Today I was swept by a wave of nostalgia. I was reminiscing on my preteen days, back in 2002-04 and how much those years have influenced me. For most part, a large portion of my childhood was devoted to Disney. The same way, from age eleven onwards, another thing that turned my world around was Pokémon.
You've probably heard all about the Pokémon phenomenon. A franchise that started way back in 1998, took the world be storm. Hundreds of colorful creatures were yours for the taking. The first games, Pokémon Red and Blue, were released for the Game Boy and became so popular that there was soon a TV show, a Trading Card Game, clothes, and a LOT of merchandise. So it's no surprise that once I turned ten or eleven, I was introduced to the Pokémon world.
At first I never got the deal, because there were kids in my class who would collect and trade the cards. I was mildly interested, but never got into the "scene". However one day, I saw "Pokémon: The Movie 2000", which I thought was just incredible in every way (it is a great movie!) Soon enough, in Summer of 2003, when I was eleven, the Pokémon TV show started in India!!! I watched the first episode and was sold. Then onwards, I never missed a single episode for the next four years and six seasons (yeah, we got it a little late).
You've probably heard all about the Pokémon phenomenon. A franchise that started way back in 1998, took the world be storm. Hundreds of colorful creatures were yours for the taking. The first games, Pokémon Red and Blue, were released for the Game Boy and became so popular that there was soon a TV show, a Trading Card Game, clothes, and a LOT of merchandise. So it's no surprise that once I turned ten or eleven, I was introduced to the Pokémon world.
At first I never got the deal, because there were kids in my class who would collect and trade the cards. I was mildly interested, but never got into the "scene". However one day, I saw "Pokémon: The Movie 2000", which I thought was just incredible in every way (it is a great movie!) Soon enough, in Summer of 2003, when I was eleven, the Pokémon TV show started in India!!! I watched the first episode and was sold. Then onwards, I never missed a single episode for the next four years and six seasons (yeah, we got it a little late).
And it was no surprise, but Pokémon was literally, EVERYWHERE.
Food companies gave away free Pokémon merchandise with their products. There were clothes, bags, water bottles, lunch boxes, clocks, even bed sheets! It was crazy and I was loving it! For the next couple of years, I devoted my life to Pokémon. I watched the TV show, purchased cards, bought hundreds of packets of chips for the free Tazo inside.
Food companies gave away free Pokémon merchandise with their products. There were clothes, bags, water bottles, lunch boxes, clocks, even bed sheets! It was crazy and I was loving it! For the next couple of years, I devoted my life to Pokémon. I watched the TV show, purchased cards, bought hundreds of packets of chips for the free Tazo inside.
So now, nine years later, I would like to share with you people my Pokémon Collection :)
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| Pokémon toys! Not much, but I love them! |
Above are some toys that I have collected over the years. My first one was Charmander, I remember I had just finished my exams and was so happy when I was done that I went with my parents to the toy store and bought a Charmander! Mew is my personal favorite, you can pull it back and it watch it move!
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| Pikachu and Minun. From McDonalds! |
Pikachu and Minun are toys that shoot these little discs out when you press their heads! So cute! I got them in 2006 with my McDonald's Happy Meal! Sadly Pokémon hasn't returned to McDonalds in India since then. :(
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| My whopping collection of Pokémon Diamonds, Greeting Cards, Stickers and Chase Cards |
Above you will see some of my Pokémon merchandise. Diamond Cards (free with Kissan products!), Greeting Cards, Stickers and Chase Cards (free with Perfetti van Melle products!).
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| Tazos and Flippers! |
Frito Lay was actually the first to jump in on the Pokémon bandwagon, offering Pokémon Tazos and later, Flippers and Jenga Cards with their products like Cheetos and Uncle Chipps.
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| Jenga Cards! |
Of course, Pokémon was a global phenomenon, and I got in on some of the action! My Pokémon Trading Card collection grew exponentially! Sadly though, I don't have a complete deck, as we don't get full Theme Decks in India. :( But there's always tomorrow!
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| Pokémon TCG Cards! Always the best! |
Digging around, I found something special. A rare Pokémon Movie Trading Card, which was made in 1999 to promote the First Movie! Sadly, it's in pretty bad condition.
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| How rare. |
Below are some of my Pokémon books! The Black and White Handbook I got just a few months ago! I also have a bunch of Pokémon manga, but I will put them up some other time.
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| The Official Annual, a Fire Evolver,Talent Showdown storybook, diaries, and Handbooks! |
Here's a Ruby and Sapphire poster I got with my Handbook! It features all the Pokémon from the Hoenn region!
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| Classic. |
Oh, here's some things I made! A Jigglypuff alarm clock (doesn't work), and some drawings I put up in my room!
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| Doesn't work! |
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| Cool, huh? |
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| The starters are the cutest! |
And here's where it all started: the games. I have three. Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon SoulSilver, and Pokémon White. My personal favorite is Pokémon SoulSilver! These games have sold millions upon millions of copies in recent years. If you haven't played these, give them a shot! They're simply awesome.
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| This is where it all starts! |
So there you have it! A peek into my large Pokémon Collection! The amazing thing is, the Pokémon franchise still is going strong! There's new games (Black 2 and White 2) due in October. Season 15 of the TV show is going strong, showing a new episode every week! Every few months, a new expansion to the TCG is released! It's still a phenomenon, proved by the fact that the most recent games, Black and White,have sold more than 11.5 million copies, so far! It's huge and still awesome.
My childhood was influenced by Pokémon in such a big way. I made some great friends (some whom I am still in contact with!), learned to interact with people I didn't like, and most importantly, it helped me have a happy childhood. Whenever I was scared, or in trouble or going through something difficult, I knew I had the vast world of Pokémon to fall back on for comfort.
My childhood was influenced by Pokémon in such a big way. I made some great friends (some whom I am still in contact with!), learned to interact with people I didn't like, and most importantly, it helped me have a happy childhood. Whenever I was scared, or in trouble or going through something difficult, I knew I had the vast world of Pokémon to fall back on for comfort.
What about you? Did Pokémon influence your childhood the way it did mine? Or did something else? Sound off! In the meantime, I'm going exploring in the woods. Maybe I'll discover a Legendary Pokémon!
You Gotta Catch 'Em All!
Much love,
Much love,
Gary