Imagine you're standing in a bright, busy city in Japan.
It's 1996, and you're holding a brand new Game Boy in your hands.
All around you, kids are talking about a fun new game.
They call it Pocket Monsters.
You're so excited to see what it's all about.
You pop the tiny gray game cartridge into your Game Boy.
The screen lights up, glowing green in your hands.
Suddenly you spot a little yellow creature called Pikachu.
It has pointy ears, red cheeks, and a cute lightning bolt tail.
Pikachu blinks at you, making you smile and feel excited.
You don't know it yet, but Pikachu will become very famous in Pokemon games.
Soon, people all over the world will recognize Pikachu and love seeing it in cartoons, toys and even movies.
This year 2026 is very special.
It's the 30th anniversary of Pokemon!
For three whole decades, people have been catching, trading, and playing with Pokemon.
Let's go back to the very beginning and find out how Pokemon became one of the biggest games anywhere.
Pokemon started with a young man in Japan named Satoshi Tajiri.
When Satoshi was a boy, he loved to catch bugs in the fields near his home.
He would watch them crawl, jump, and sometimes fly away.
He liked to collect them and see how many different kinds he could find.
His friends called him Dr. Bug.
As Satoshi grew up, the fields started to disappear.
New buildings and roads replaced them.
Satoshi missed the days when he could search for bugs.
He wanted to make something that would let kids feel the same joy he felt.
Satoshi also loved video games, especially the Game Boy, a small gray box you could take anywhere to play.
He wondered if he could make a game where kids could collect creatures like he'd once collected bugs.
He had a big idea, a game where players could find, trade, and battle little monsters.
He called them pocket monsters, or Pokemon for short.
It wasn't easy.
Satoshi worked for years on his game.
He and his friends made drawings of all the creatures.
They thought up names and moves for each one.
There were funny ones, scary ones, and cute ones.
Pikachu, the little yellow one with red cheeks, would become the most famous Pokemon of all.
The company Nintendo agreed to help Satoshi.
They liked his idea, but making a game took a long time.
Sometimes Satoshi ran out of money.
He had to ask his parents for help.
He even sold his own toys to keep the project going.
But he didn't give up.
Finally, in February 1996, Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green were released in Japan for the Game Boy.
Kids could choose a starter Pokemon, walk through tall grass, and try to catch wild creatures.
The goal was to catch all 151 Pokemon and become a Pokemon master.
Players could even connect their Game Boys with a special cable and trade Pokemon with their friends.
This was something brand new.
No other game had let kids swap creatures this way before.
Pokemon became a huge hit in Japan.
Soon the games came to the United States and the rest of the world.
In the US, they changed the names to Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue.
The first Pokemon TV show started in 1997 in Japan and one year later in America.
The main character, Ash Ketchum, traveled with Pikachu to catch new Pokemon and win battles.
Kids everywhere tuned in to watch his adventures.
Pokemon cards came next.
The trading card game let kids collect, trade, and battle with special cards.
Some cards became very rare.
People would trade many cards just to get the rare ones.
Pokemon toys, movies, books, and even clothes started to appear.
Pokemon was everywhere.
Do you know what Pokemon means?
Poki comes from pocket, and mon comes from monster.
So Pokemon means pocket monsters, little creatures small enough to fit in your pocket.
There are many types of Pokemon.
Some look like animals, like Squirtle the turtle or Pidgey the bird.
Others look like plants or rocks, like Bulbasaur and Geodude.
Some Pokémon are based on stories and legends from Japan.
For example, Ninetales is a fox Pokémon with nine tails.
There's a legend in Japan about a magical fox that can turn into a person and live for a thousand years.
Pokémon games kept changing and growing.
Every few years, new games came out.
Each game had new places to explore and new Pokemon to catch.
In 1999, Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver were released.
These games introduced 100 new Pokemon for a total of 251.
Players could visit a new region called Johto, meet new friends, and try new challenges.
Sometimes Pokemon games added special features.
In Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, the weather could change it might rain or the sun might shine bright.
Pokemon, Diamond and Pearl.
Let players visit the Sinnoh region and play with friends on the Nintendo DS, a new game console.
Pokemon X and Y made the creatures look 3D, so they popped out of the screen.
In 2016, something exciting happened.
Pokemon Go was released for phones.
Now people could walk outside, use their phones, and see Pokemon appear in the real world.
People explored parks, streets, and even their own backyards to find Pikachu or Charmander.
Millions of people played Pokemon Go together.
It was a fun way to get outside, make friends, and catch Pokemon at the same time.
Today, there are more than 1,000 Pokemon.
Some are small, like Joltik, which is only a few inches tall.
Some are giant, like Eternatus, which is nearly 70 feet long.
There are Pokemon for everyone, funny ones, strong ones, and even a few that are just plain weird.
But Pokemon isn't just about the games.
It's also about friendship and teamwork.
In the Pokemon world, trainers work with their Pokemon.
They help them grow stronger and learn new moves.
In the TV show, Ash cares for Pikachu and all his Pokemon.
He cheers for them when they win, and he comforts them when they lose.
Pokemon teaches us not to give up, even when things are hard.
One funny story happened in 1998 when Pokemon first came to America.
The company needed a new name for the main character.
In Japan, his name was Satoshi A.E.
In Japan, the main character in the Pokemon cartoon was named Satoshi.
In the US, they changed his name to Ash Ketchum.
The last name sounds like catch'em, as in gotta catch'em all, the famous Pokemon slogan.
Did you know Pikachu is the mascot for Pokemon?
Pikachu is a yellow mouse-like Pokemon with pointy ears and a lightning bolt tail.
Pikachu can shoot electricity from its cheeks.
Pikachu became so popular that you can find it on shirts, backpacks, and even airplanes in Japan!
In 2014, Pikachu was even chosen as the mascot for Japan's soccer team at the World Cup.
Pokemon is big in many countries.
In France, kids say Pokemon, just like in English.
In Germany, they do too.
Pokémon is spelled the same in many languages, but the names of some Pokémon change a little bit.
For example, Pikachu is always Pikachu, but Bulbasaur is called Bisasam in Germany.
People play Pokemon in many ways.
Some like the video games, some collect the cards, others watch the shows or movies.
Every year, kids and adults meet at Pokemon tournaments.
They play games, trade cards, and show off their favorite Pokemon.
There are even world championships, where the best Pokemon trainers from around the globe compete.
In 2019, a new kind of Pokemon game came out.
It was called Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield for a system called Nintendo Switch.
These games let you explore a new region called Galar, which was based on England.
You could camp with your Pokemon, cook curry, and even see giant Pokemon called Dynamax Pokemon.
Pokémon isn't just for kids.
Grown-ups play too.
Some people who loved Pokémon as children now share the games with their own kids.
Teachers use Pokémon to teach math, reading, and even science.
For example, you can learn about real animals and plants by looking at the Pokémon they inspired.
There have been Pokemon movies too.
The first one, Pokemon, the first movie, came out in 1998.
It was about Mewtwo, a very powerful Pokemon created in a lab.
In the movie, Ash and Pikachu have to save the day.
Many kids cried when Pikachu was hurt, but they cheered when he got better.
Over the years, Pokémon has changed a lot.
New games, new Pokémon and new stories keep coming.
But the heart of Pokémon stays the same.
It's about exploring, discovering and making friends.
It's about having adventures and working together.
Satoshi Tajiri, the creator, once said he wanted Pokemon to help people feel closer to nature.
He hoped that by playing Pokemon, kids would want to learn about the real world too.
Maybe you'll want to go outside and see what animals or bugs live in your neighborhood.
Now, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pokemon in 2026, we can look back at all the fun memories.
Maybe you've played the games, watched the shows, or swapped cards with your friends.
Maybe you've dreamed of being a Pokemon trainer, just like Ash.
The world of Pokemon is always growing.
New games and new creatures are waiting to be discovered.
Who knows what the next 30 years will bring?
If you're curious, kind and ready for adventure, you're already a little bit like a Pokemon trainer.
So the next time you see Pikachu's bright smile, remember.
Pokemon began with one boy's dream to catch bugs.
Now it's a world where everyone can join the adventure, and in Pokemon, the adventure never ends.
