Pokémon resources, activities and coloring ideas for young fans

From a Game Boy cartridge to a shared world

The story began in Japan on February 27, 1996, when Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green arrived on the Game Boy. The series was created by Satoshi Tajiri, developed by Game Freak and released by Nintendo. Its setting was an adventure world where strange creatures could be found, trained and understood one encounter at a time.

What made the first games feel different was the connection between two players. Catching Pokémon, building a team, battling and trading through the Game Link Cable turned a handheld game into something shared. The two original versions each contained creatures the other did not, so completing a collection was meant to involve a friend.

Pokémon moved beyond the Game Boy very quickly. The Pokémon Trading Card Game launched in Japan in October 1996, the television anime followed in April 1997, and the first animated film reached Japanese cinemas in 1998. When Red and Blue and the anime arrived in the United States later that year, the characters, cards and games began travelling together around the world.

The series has since moved from Game Boy pixels to Nintendo Switch adventures, while growing through new regions, animated series, films, apps and live events. The tools and worlds have changed, but the original rhythm is still there: collect, train, battle and trade. That continuity is why someone can colour Pikachu today and still find the same ideas at the centre of the first games.