Thirty years of Pocket Monsters, aka Pokemon

There are so many anniversaries and annual observances in Japan daily. The average Japanese person or person living in Japan is only aware of a handful of them a month. In other words, some anniversaries and / or observances are better known than others. And of all the annual Japanese anniversaries there are very few that are known outside Japan. Pokemon Day is one of those rare exceptions.

Not only is Pokemon Day known outside Japan, overseas communities had already embraced the date as “Pokémon Day,” before the official recognition of the anniversary in Japan in 2020. Moreover, this is one of only a handful of Japanese anniversaries that is written in English. The Pokemon Company registered it as "Pokemon day" (rather than "Pokemon no hi") when the official anniversary was established. They created the official anniversary to honor the franchise's beginnings, which started with the release of Pokemon Red and Green for the Game Boy on this day (February 27th) in 1996.

When Pokemon Red and Green was released in 1996 it featured 151 species. In 2020 when they established "Pokemon Day" officially, there were 893 species. Today, there are 1025 species. And for the 30th anniversary this year commemorative logos featuring all 1025 species have been released. It’s a reminder of how far the series has come, and why February 27th continues to hold a special place for Pokemon fans around the world.