Pokémon Turns 30

Happy birthday, Pikachu! This year, Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Pokémon debuted on February 27, 1996, in Japan. It started with two video games. The basic goal: catching and training fantastical creatures. Today, millions of kids (and adults) are fans. They enjoy Pokémon’s video games and apps, in-person events—and, of course, the popular Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG).

Always Evolving

Anniversary celebrations have occurred all year. The brand has organized events. It has launched new products. These include new TCG cards.

Barry Sams is the vice president of game development and community engagement at the Pokémon Company International. He told TIME for Kids that the brand hopes to “keep moving forward.”

For example, in 2025, the Pokémon TCG became available in Latin American Spanish. The game is now available in 16 languages.

Catch ‘Em All

From August 28 to 30, more than 50,000 Pokémon fans gathered in San Francisco, California, for the 2026 Pokémon World Championships. TFK Kid Reporter Adam Sadi was on the scene. (Read his first-person account here.) Adam spoke with Haruki Okunishi. Haruki is a top youth player who traveled from Malaysia for the event. “I just practice and practice,” he told Adam, emphasizing that all that practice is a lot of fun.

POKÉSCHOOL TFK Kid Reporter Adam Sadi (right) learns from a Pokémon Professor at the World Championships on August 29.

Another championship attendee told Adam that Pokémon “brings together people of all backgrounds and all ages.”