Pokémon Day
- This article is about the anniversary of Pokémon Red and Green. For individual events named Pokémon Day, see Pokémon Day (disambiguation).
Pokémon Day is an annual celebration of the original Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green, held on February 27. Various events are held around the world to mark this occasion.
2016
Releases
As part of the year-long 20th Anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, the Pokémon Day in 2016 saw the Virtual Console releases of the Generation I games Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. In Europe, Australia, and Japan, special edition Nintendo 2DS bundles were released, pre-installed with one of the Virtual Console titles; the systems are transparent, matching the color of the installed version. The Japanese bundles included a map of the Kanto region, a set of stickers based on the VC game's mascot, and a serial code for a Mew for the Generation VI games. The European and Australian bundles included a download code for a HOME Menu theme and a different sticker set. In North America, New Nintendo 3DS bundles were released, with pre-installed copies of both Red and Blue, two cover plates themed on Red and Blue, and a HOME Menu download code.
A New Nintendo 3DS cover plate was also released in Europe, Australia, and Japan, featuring in-battle sprites from Red and Blue.
In Japan, the BREAK Starter Pack was released. The set only features Generation I Pokémon and emulates the Original Era Starter Deck in design and semi-random card inclusion.
At 12 a.m. JST, Pokémon Sun and Moon were announced in a worldwide Nintendo Direct.
Online events
The Pokémon Trading Card Game Online gave a set of commemorative card sleeves to players who logged in on Pokémon Day.
On the official Pokémon Twitch channel from 1 to 9 p.m. EST, Pokémon gameplay, interviews, and discussions were shown. A 24-hour anime marathon began on the officially-endorsed channel Twitch Watches Pokémon at 9 p.m. The channel streamed several movies and Pokémon Chronicles episodes, as well as the Pokémon Origins series on the following schedule:
On-site events
Several on-site events were held in various countries.
In Brazil, the local TCG distributor Copag sponsored tournaments held at select stores. The stores each received a kit with 55 prints of the exclusive XY Promo Pikachu card, three Badge cases, three bags with the Play! Pokémon logo, and 12 Mewtwo deckboxes. Exclusive merchandise was also available at these tournaments. The promotional Pikachu card could also be obtained at RiHappy, PB Kids, BMart, and Planeta Brinquedos from February 27 to 28, when customers bought two TCG products (barring booster packs).
In South Korea, a week-long event was held at Pangyo Hyundai Department Store in Seongnam. Stamps were hidden across four areas of the department store that, when collected, rewarded customers with a Pokémon Day notebook. On the 27th and 28th, players could receive a Mew between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Video game and TCG tournaments were also held for the two days. A Generation I Pokémon-only "Kanto Champion" tournament was held on the 27th, while an "All Star" tournament took place the next day; only Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games were permitted to be used. The "3 vs 3 Winners League" TCG tournament ran for both days and competitors received the promotional All-Night Party card. A Pokémon Mini Museum and a Pokémon Mini Attraction were also held over these two days.
In the United States, select GameStops hosted Early Access Tournaments for Pokkén Tournament, with a grand prize of a trip to the 2016 US National Championships. All stores had exclusive Mew plushes and gave customers buying any Pokémon products a Mythical Pokémon poster. Holofoil Pikachu and Magikarp cards, activity books, and a poster featuring the original 151 Pokémon were given away at Toys "R" Us stores for the day. Binders themed on the Generations TCG expansion were available for sale as well. In New York City, New York, an event was held at Nintendo New York from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In Los Angeles, California, the JapanLA Pop Culture Shop had a Pokémon-based pop-up shop run from Pokémon Day until March 27.
2017
For the 2017 Pokémon Day, Mewtwo Strikes Back, Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, and Zoroark: Master of Illusions were made available on Pokémon TV for a limited time. Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel was also released on Amazon Video, Google Play, and the iTunes Store, as well as a bundle of episodes of the Gold & Silver arc of the anime. On the official Pokémon Twitch channel, championship matches of the TCG, video games, and Pokkén Tournament were shown all day.
From 1 p.m. PST February 26 to 1 p.m. PST March 6, Pikachu found in Pokémon GO wore a party hat (which lasted beyond the event time). In the week leading up to Pokémon Day, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online made extra Trainer Tokens available on the Bonus Wheel. A special Daily Bonus was also given out on the 27th.
The first set of the Pokémon Gallery Figures was released on February 27. The set of Pokémon figures was made exclusively for the US Pokémon Center Online.
2018
Pikachu Talk was released internationally on February 26 to celebrate Pokémon Day in 2018. Snapchat lenses featuring the Kanto starter Pokémon were also made available. Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! was also made available for streaming on Pokémon TV for the first time. A Pikachu with the move Present wearing a party hat was also made available in Pokémon GO. Merchandise released on the Pokémon Center website include a Charizard Pokémon Gallery Figure DX, and to commemorate the year of Legendary Pokémon, Dialga and Palkia pins.
In Brazil, the episode Alola, Kanto!, which features the return of Misty and Brock after a long absence, premiered on Cartoon Network Brazil at 4 p.m. BRT. Later that day, starting at 6 p.m. BRT, the channel aired a special marathon with the episodes The Guardian's Challenge!, Big Sky, Small Fry!, A Crowning Moment of Truth!, a rerun of Alola, Kanto!, and the premiere of When Regions Collide!, followed by Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!. On their social media, the channel also posted several Pokémon-related images and wallpapers. Additionally, the local TCG distributor and event organizer Copag used its Facebook account to share many code cards for the Trading Card Game Online.
2019
At 10 p.m. JST, Pokémon Sword and Shield were announced in a worldwide Nintendo Direct.
2020
A new Mythical Pokémon Zarude was revealed. Its silhouette was revealed in advance of the day.
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution is available on Netflix worldwide excluding Japan and Korea.
In Brazil and Latin America, Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us will air at 8 p.m. local time on Cartoon Network.
Zarude's silhouette
Logo for the Pokémon of the Year vote on Google
Pokémon of the Year
From February 5 until 5:59 a.m. (PST) on February 14, 2020, the first Pokémon of the Year vote was run in collaboration with Google. Searching Pokémon vote on Google between those dates would allow a person to choose one favorite Pokémon per category. The 890 Pokémon are split into eight categories largely based on the region they were first discovered. The voting results were revealed on Pokémon Day 2020:
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Other events
"Pokémon Day" was also the name for a series of yearly events held in various European countries such as Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands since 2004. These events were usually to promote recently released Pokémon games or movies, often with event Pokémon distributions. These events have either ceased or been replaced by Pokémon Kids Tours.
In Singapore on November 24, 2014, an event also called "Pokémon Day" was held after a soccer game between Albirex Niigata and Home United FC. The event was sponsored by Nintendo and local distributor Maxsoft, and a Shiny Gengar was given away to visitors.
In other languages
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