Who Loves Pokemon?

Last November 16, I had the privilege to meet-and-greet Mr. Kenjiro Ito, the President of The Pokemon Company along with Mr. Susumu Fukunaga, Pokemon Movie Executive Producer at the presscon in Fairmont & Raffles Hotel in Makati.

For more than 16 years, kids all over the world have been discovering the enchanting world of Pokemon. Pokemon made their first appearance in the video games Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version for the Nintendo Game Boy system. The games were released in 1996. Today, there are more than 700 Pokemon! Children remember each Pokemon's name and details because of their incredibly unique characteristics.

Pokemon are creatures of all shapes and sizes who live in the wild alongside humans. For the most part, Pokemon do not speak except to utter their names. Pokemon are raised and commended by their owners (called "Trainers"). During their adventures, Pokemon grow and become more experienced and even, on occasion, evolve into stronger Pokemon. Some Pokemon, such as Pikachu, Piplup and Charizard, play prominent roles in the video game series, Trading Card Game, and television shows, but these are just a few of the over 700 creatures that inhabit the Pokemon universe.

Pokemon were created initially for video games, which led to the creation of a trading card game, animated TV series, movies, real-life events, and a licensing business. Now Pokemon characters enjoy enthusiastic support from people around the world in a variety of fields.

To Date, the Pokemon family of products includes video games, the Pokemon Trading Card Game, the Pokemon animated TV series, movies, toys, and much more. Many parents feel that the Pokemon TCG and Pokemon video games encourage their children to learn to read, since reading is required in most Pokemon games. The games also encouraged strategic thinking, and in many cases, basic math skills. Pokemon puts a strong emphasis on good sportsmanship and respect for other players.

Important milestones to note include the following:

1996:                    Release f the first Pokemon Game Boy
1996:                    Release of Pokemon Trading Card Game
1997:                    Release of the first Pokemon TV series
1998:                    Release of the first Pokemon Movie
2006:                    Release of the first Pokemon DS Game
2013:                    Will release the first Pokemon 3DS Game