Pokémon Day

What Is Pokémon Day?

Every February 27th is "Pokémon Day" (ポケモンの日, Pokémon no Hi) in Japan and worldwide. On February 27, 1996, Nintendo released "Pocket Monsters Red and Green" (ポケットモンスター 赤・緑, Poketto Monsutā Aka Midori) for the Game Boy in Japan — launching the Pokémon franchise that would become one of the most successful and culturally pervasive entertainment properties in human history. The games, designed by Satoshi Tajiri and published by Nintendo, introduced 151 original Pokémon and the gameplay mechanics (catching, training, battling, and trading) that remain the franchise's foundation 30 years later.

The Birth of Pokémon

Satoshi Tajiri (田尻智) conceived of Pokémon from his childhood hobby of insect collecting — the joy of finding new creatures, collecting different species, and trading finds with friends. Working with Nintendo and the studio Game Freak (ゲームフリーク) that he co-founded, Tajiri spent six years developing the game before its February 1996 release. The game's link cable trading feature — which required players to connect their Game Boys to exchange Pokémon — was a social innovation that made Pokémon fundamentally a community experience rather than a solo game.

From Japan to the World

Pokémon's international expansion followed a carefully orchestrated strategy: the animated TV series (1997) introduced the characters to audiences who didn't play games; the trading card game (1996 in Japan) created a physical collectible alongside the digital game; and the 1998-1999 international release of the games (as Red and Blue) created a global generation of Pokémon fans. The franchise has since expanded to include 9 main game generations, hundreds of millions of video games sold, the Pokémon Trading Card Game (the world's most widely distributed trading card game), animated films, merchandise, and the augmented reality game Pokémon GO (2016).

Pokémon's Global Cultural Impact

Pokémon's cultural reach is extraordinary: "Gotta catch 'em all" (ゲットだぜ!) is recognized globally; Pikachu is one of the world's most recognizable fictional characters; the franchise has generated estimated revenues exceeding $150 billion, making it the world's highest-grossing media franchise. Pokémon Day is observed globally by The Pokémon Company with new game announcements, merchandise releases, and community events.

Fun Facts

• Pikachu's origin: Pikachu was designed by artist Atsuko Nishida as an electric mouse — drawing on the "pika" sound of electricity (ピカ) and "chu," the Japanese onomatopoeia for a mouse's squeak. The character was initially one of many; its selection as Pokémon's mascot followed the anime's success in making Pikachu Ash's signature companion.
• Pokémon GO: The 2016 augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO — developed by Niantic in partnership with The Pokémon Company — achieved extraordinary global adoption, becoming the fastest mobile game ever to reach $1 billion in revenue and causing significant real-world social phenomena including crowd gatherings at rare Pokémon spawn locations.