| Pokemon have had a very important cultural | | | | successes. As the television series grew in |
| impact in many countries where it has been | | | | popularity, so did Hasbro which surpassed its main |
| imported. In Japan, Pokemon became popular, | | | | competitor, Mattel, in 2000. The games were so |
| selling more than one million copies of Pocket | | | | popular that Hasbro was unable to gather enough |
| Monsters in 1996. At the Tokyo Game Show in | | | | toys to satisfy demand. Wizards of the Coast |
| 1997, players could get the Mew Pokemon by | | | | had the same problem with the card game |
| downloading their games. The result was a queue | | | | collectibles, and has sold over 50 million cards |
| that was 4 km, with some people camping | | | | between January and March 1999. As of July, |
| overnight before the show. Arriving in the United | | | | 1999, Pokemon had generated more than $ 5 |
| States, the Red and Blue versions sold more than | | | | billion. |
| 200 000 units in two weeks, then continued to sell | | | | The phenomenon also affected European |
| at an average of 800 000 units per month. Both | | | | countries, like France, where the Red and Blue |
| versions were the best games sold by Nintendo. | | | | versions were the best-selling games of 1999 and |
| At that point in time they were the best-selling | | | | a million copies of each were sold as of June |
| games in the history of video games. Pokemon | | | | 2000, less than a year after its launch in France. |
| Pinball was the game released on Game Boy and | | | | The animated series was broadcast in several |
| it sold even more quickly, with more than 262 | | | | countries, including the United States, Australia, |
| 000 units sold in 20 days. The series that was | | | | Japan, and Canada. |
| distributed by Hasbro toys were also commercial | | | | |