Pokémon

The full story of the biggest media franchise on Earth — from Satoshi Tajiri's bug-collecting dream and the 1996 Game Boy originals through the Pokémania that swept the planet, the trading-card crazes, twenty-five years of games and anime, the summer the whole world played Pokémon GO, Ash Ketchum finally becoming World Champion, and the card-collecting mania of today — told through the real commercials, news reports, trailers, tournament finals and photographs of each moment.

A chronological documentary of 573 moments on Loreline.

last updated 2026-07-26

1. 1987-06-15 — Tajiri and his game collection (part 1). A young Satoshi Tajiri — then a games journalist, years before Pokémon — shows off his personal collection of arcade circuit boards on Fuji TV's late-night 'VHS Video Channel' around 1987, running rare boards like Return of Invaders and a Mr. Do! prototype.
2. 1987-06-15 — Tajiri and his game collection (part 2). The second half of the circa-1987 Fuji TV segment on writer-era Satoshi Tajiri, demonstrating obscure arcade boards — the obsessive collector's eye that would soon lead him to found Game Freak and invent Pokémon.
3. 1996-02-27 — Pokémon Red & Green — original Japanese TV commercial. The original Japanese TV spot for Pokémon Red & Green, digitized from a home VHS recording, fronted by a live-action hostess. The Game Boy games launched February 27, 1996 after roughly six years of development at Game Freak.
4. 1996-10-15 — Pokémon Blue Version CM (1996). Japanese TV commercial for Pokémon Blue, released October 15, 1996. Blue was initially a mail-order exclusive offered through CoroCoro Comic before its general retail release.
5. 1996-10-20 — Pokémon Card Game — Japanese launch commercial. Japanese TV commercial for the original Pokémon Card Game, which Media Factory launched in Japan on October 20, 1996. This is the trading card game that would later conquer the world as the Pokémon TCG.
6. 1997-03-25 — Pocket Monsters anime — broadcast-start promo (1997). Japanese on-air promo announcing the start of the Pocket Monsters TV anime. The series debuted on TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997 with Satoshi (Ash) and a disobedient Pikachu.
7. 1997-04-01 — Mezase Pokémon Master — original 1997 opening. The raw first opening of the Japanese anime, 'Mezase Pokémon Master' by Rica Matsumoto, as used from episode 1 in April 1997. Its opening cry 'Pokémon getto da ze!' became a national catchphrase.
8. 1997-04-20 — Pokémon stamps commercial (1997). Japanese TV commercial for Pokémon toy stamps from around April 1997, part of the first merchandising wave that followed the anime's debut that month.
9. 1997-05-15 — Pokémon Card Game Japanese commercial (1997). One of the early Japanese commercials for the Pokémon Card Game from 1997, when the card game was riding the anime's breakout popularity in Japan.
10. 1997-06-28 — Mezase Pokémon Master — full song. The full-length 'Mezase Pokémon Master' by Rica Matsumoto, released as a single in June 1997. It sold over a million copies, a rare feat for an anime theme.
11. 1997-11-22 — Pokémon Gold & Silver — Spaceworld 1997 demo footage. All known period footage of the Pokémon Gold & Silver demo shown at Nintendo Space World in November 1997, including Japanese TV coverage. The demo's wildly different beta Pokémon stayed lost until the ROM leaked in 2018.
12. 1997-12-16 — Pokémon panic — Japanese news, night of December 16, 1997. Japanese news coverage from the evening of December 16, 1997, as reports poured in of children collapsing during the Porygon episode of Pocket Monsters. Around 700 viewers were taken to hospitals nationwide.
13. 1997-12-16 — Fuji TV News Japan on the Pokémon Shock (Dec 16, 1997). Fuji TV's 'News Japan' bulletin from the night of the Porygon incident, subtitled in English. The strobing 'Pikachu's attack' scene triggered photosensitive seizures in viewers across Japan.
14. 1997-12-17 — Special breaking news on the Porygon episode (1997). Japanese special breaking-news coverage on the danger posed by the Porygon episode. The incident put a children's cartoon at the top of national news for days.
15. 1997-12-17 — CNN reports on the Pokémon seizure incident (Dec 17, 1997). CNN and other US outlets report on the seizure-inducing Pokémon episode on December 17, 1997 — many Americans' first-ever exposure to the word 'Pokémon', months before the franchise launched in the West.
16. 1997-12-17 — BBC News on the banned Pokémon episode (Dec 17, 1997). BBC News report from December 17, 1997 on the Pokémon episode that caused seizures in almost 700 Japanese children, taken from a period VHS tape.
17. 1997-12-17 — News Station — full Pokémon Shock report (Dec 17, 1997). The full-length December 17, 1997 'News Station' segment on the Pokémon Shock, with interviews and analysis of how the episode's red-blue flashing triggered photosensitive epilepsy.
18. 1997-12-18 — Oha Suta addresses the Pokémon Shock (Dec 18, 1997). TV Tokyo's kids' morning show 'Oha Suta' opens with an uncharacteristically somber statement about the Porygon incident on December 18, 1997, subtitled in English.
19. 1997-12-18 — Fuji TV morning show devotes 45 minutes to the Pokémon Shock. Fuji TV's morning show 'Good Morning! Nice Day' spent nearly 45 minutes of its December 18, 1997 broadcast on the Pokémon Shock, with studio experts and hospital reports — subtitled in English.
20. 1998-03-27 — Nintendo Pocket Pikachu commercial (1998). Japanese TV commercial for the Pocket Pikachu, Nintendo's 1998 pedometer-pet where walking in real life earned currency to feed your Pikachu — a precursor of Pokémon's later step-counting gadgets.
21. 1998-04-11 — Pokémon Problem Inspection Report (subtitled). TV Tokyo's on-air report into the Porygon incident, broadcast ahead of the anime's April 1998 return, explaining the investigation and the new broadcast safeguards. English-subtitled archival footage.
22. 1998-04-16 — Pokémon broadcast-resumption announcement (April 1998). The on-air announcement that Pocket Monsters would resume broadcasting after its four-month hiatus following the Porygon incident. The anime returned on April 16, 1998 with new photosensitivity safeguards.
23. 1998-06-20 — Mewtwo Strikes Back — Japanese trailer #3. Another period Japanese trailer for the first Pokémon movie, 'Mewtwo Strikes Back', ahead of its July 18, 1998 premiere — the film that proved Pokémon could fill cinemas.
24. 1998-07-05 — Carddass Pocket Monsters Anime Collection CM (1998). Japanese commercial for Bandai's Carddass Pocket Monsters anime card collection from July 1998, one of the many rival card products spun up during Japan's Pokémon boom.
25. 1998-07-10 — Pocket Monsters VHS volumes 1-3 commercial (1998). Japanese commercial for the first sell-through VHS volumes of the Pocket Monsters anime, from July 1998 — how Japanese kids rewatched the series in the pre-streaming era.
26. 1998-08-01 — Pocket Monsters Stadium (N64) Japanese commercials. Japanese TV commercials for Pocket Monsters Stadium, released for the Nintendo 64 on August 1, 1998. The rushed first Stadium shipped with only 42 of the 151 Pokémon battle-ready.
27. 1998-08-10 — Pokémon Red & Blue 'Vacuum Cleaner' US teaser (Aug 1998). An obscure August 1998 US teaser commercial for Pokémon Red & Blue in which a vacuum sucks up a kid's toys, priming America for the September launch with the promise of 150 monsters in your pocket.
28. 1998-09-08 — Pokémon episode 1 — 'I Choose You!' (English). The full first episode of the English-dubbed anime, in which 10-year-old Ash Ketchum oversleeps and gets stuck with Pikachu. The dub debuted in US syndication on September 8, 1998.
29. 1998-09-08 — Pokémon — Indigo League opening theme (1998). The English Season 1 opening — 'I wanna be the very best' — sung by Jason Paige, which debuted with the US anime premiere in September 1998 and became one of TV's most recognizable theme songs.
30. 1998-09-08 — The PokéRap — original full version (1998). The original PokéRap from Season 1 of the English anime, which rattled off all 150 Pokémon across the week's end-credits segments — homework American kids actually memorized in 1998.
31. 1998-09-12 — Pocket Monsters Pikachu (Yellow) Japanese CM. Japanese commercial for Pocket Monsters Pikachu — Pokémon Yellow — released September 12, 1998. The special edition let Pikachu walk behind you, mirroring the anime.
32. 1998-09-15 — Pokémon Game Boy commercial from September 1998. A US Pokémon Game Boy commercial pulled from a VHS tape of September 15, 1998 broadcasts — airing in the two-week ramp before Red & Blue hit American shelves on September 28.
33. 1998-09-20 — Pokémon Indigo League TV advertisement (1998). US television advertisement for the first season of the Pokémon anime from its 1998 syndication launch, when the show quickly became the top-rated kids' program in America.
34. 1998-09-28 — Pokémon Red & Blue US TV spot (1998). The US launch TV spot for Pokémon Red & Blue, released September 28, 1998 — the infamous bus commercial where passengers get trapped with battling monsters, tagged 'Gotta catch 'em all!'.
35. 1998-09-28 — Pokémon Red & Blue 'Bus' commercial — full unreleased cut. A rare, longer unreleased cut of the 1998 Pokémon Red & Blue US bus commercial sequence, showing more of the ad's grimy live-action world than the broadcast version.
36. 1998-10-08 — New Pokémon Kids 4 commercial (1998). Japanese commercial for Bandai's Pokémon Kids finger-puppet figures from October 1998 — candy-toy staples that put cheap Pokémon figures in every Japanese convenience store.
37. 1998-10-10 — Pokémon Red & Blue USA promo (1998). US promotional spot for Pokémon Red & Blue from the game's autumn 1998 launch window, as Nintendo of America pushed the link-cable trading hook that made 'catching 'em all' require a friend.
38. 1998-10-12 — Oshaberi Pikachu talking toy commercial (1998). Japanese commercial for the 'Oshaberi Pikachu 2' talking Pikachu toy from October 1998, part of Tomy's flood of electronic Pikachu companions at the height of Japan's boom.
39. 1998-11-10 — TOMY 'Ask Pikachu' / Togepi toy commercial (1998). 1998 Japanese commercial for TOMY's 'Pikachu ni Kiite Miyou!' fortune-telling Pikachu toy with wobbling Togepi, cashing in on Togepi's anime debut that year.
40. 1998-12-12 — Pikachu Genki Dechu — Japanese N64 commercial. Japanese commercial for 'Pikachu Genki Dechu' (Hey You, Pikachu!), released December 12, 1998 for the Nintendo 64 with its voice-recognition microphone — kids literally talked to Pikachu.
41. 1998-12-18 — Pokémon Card GB commercial (December 1998). Japanese commercial for Pokémon Trading Card Game for Game Boy Color from December 1998, which turned the physical card craze into a video game — it later reached the West in 2000.
42. 1999-01-30 — Kids' WB Pokémon 'New Episodes' promos (early 1999). Kids' WB promos for new Pokémon episodes from January-February 1999 VHS recordings, aired as the network prepared to take the syndicated hit exclusive.
43. 1999-02-13 — Kids' WB Pokémon premiere bumper (Feb 13, 1999). The bumper shown right before Pokémon's Kids' WB network premiere on Saturday, February 13, 1999 — the day the show moved from syndication to the WB's flagship kids' block.
44. 1999-02-13 — Pokémon TCG commercial #3 (1999). Unedited 1999 Wizards of the Coast commercial for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, from the launch year when packs sold out faster than stores could restock them.
45. 1999-03-06 — Pokémon Trading Card Game ad (1999). 1999 US television ad inviting kids to card battles and to join a Pokémon TCG club, recovered from a period VHS recording.
46. 1999-03-15 — 'Who's That Pokémon?' commercial bumpers (1999). The original 'Who's That Pokémon?' commercial-break intros and outros from 1999 broadcasts — the silhouette quiz that became one of the anime's most-loved rituals.
47. 1999-03-20 — Pokémon toys commercial (1999). A 1999 American commercial for Hasbro's Pokémon action figures, part of the merchandising avalanche that made Pokémon a multi-billion-dollar licensing machine that year.
48. 1999-04-10 — Pokémon TCG League commercial — 'Lazy Dog' (1999). 1999 commercial for the Pokémon Trading Card Game League, Wizards of the Coast's organized-play program that gave the card craze an official home in hobby shops across America.
49. 1999-04-26 — Super Smash Bros. 'Happy Together' commercial (1999). The legendary US commercial for Super Smash Bros. (N64, April 1999), with costumed Mario, Yoshi, DK and Pikachu beating each other up to 'Happy Together' — Pikachu's debut as a fighting-game star.
50. 1999-05-10 — Pokémon documentary shot in 1999. A student documentary about Pokémon made at The Evergreen State College in 1999, with real period interviews of kids and parents mid-craze — raw primary-source footage, not a retrospective.
51. 1999-06-20 — Pokémon Snap official trailer (N64, 1999). Official 1999 trailer for Pokémon Snap, the on-rails photography safari that landed on Nintendo 64 in North America on June 30, 1999.
52. 1999-06-28 — Pokémon Pinball commercial (1999). US commercial for Pokémon Pinball on Game Boy Color, released June 28, 1999 — the first cartridge with a built-in rumble motor, powered by its own AAA battery.
53. 1999-06-30 — Pokémon Snap N64 commercial (1999). High-quality 1999 US commercial for Pokémon Snap, in which players photographed wild Pokémon instead of catching them — a spinoff pitch that sold over 1.5 million copies in the US.
54. 1999-07-10 — Kids' WB *NSYNC PokéRap TV promo (1999). 1999 Kids' WB promo featuring boy band *NSYNC performing the PokéRap — peak-1999 cross-promotion between the two biggest kid-culture forces of the year.
55. 1999-07-10 — Pokémon Snap Blockbuster contest commercial (1999). 1999 commercial for the Pokémon Snap Blockbuster contest. Blockbuster stores installed Snap Station kiosks where kids printed their in-game photos as sticker sheets.
56. 1999-07-15 — Pokémon takes the US by storm — CBS archives (1999). CBS News archive footage of Pokémon taking the United States by storm in 1999, from the network's own vault of period reporting on the craze.
57. 1999-08-10 — Pokémon: The First Movie — theatrical teaser (35mm scan). 4K scan of the 35mm theatrical teaser for Pokémon: The First Movie, which Warner Bros. released in North America in November 1999 after its record-breaking Japanese run.
58. 1999-08-28 — Kids' WB Pokémon season-premiere commercial (1999). Kids' WB season-premiere commercial for Pokémon from 1999, hyping the show at the absolute peak of Pokémania.
59. 1999-09-10 — Pocket Monsters Stadium 2 Japanese CM (1999). Japanese commercial for Pocket Monsters Stadium 2 (released April 30, 1999), the full-roster N64 battle game that reached the West as the first 'Pokémon Stadium'.
60. 1999-10-01 — Pokémon: The First Movie — trailer (Warner Bros.). Warner Bros.' official trailer for Pokémon: The First Movie, introducing Mewtwo, the bio-engineered Pokémon who strikes back. The film opened to $31 million, then the biggest debut ever for an animated TV spin-off.
61. 1999-10-05 — 'Pokémania Comes to America' — ABC News (1999). ABC News 1999 report on Pokémania sweeping US school grounds, TV, trading cards and merchandise, with a preview of the coming first movie.
62. 1999-10-09 — KGBT 4 'Pokémon Mania' report (Oct 9, 1999). Local news archive from KGBT Action 4 News in Texas, broadcast October 9, 1999, documenting Pokémon Mania in the Rio Grande Valley.
63. 1999-10-14 — Pocket Monsters opening 3 — 'OK!' (1999). 'OK!' by Rica Matsumoto, the Japanese anime's third opening, which debuted when the series entered the Johto arc in late 1999 alongside the Gold & Silver games.
64. 1999-10-16 — NBC 'PokeNews' story (Oct 16, 1999). NBC news story on the Pokémon phenomenon broadcast October 16, 1999, as the franchise simultaneously topped toy, card, TV and game-sales charts in the US.
65. 1999-10-19 — Pokémon Yellow US commercial (1999). US commercial for Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, recovered from VHS. Yellow hit North America in October 1999 and became the year's fastest-selling game.
66. 1999-10-20 — 'Pokémania' — MSNBC news report (1999). MSNBC's 1999 'Pokémania' report, with analysts and parents trying to explain why one franchise had seized American childhood — a definitive time capsule of the craze at its peak.
67. 1999-10-28 — 'Turning our children to witchcraft' — 7NEWS Australia (1999). 7NEWS Australia vault footage from 1999 of the Pokémon card craze gripping Australian schools, including parents claiming the cards were turning children to witchcraft.
68. 1999-11-02 — Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack commercial (1999). 1999 TV commercial for the First Movie soundtrack album, which packed in Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and 'Don't Say You Love Me' by M2M — and went triple platinum.
69. 1999-11-05 — CNN on Pokémania (Nov 5, 1999). CNN segment from November 5, 1999 on Pokémania, with a financial analyst noting the property's unusual pull on both boys and girls — days before the first movie's release.
70. 1999-11-06 — Rob Lowe interviewed at the First Movie premiere (1999). Rob Lowe talks about Pokémon on the red carpet of the 1999 First Movie premiere — celebrity bafflement at a kids' phenomenon, captured live.
71. 1999-11-06 — Pokémon: The First Movie premiere — full red-carpet footage. Extended raw red-carpet video from the 1999 premiere of Pokémon: The First Movie, shot amid the late-1999 Pokémania craze — half an hour of unfiltered period atmosphere.
72. 1999-11-08 — Burger King Big Kids Meal Pokémon toys commercial (1999). Commercial for Burger King's 1999 Pokémon Big Kids Meal promotion — 57 different toys tied to the First Movie, billed at the time as the biggest fast-food promotion ever run.
73. 1999-11-08 — First Movie TV spot — 'In theaters Wednesday' (Nov 1999). US television spot counting down to Pokémon: The First Movie's Wednesday, November 10, 1999 opening — the release that had schools reporting mass absences.
74. 1999-11-10 — Pikachu's Vacation — opening (1999). The opening of 'Pikachu's Vacation', the all-Pokémon short that played before Pokémon: The First Movie in US theaters — 20 minutes with almost no human dialogue.
75. 1999-11-10 — 'Pokémon Pandemonium' — AZ Family 3TV news segment (1999). 1999 Arizona 3TV news segment with interviews at Arizona Mills mall as Pokémon: The First Movie opened — local news capturing Pokémania at the multiplex.
76. 1999-11-12 — Pokémon craze at Burger King — 13WHAM archive (Nov 1999). Rochester's 13WHAM news archive from November 1999 on the Pokémon craze at Burger King, as the movie tie-in toy promotion drove lines out the door.
77. 1999-11-15 — Burger King × Pokémon: The First Movie tie-in ad (1999). 1999 Burger King tie-in ad for Pokémon: The First Movie, from the promotion so popular that some restaurants sold Kids Meals without food to keep up with toy demand.
78. 1999-11-18 — Rare Pokémon Gold & Silver CM with Kin-san and Gin-san. A rare Japanese Gold & Silver commercial recovered from an old family VHS, featuring the beloved centenarian twin celebrities Kin-san and Gin-san as the faces of 'Gold and Silver'.
79. 1999-11-18 — YTV's The Zone on Pokémon: The First Movie (Nov 18, 1999). Canadian network YTV's 'The Zone' hosts Pat and Jenny discuss Pokémon: The First Movie on the November 18, 1999 broadcast — period after-school TV riding the movie wave.
80. 1999-11-18 — 'Pokémon Flu' news report (1999). 1999 news report on the so-called 'Pokémon flu' — kids skipping school over Pokémon — from the same month TIME put Pikachu on its cover ('For the love of Pikachu', Nov 22, 1999).
81. 1999-11-21 — Pokémon Gold & Silver launch day in Japan — news footage. Japanese news footage from the November 21, 1999 launch of Pokémon Gold & Silver, the long-awaited sequels that sold millions in their first days in Japan.
82. 1999-11-21 — Pokémon Gold & Silver Japanese commercial (1999). Japanese TV commercials for Pokémon Gold & Silver from the games' 1999 launch, fronted by actress Ai Kato. Gold & Silver added 100 new Pokémon and a real-time day-night clock.
83. 1999-11-21 — Pocket Monsters Gold & Silver CM (Nov 21, 1999). Japanese launch commercial for Pocket Monsters Gold & Silver, released for Game Boy Color on November 21, 1999 after two years of delays since their Spaceworld 1997 reveal.
84. 1999-11-22 — Burger King gold-plated Pokémon cards commercial (1999). 1999 commercial for Burger King's limited-edition 23-karat gold-plated Pokémon trading cards, sold in Poké Ball tins during the First Movie promotion.
85. 1999-11-25 — Pocket Pikachu Color CM — 'together with Gold & Silver'. 1999 Japanese commercial for the Pocket Pikachu Color pedometer, which could beam earned 'watts' into Pokémon Gold & Silver via infrared — an early step-counter-to-game link.
86. 1999-11-26 — Shopping for Pokémon merchandise in 1999. Raw camcorder footage of people shopping for Pokémon merchandise in a store in 1999 — unedited holiday-season Pokémania as it actually looked at retail.
87. 1999-11-29 — Burger King 'Tuesday is Pokémon Trading Night' ad (Nov 29, 1999). Burger King ad recorded off-air on November 29, 1999 promoting weekly in-restaurant Pokémon trading nights — fast-food chains literally hosting card-trading events at the peak of the craze.
88. 1999-12-14 — Pikachu's Winter Vacation — Japanese commercial (1999). Japanese commercial for the 'Pikachu's Winter Vacation' direct-to-video shorts, the seasonal OVA line that became a December tradition for Japanese Pokémon fans in the late 1990s.
89. 1999-12-15 — Pokémon Center Tokyo — December 1999 news footage. Rare Reuters news footage from inside Pokémon Center Tokyo in December 1999. The first official Pokémon store had opened in Nihonbashi in April 1998 and was mobbed through the boom years.
90. 1999-12-18 — Inside an EB Games store at Christmas 1999. Home-video footage browsing Pokémon games inside a busy EB Games mall store just before Christmas 1999, with employees restocking mid-craze.
91. 1999-12-20 — Counterfeit Pokémon cards flood Winnipeg — CBC (1999). CBC archive report from Christmas 1999: Pokémon cards are the must-have gift in Winnipeg, but many on the market are fakes — the counterfeit economy that shadowed the boom.
92. 1999-12-27 — Burger King Pokémon ball recall commercial (1999). The actual recall PSA telling parents to take apart or throw out Burger King's Poké Ball toy containers. After a 13-month-old suffocated, some 25 million balls were recalled in December 1999.
93. 2000-02-29 — Pokémon Stadium US commercial (2000). US commercial for Pokémon Stadium on Nintendo 64, released February 29, 2000 — the game that finally let Game Boy Pokémon battle in 3D on the TV via the Transfer Pak.
94. 2000-03-12 — 'It's like smoking' — 60 Minutes Australia on Pokémon cards. 60 Minutes Australia's March 2000 story on parents and teachers wanting Pokémon cards banned from schools, comparing the trading craze to an addiction — the moral panic in full flight.
95. 2000-04-10 — Pokémon Trading Card Game (GBC) English commercial (2000). English commercial for Pokémon Trading Card Game on Game Boy Color, the digital version of the card game that reached North America in April 2000.
96. 2000-05-20 — Pokémon 'First Facts' Kids' WB commercial (2000). A 'Pokémon First Facts' interstitial from Kids' WB broadcasts in 2000, recovered from a home VHS tape — filler trivia the network used to feed an insatiable audience.
97. 2000-07-01 — Pokémon the Movie 2000 — trailer #2. The second US trailer for Pokémon: The Movie 2000, built around the prophecy 'the world will turn to Ash' — the sequel that proved 1999's box office was no fluke.
98. 2000-07-08 — Pokémon the Movie 2000 — WB promotional special. The WB's 2000 promotional TV special for Pokémon: The Movie 2000 and its soundtrack — a period half-hour of hype, interviews and music tie-ins aired ahead of the film's release.
99. 2000-07-14 — Pokémon the Movie 2000 TV spot #1. US television spot for Pokémon: The Movie 2000 from July 2000, when every ticket came with one of four exclusive trading cards to lure the TCG faithful into theaters.
100. 2000-07-16 — Downtown Julie Brown at the Movie 2000 premiere. TV personality Downtown Julie Brown on the red carpet at the world premiere of Pokémon: The Movie 2000, days before its July 21, 2000 US release.
101. 2000-07-16 — Ed Begley Jr. at the Movie 2000 premiere. Ed Begley Jr. and Pat Collins interviewed at the world premiere of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 in summer 2000 — another slice of celebrity red-carpet Pokémania.
102. 2000-07-21 — Pokémon: The Movie 2000 — original theatrical trailer. Warner Bros.' theatrical trailer for Pokémon: The Movie 2000, in which disturbing the legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres threatens the world's balance. It opened in the US on July 21, 2000.
103. 2000-09-10 — The Making of Pokémon Live! (2000). Period behind-the-scenes featurette on Pokémon Live!, the multi-million-dollar stage musical with Ash, Pikachu and a MechaMew2, produced with Radio City Entertainment in 2000.
104. 2000-09-15 — 'You, Me & Pokémon' — Pokémon Live! at Radio City (2000). The original cast performs 'You, Me & Pokémon' from Pokémon Live!, the stage musical created with Nintendo and Radio City Entertainment that toured North America from September 2000.
105. 2000-09-21 — Pokémon de Panepon commercial (2000). Japanese commercial for 'Pokémon de Panepon' on Game Boy Color (September 2000), the Pokémon-skinned Panel de Pon puzzler released in the West as Pokémon Puzzle Challenge.
106. 2000-09-25 — Pokémon Puzzle League USA commercial (2000). US commercial for Pokémon Puzzle League on Nintendo 64 (September 2000), a Western-only release that wrapped Panel de Pon gameplay in the anime's characters and voice cast.
107. 2000-10-14 — Pokémon: The Johto Journeys — opening theme. The English opening theme of Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, the anime's third season, which brought the Johto region to Western TV in autumn 2000 alongside the Gold & Silver launch.
108. 2000-10-15 — Pokémon Gold & Silver US TV commercial (2000). US TV commercial for Pokémon Gold & Silver, released in North America on October 15, 2000. The sequels sold 1.4 million copies in their first week in the US.

…393 further moments continue the chronology here. Full text archive: /loreline-text/pokmon.md

502. 2000-10-20 — Burger King Pokémon Game Boy commercial (2000). Burger King commercial from 2000 for Pokémon Big Kids Meal toys promoting the Gold & Silver release — the chain returning to Pokémon a year after the great toy recall.
503. 2000-11-06 — Hey You, Pikachu! US commercial (Fall 2000). US commercial for Hey You, Pikachu!, released November 6, 2000 with the N64 Voice Recognition Unit — Nintendo's bet that American kids would talk to their console.
504. 2000-11-10 — Pokémon Gold & Silver toys USA commercial (2000). US commercial for the Pokémon Gold & Silver toy line from the holiday 2000 season, as the second generation refreshed the merchandising machine.
505. 2000-12-14 — Pokémon Stadium Kin-Gin Japanese CM (2000). Japanese commercial for Pokémon Stadium Kin-Gin (released December 14, 2000 alongside a Pikachu-edition N64), the Gold & Silver generation's 3D battle stadium.
506. 2000-12-14 — Pokémon Crystal Version CM (Dec 14, 2000). Japanese commercial for Pokémon Crystal, released December 14, 2000 — the first Pokémon game with animated battle sprites and the first to let players choose a female hero.
507. 2000-12-14 — Pokémon Crystal × Lawson Japanese commercial (2000). Japanese Crystal commercial tied to the Lawson convenience-store chain, from the launch of the version that pioneered the Mobile Adapter GB link in Japan.
508. 2001-03-10 — Pokémon 3: The Movie — trailer (Warner Bros.). Warner Bros.' trailer for Pokémon 3: The Movie — Spell of the Unown, in which the letter-shaped Unown warp reality around a grieving girl. It opened in the US on April 6, 2001.
509. 2001-03-26 — Pokémon Stadium 2 commercial (2001). Commercial for Pokémon Stadium 2, the March 2001 N64 release that unified both Game Boy generations — all 251 Pokémon battling in 3D.
510. 2001-04-02 — Pokémon 3: The Movie TV ad (2001). US television ad for Pokémon 3: The Movie as shown in 2001 — the third theatrical outing, arriving as Pokémania cooled from its 1999 fever pitch.
511. 2001-06-10 — Celebi: Voice of the Forest — Japanese trailer (2001). Japanese trailer for the fourth Pokémon movie, 'Celebi: Voice of the Forest', which premiered in Japan on July 7, 2001 with the time-travelling mythical Pokémon Celebi.
512. 2001-07-07 — Celebi: A Timeless Encounter — Japanese trailer. Japanese trailer for 'Celebi: A Timeless Encounter', the fourth Pokémon movie, released in Japan July 7, 2001.
513. 2001-07-29 — Pokémon Crystal US TV commercial (2001). US TV commercial for Pokémon Crystal, released in North America on July 29, 2001 — the enhanced third version closing out the Game Boy Color generation.
514. 2001-08-15 — Kids' WB 'Poké Balls' bumper — Johto League Champions (2001). Kids' WB bumper teasing the Pokémon: Johto League Champions season in 2001 — 'forged in the fires of Johto' — as the anime rolled into its fourth US season.
515. 2001-11-02 — Pokémon Crystal UK TV ad (2001). UK television ad for Pokémon Crystal from its late-2001 European release, from an archive of period British and Irish video-game adverts.
516. 2001-11-22 — Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade — November 22, 2001. AP Archive footage of the November 22, 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade — the parade at which the giant Pikachu balloon made its debut flight over New York, two months after 9/11.
517. 2001-11-22 — Pikachu balloon — first version, Macy's parade (2001). Footage of the original flying Pikachu balloon from its 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut, sponsored by The Pokémon Company — Pikachu's induction into an American holiday institution.
518. 2002-07-13 — Latios & Latias — Japanese trailer. Japanese trailer for 'Guardians of the Water Capital: Latios and Latias', the fifth movie, which premiered in Japan July 13, 2002.
519. 2002-10-25 — Pokémon 4Ever — US cinematic trailer. US cinematic trailer for Pokémon 4Ever, Miramax's October 2002 release of the Celebi film.
520. 2002-11-21 — Advanced Generation opening — 'Advance Adventure'. Creditless opening 'Advance Adventure' from Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation, which debuted on TV Tokyo on November 21, 2002 — the same day Ruby & Sapphire hit Japanese shelves.
521. 2002-11-21 — Ruby & Sapphire — Japanese TV commercial. TV spot for Pocket Monsters Ruby & Sapphire, which launched in Japan on November 21, 2002 and opened the Game Boy Advance generation with 135 new Pokémon.
522. 2003-03-15 — Pokémon Advanced — English opening theme. English opening 'I Wanna Be a Hero' from Pokémon Advanced, the dub season that premiered in the US in March 2003 and introduced May and the Hoenn region.
523. 2003-03-19 — Ruby & Sapphire US launch commercial. US television commercial for Ruby & Sapphire, which moved 2.2 million copies in America in under a month.
524. 2003-05-14 — Pokémon Colosseum — E3 2003 trailer. E3 2003 trailer for Pokémon Colosseum, the GameCube RPG where players steal corrupted Shadow Pokémon in the desert region of Orre.
525. 2003-05-16 — Pokémon Heroes — US trailer. US trailer for Pokémon Heroes, the Latios and Latias film's May 2003 American release.
526. 2003-07-19 — Jirachi: Wish Maker — Japanese trailer. Japanese trailer for Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi, the first Advanced Generation movie, which premiered in Japan on July 19, 2003.
527. 2003-07-25 — Ruby & Sapphire European commercials. European ad reel for the July 25, 2003 PAL launch of Ruby & Sapphire on Game Boy Advance.
528. 2003-08-25 — Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire TV commercial. US commercial for Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the GBA pinball spin-off that shipped with a rumble cartridge in August 2003.
529. 2003-11-21 — Pokémon Colosseum — Japanese commercial. Japanese commercial for Pokémon Colosseum, released in Japan on November 21, 2003, exactly one year after Ruby & Sapphire.
530. 2003-11-21 — Pokémon Colosseum — Japanese TV commercial 2. Second Japanese TV spot for Colosseum, the first Pokémon RPG playable on a home console.
531. 2004-01-29 — FireRed & LeafGreen — Japanese TV ad. Japanese commercial for FireRed & LeafGreen, the January 29, 2004 remakes of the original Red & Green bundled with the GBA Wireless Adapter.
532. 2004-07-17 — Destiny Deoxys — Japanese trailer. Japanese trailer for Destiny Deoxys, the July 2004 film that pitted the space virus Deoxys against Rayquaza over the high-tech LaRousse City.
533. 2004-08-22 — Worlds 2004 — 'The Power of Pokémon'. Official segment from the 2004 Pokémon TCG World Championships in Orlando, the first Worlds run by Pokémon USA after the Wizards of the Coast era.
534. 2004-08-22 — Worlds 2004 — 'Rise to the Top'. Official footage from the first official Pokémon World Championships, held in Orlando, Florida in August 2004.
535. 2004-09-09 — FireRed & LeafGreen — US commercial. US TV spot for FireRed & LeafGreen, the first remakes in series history, released in North America in September 2004.
536. 2004-09-11 — Pokémon Advanced Challenge — opening theme. Opening theme of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge, the seventh dubbed season, which premiered on Kids' WB in September 2004.
537. 2004-09-16 — Pokémon Emerald — Japanese TV commercial. Japanese commercial for Pokémon Emerald, the September 16, 2004 third version that added the Battle Frontier to Hoenn.
538. 2004-11-04 — AG101 'Shaking Island Battle!' — preview of the shelved episode. The Japanese broadcast preview for AG101 'Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs Whiscash!' — shelved forever after the October 2004 Chūetsu earthquake struck days before its planned airdate.
539. 2004-12-02 — Pokémon Dash — Japanese DS commercial. Japanese commercial for Pokémon Dash, the touch-screen racing game that was the very first Pokémon title on Nintendo DS, launched December 2, 2004.
540. 2005-01-22 — Destiny Deoxys — official US trailer. US trailer for Destiny Deoxys, which premiered in America on Kids' WB in January 2005.
541. 2005-03-14 — Pokémon Dash — US commercial. US spot for Pokémon Dash, a DS launch-window game controlled entirely by scrubbing the stylus across the touch screen.
542. 2005-05-01 — Pokémon Emerald — US TV commercial. US TV commercial for Pokémon Emerald, which launched in North America on May 1, 2005 and became the best-selling GBA game of that year.
543. 2005-05-09 — Pokémon TCG EX Emerald — commercial. US commercial for the EX Emerald expansion of the trading card game, released in May 2005 alongside the Emerald video game.
544. 2005-05-14 — Pikachu Beetle at the Nintendo World opening. A Pokémon-wrapped Volkswagen New Beetle with Pikachu ears and tail parked outside the Nintendo World Store grand opening in New York, May 2005 — the store took over the space that had been the Pokémon Center NYC since 2001.
545. 2005-05-18 — Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness — E3 2005 trailer. E3 2005 trailer for Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, the GameCube sequel to Colosseum starring the corrupted Shadow Lugia.
546. 2005-06-01 — PokéPark at Expo 2005. The De La Fantasia grounds at Nagoya's Sasashima satellite site during Expo 2005, home of PokéPark — the first full Pokémon theme park, open for six months alongside the World Expo.
547. 2005-06-28 — The Toyota Pikachu Car. A Toyota ist modified into a rolling Pikachu, ears and tail included, at the Expo 2005 Sasashima site — official promo vehicles like this toured Japan for years.
548. 2005-07-16 — Lucario and the Mystery of Mew — official trailer. Trailer for Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the highest-grossing Advanced Generation film in Japan, which premiered July 16, 2005.
549. 2005-09-17 — Pokémon Advanced Battle — opening theme. Opening of Pokémon: Advanced Battle, the 2005 season that culminated in Ash's Hoenn League run.
550. 2005-09-17 — 'Unbeatable' — Advanced Battle full theme. Full version of 'Unbeatable', the Advanced Battle season theme that became one of the most remembered post-original dub songs.
551. 2005-10-03 — Pokémon XD — US commercial. US TV spot for Pokémon XD's October 2005 American launch, fronted by the menacing black-and-purple Shadow Lugia.
552. 2005-10-06 — Advanced Generation opening — 'Battle Frontier'. 'Battle Frontier' opening from the Japanese Advanced Generation series, introduced in late 2005 as Satoshi began the Battle Frontier challenge.
553. 2006-02-25 — Journey Across America — Miami kickoff. Footage from the Miami kickoff of Journey Across America, the touring event that opened Pokémon's US 10th-anniversary year in early 2006.
554. 2006-04-29 — Kids' WB Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon promos. Kids' WB promo compilation for 'The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon', the 10th-anniversary special that debuted the new TPCi voice cast after the 4Kids dub ended.
555. 2006-05-09 — Pokémon Battle Revolution — debut trailer. Debut trailer for Pokémon Battle Revolution, the first Pokémon game announced for Wii and the console's first title with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection play.
556. 2006-05-29 — Pokémon NetBattle match (2006). A 2006 NetBattle match capture — the fan-made simulator where the early Smogon competitive scene was forged years before Pokémon Showdown existed.
557. 2006-07-15 — Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea — official trailer. Trailer for Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, the July 2006 film that introduced the sea prince Manaphy.
558. 2006-08-08 — Pokémon Party of the Decade — Bryant Park footage. Footage from the Party of the Decade in New York's Bryant Park on August 8, 2006, the finale of Pokémon's 10th-anniversary celebration in America.
559. 2006-08-08 — Hulk Hogan reads the Pokémon proclamation. Hulk Hogan reading an official proclamation at Pokémon's 10th-anniversary Party of the Decade in Bryant Park, New York.
560. 2006-08-08 — Journey Across America — New York City finals. Period footage of the Journey Across America national finals in New York, capping the 2006 mall tour that visited dozens of US cities for Pokémon's 10th birthday.
561. 2006-08-20 — TCG Worlds 2006 — finals, all divisions. Finals footage from the 2006 Pokémon TCG World Championships in Anaheim, spanning the junior, senior and masters divisions.
562. 2006-09-08 — Pokémon Battle Frontier — opening theme. Opening of Pokémon: Battle Frontier, the 2006 season and the first produced after Pokémon USA took the dub over from 4Kids with a new voice cast.
563. 2006-09-18 — Mystery Dungeon: Blue & Red Rescue Team — US commercial. American ad for the twin Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team releases of September 2006, split across Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance.
564. 2006-09-28 — Diamond & Pearl anime opening — 'Together'. Creditless 'Together' opening of the Japanese Diamond & Pearl anime, which premiered September 28, 2006 — launch day of the Diamond and Pearl games.
565. 2006-09-28 — Diamond & Pearl — Japanese commercial reel 2006. Reel of Japanese Diamond & Pearl commercials from the 2006 launch, when the games revived the series' commercial momentum in Japan.
566. 2006-09-28 — Diamond & Pearl — Japanese commercial. Japanese launch commercial for Diamond & Pearl, which sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan on its first day, September 28, 2006.
567. 2006-12-14 — Pokémon Battle Revolution — Japanese commercial. Japanese commercial for Battle Revolution, which launched in Japan on December 14, 2006, less than two weeks after the Wii itself.
568. 2006-12-23 — NetBattle duel — Mystica battling (2006). Period recording of a NetBattle duel from December 2006, raw footage of the early online competitive Pokémon community in action.
569. 2007-04-09 — Cartoon Network promo — Temple of the Sea US premiere. Cartoon Network on-air promo from April 2007 announcing the US TV premiere of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.
570. 2007-04-20 — Cartoon Network Diamond & Pearl anime premiere promo. Cartoon Network promo from April 2007 announcing the US premiere of the Diamond and Pearl anime season, the first fully produced by Pokémon USA after the 4Kids era.
571. 2007-04-22 — Diamond & Pearl — US TV commercials 2007. American TV spots for Diamond & Pearl on Nintendo DS; the pair eventually sold over 17 million copies worldwide.
572. 2007-04-22 — Diamond & Pearl launch party, New York. The creators on stage at the New York launch party for Pokémon Diamond & Pearl in April 2007. The DS pair went on to sell over 17 million copies.
573. 2007-06-04 — Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl — English opening theme. English opening of the Diamond and Pearl season, which brought Dawn and the Sinnoh region to US television in 2007.

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