions were made available on Pokémon TV for a limited time. Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel was also released on Prime Video, Google Play, and the iTunes Store, as well as a bundle of episodes of the Gold & Silver arc of the anime. On the official Pokémon Twitch channel, championship matches of the TCG, video games, and Pokkén Tournament were shown all day.
From 1 p.m. PST February 26 to 1 p.m. PST March 6, Pikachu found in Pokémon GO wore a party hat (which lasted beyond the event time). In the week leading up to Pokémon Day, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online made extra Trainer Tokens available on the Bonus Wheel. A special Daily Bonus was also given out on the 27th.
The first set of the Pokémon Gallery Figures was released on February 27. The set of Pokémon figures was made exclusively for the US Pokémon Center Online.
2018
Pikachu Talk was released internationally on February 26 to celebrate Pokémon Day in 2018. Snapchat lenses featuring the Kanto first partner Pokémon were also made available. Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! was also made available for streaming on Pokémon TV for the first time. A Pikachu with the move Present wearing a party hat was also made available in Pokémon GO. Merchandise released on the Pokémon Center website include a Charizard Pokémon Gallery Figure DX, and to commemorate the year of Legendary Pokémon, Dialga and Palkia pins.
In Brazil, the episode Alola, Kanto!, which features the return of Misty and Brock after a long absence, premiered on Cartoon Network Brazil at 4 p.m. BRT. Later that day, starting at 6 p.m. BRT, the channel aired a special marathon with the episodes The Guardian's Challenge!, Big Sky, Small Fry!, A Crowning Moment of Truth!, a rerun of Alola, Kanto!, and the premiere of When Regions Collide!, followed by Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!. On their social media, the channel also posted several Pokémon-related images and wallpapers. Additionally, the local TCG distributor and event organizer Copag used its Facebook account to share many code cards for the Trading Card Game Online.
2019
At 10 p.m. JST, Pokémon Sword and Shield were announced in a worldwide Nintendo Direct.
Pokémon Shirts went on sale in Japan.
2020
A new Mythical Pokémon, Zarude, was revealed. Its inclusion in Secrets of the Jungle was also announced, alongside a new poster.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution was released on Netflix worldwide, excluding Japan and Korea.
In Brazil and Latin America, The Power of Us aired at 8:00 p.m. local time on Cartoon Network.
Disney XD played the first three Pokémon movies starting at 3:30 p.m. EST.
In Pokémon Sword and Shield, from 4:00 p.m. PST February 26 to 3:59 p.m. March 1, 2020, special Max Raid Battles featuring Dynamax Mewtwo were available. The Mewtwo was uncatchable but did reward rare items to players who defeated it such as Ability Capsules, Bottle Caps, and PP Maxes. Max Raid Battles featuring Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Squirtle, and Wartortle were also available.
Pokémon Masters celebrated its six-month anniversary, adding the sync pair of Red & Charizard, new story chapters and events, the Battle Villa, and a 3,000 gem log-in bonus available until March 15, 2020.
Starting February 25, 2020 and running until March 2, 2020, Pokémon GO held a Pokémon Day Celebration. To coincide with the release of Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, Armored Mewtwo with Psystrike was available in five star raids, along with clone Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise in four star raids. Clone Pikachu also had a chance of spawning within the GO Snapshot mode. Additionally, party hat-wearing Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, and Eevee were available, the former three via 7 km eggs and one star raids, and the latter two in the wild. On the Raid Day on March 1, 2020, Nidorino and Gengar wearing party hats (in reference to the opening cinematic of Red and Blue) were available in two star and four star raids, respectively. The party hats have a polka dot on a solid red design to differentiate themselves from the 2017 hats. They were cancelled in Japan, Italy, and Korea due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shiny variants of all party hat Pokémon were also available.
The Pikachu Classics Collection was released on the US Pokémon Center Online. Additionally, all orders had free shipping for the day.
New fabric pattern designs were announced based on Johto Pokémon for Pokémon Shirts, as well as the launch of shirts in children's sizes.[1]
From February 5 until 5:59 a.m. PST on February 14, 2020, the first Pokémon of the Year vote was run in collaboration with Google.
2021
Pokémon Day in 2021 was the 25th Anniversary of the Pokémon franchise.
The first of the P25 Music concerts, featuring Post Malone, was held at 7pm ET (Midnight UTC) on Pokémon Day.[2]
On February 19, 2021, the Pokémon Asia My Favorite Award was launched, where fans in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam can vote for their favorite Pokémon using the Pokédex pages on each country's official website. Results from the votes were released on Pokémon Day 2021.[3]
The two Pokémon Cafe locations in Japan had a special commemorative menu item from February 27 - March 12, 2021.[4]
In Brazil, Cartoon Network aired I Choose You! at 1 p.m. BRT. On social media, they posted a special video featuring some of Ash's Pokémon from each series evolving. Telecine Fun aired a marathon of seven Pokémon movies from 8:40 a.m. to 8:10 p.m. BRT. Additionally, Panini Comics did an Instagram livestream at 2 p.m. BRT announcing the release of the FireRed & LeafGreen arc of Pokémon Adventures in Brazilian Portuguese.
In Japan, a dedicated Pokémon Day website launched on February 19, 2021. It displayed the live results of a Twitter hashtag-based fan vote for favorite Pokémon of the year that ran between February 19–22, 2021. The website also includes a selection of Pokémon Trivia and information about other Pokémon Day activities.
2022
In the week leading up to Pokémon Day 2022, new information was released for a selection of Pokémon games and projects:
- February 21: Pokémon Masters EX - The sync pair May (Anniversary 2022) & Latias was revealed.
- February 22: Pokémon Sword and Shield - Wild Area News Max Raid Battles featuring Gigantamax Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise ran from February 22 to 28, 2022.
- February 23: Pokémon Café ReMix - 26 Stamina was given to all players.
- February 24: Pokémon UNITE - Hoopa was added to the game, and a new limited-time mode Full-Fury Battle, available from February 27, was announced.
- February 25: P25 Music - The final P25 music video, for Reconnect by Yaffle, was released.
- February 26: Pokémon GO
On February 25, 2022, an event distribution of a Hisuian Growlithe and 20 Feather Balls for Pokémon Legends: Arceus began in the United States. The Hisuian Growlithe is level 26, one level for each year of the Pokémon franchise.[5] The distribution also became available in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland from March 4, 2022.
On February 27, a Pokémon Presents presentation was held, revealing the addition of Generation VII Pokémon to Pokémon GO, Duraludon for Pokémon UNITE, the Daybreak update for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the anime series Pokémon: Hisuian Snow, the Oak's Letter event for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and the Generation IX games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Gallery
New artwork was released on each day of the week leading up to Pokémon Day, drawn by Megumi Mizutani.[6]
2023
In the lead up to Pokémon Day 2023, a campaign titled "Pokémon Together" was launched. The campaign was held from February 15 to 27, 2023, and invited Pokémon fans to share photos and videos showcasing their love for the franchise on social media with the hashtag #PokemonTogether. Submissions with the hashtag would have a chance to be gathered and formed into a Poké Ball-shaped mosaic that was revealed on Pokémon Day.
From February 24 to 27, a 7★ Tera Raid Battle featuring a Water Tera Type Pikachu with special properties was featured in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Poké Portal News.
On February 27, a Pokémon Presents presentation was held. It announced the 2023 World Championships event in Yokohama; the Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic set; the stop-motion animated series Pokémon Concierge; Zacian for Pokémon UNITE; Generation IX first partner Pokémon Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly for Pokémon Café ReMix; new sync pairs and bonuses for Pokémon Masters EX; the mobile game Pokémon Sleep; the Pokémon GO Plus + accessory for Pokémon GO and Pokémon Sleep; and a two-part DLC content for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.
2024
Pokémon Café ReMix held the "Friendly Chefs from Paldea" event from February 27 to March 14, 2024, which lets players add specially outfitted Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly to their staff. Additionally, Miraidon became available as a playable Pokémon in Pokémon UNITE beginning February 27, 2024.
In the United States, The Pokémon Company International partnered with the Empire State Building in New York City to illuminate its tower lights in yellow and blue, the colors of the Pokémon logo.[7]
In Japan, Pokémon Sword - Shield + Expansion Pass Super Music Collection, Pokémon LEGENDS Arceus Super Music Collection, and Pokémon Scarlet - Violet + The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Super Music Collection were released.
A Pokémon Presents presentation was held on February 27, 2024. It announced Tera Raid Battle events for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet featuring Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard; a Pokémon GO crossover event featuring Pokémon Horizons: The Series; Raikou, Entei and Suicune debuts in Pokémon Sleep; Silver (Champion) & Tyranitar and Geeta & Glimmora for Pokémon Masters EX; the debuts of Gimmighoul and Gholdengo in Pokémon Café ReMix; and Miraidon being available in Pokémon UNITE, with Falinks and Ceruledge announced to debut later during the year. Additionally, the presentation announced a new TCG mobile application known as Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, and a new core series game launching in 2025 titled Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Gallery
New artwork was released on each day leading up to Pokémon Day, each representing a different part of the franchise.
Other events
"Pokémon Day" was also the name for a series of yearly events held in various European countries such as Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands since 2004. These events were usually to promote recently released Pokémon games or movies, often with event Pokémon distributions. These events have either ceased or been replaced by Pokémon Kids Tours.
In Singapore on November 24, 2014, an event also called "Pokémon Day" was held after a soccer game between Albirex Niigata and Home United FC. The event was sponsored by Nintendo and local distributor Maxsoft, and a Shiny Gengar was given away to visitors.
References
- ↑ A New Online Preorder Event! Kid's Shirts Now Available! - Original Stitch (retrieved April 15, 2020)
- ↑ Pokémon Unveils Virtual Music Concert With Post Malone To Celebrate 25th Anniversary - The Pokémon Company International (retrieved February 19, 2021)
- ↑ Pokémon Asia My Favorite Award - Pokémon Asia (retrieved February 19, 2021)
- ↑ A menu commemorating the 25th anniversary of Pokémon will appear at "Pokémon Cafe"! - pokemoncenter-online.com (retrieved February 19, 2021)
- ↑ Get Hisuian Growlithe and 20 Feather Balls from GameStop - Pokémon.com (retrieved February 25, 2022)
- ↑ Mizutani confirming she drew the Pokémon Day 2022 art.
- ↑ (February 27, 2024). "Pokémon Legends: Z-A Video Game And Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket App Revealed On Pokémon Day." The Pokémon Company International Official Press Site
- ↑ kirisAki confirming she drew the Pokémon Day countdown art featuring Gladion
- ↑ Yusuke Kozaki confirming he drew the Pokémon Day countdown art featuring Pokémon GO.
- ↑ Hiroyuki Yamamoto is the key artist for Pokémon Cafe Mix.
In other languages
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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. |
