The Pokémon Company has released a ton of new merch for the series' 30th anniversary in Japan, including a retro Pikachu plush that was so popular overseas that its stores were ransacked by fans and scalpers alike last week.
It influenced my idea of what animals and natural history were, almost before I knew what real animals in the real world were like. For some researchers, themes in the Pokémon games mirror their everyday work. Spencer Monckton, a research scientist at the University of Guelph in Canada, who grew up playing the games and watching the TV series, says that collecting Pokémon is very much the same thing as what an entomologist does.
Finally, we are one step closer to a full-on Pokémon land coming to a theme park in the United States. Universal Studios Japan just made the first move in making our Poké friends into an amusement park staple. Pokémon International and USJ are expanding their collaboration by creating "an unprecedented, innovative experience" that will first debut at Universal Studios Japan before expanding to other theme parks globally.
I don't remember when was the last day I did not think about Pokémon at all. In the 30 years since Pokémon debuted in Japan with the 1996 release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green for Nintendo Game Boy, the franchise has taken over the globe with its animated shows, mobile games and highly coveted trading cards.
The Pokémon Company finally, in the dead of night, announced its annual Pokémon Day Presents showcase. This is the stream the company hosts every year on February 27 to celebrate the franchise's anniversary. is turning 30 in 2026, so there's probably a lot to share ahead of the coming year. Here's what we know and what we can likely expect to see next week.