Retail giant Target has today announced a merch collab with The Pokémon Company International in celebration of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. Target is touting themselves as the only major retailer in the US to be collaborating with Pokémon for the milestone, and is going to be showing off more than 100 colorful items, including plenty of apparel, accessories, home goods, and beauty products, plus some toys and food items. The collection will drop at all Target stores in the US in two phases, with the first arriving in-store on May 2nd and online on May 3rd.
The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) has announced details for their Pokémon Night Out, which will consist of two EDM concerts with artists Marshmello and Alison Wonderland performing. The first concert will take place October 24th of this year in Los Angeles, and the other will be on November 10th in London. Both concerts will feature Pokémon-inspired visuals, special effects, and other stage technology.
In celebration of the recent release of Pokémon Pokopia, several cities in Europe are seeing urban spaces transformed into Pokopia gardens, complete with Pokémon and other elements from the game among the plants. Pokopia gardens in London, Berlin, and Paris are all free and open to the public today, and will each stay open for several months.
Pokémon Local Acts has announced four new Poké Lids to be installed throughout April in Iwate Prefecture in Japan. Poké Lids are donations from The Pokémon Company to prefectures, and along with events and merchandise hosted by Pokémon Local Acts, are intended to encourage tourism to various areas of Japan.
Athletic apparel and footwear brand Puma is announcing yet another 30th anniversary collab with Pokémon, after recently announcing their latest Pikachu sneaker. This new drop is more extensive, launching four new sneakers themed after different Pokémon, plus some new apparel to go with them. The collection will drop at Puma’s website serving the US at 9 PM PST on April 1st.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) has released a slew of new information concerning yesterday’s fatal stabbing of an employee at Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, inside the Sunshine City complex in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo. The victim and perpetrator, who died by suicide, have both been identified, as well as their previous relationship and the perpetrator’s previous arrests.
An employee of Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, inside the Sunshine City complex in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, has died after a man previously arrested for stalking her entered the store with a knife. The perpetrator went behind the counter where the employee was working, stabbed her, then stabbed himself in the neck. Both later died at a hospital from their injuries.
Pokémon Local Acts has announced five new Poké Lids to be installed throughout the rest of March in Kochi Prefecture in Japan. Poké Lids are donations from The Pokémon Company to prefectures, and along with events and merchandise hosted by Pokémon Local Acts, are intended to encourage tourism to various areas of Japan.
FC Seoul, the professional South Korean football club, has announced a new collaboration with Pokémon Korea, Inc. for their opening home game of the season. The collab is advertising four main features, including free souvenirs, activities and a special opening ceremony. Plus, FC Seoul Pokémon merch is scheduled to be sold beginning in May.
The 98th Oscars’ Red Carpet had an unusual surprise for Pokémon fans, as actor McKenna Grace, known for her roles in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Scream 7, revealed a handful of Pokémon TCG packs from her dress pockets. “I’m really into Pokémon cards, and I want to try to be the first person to open Pokémon cards at the Oscars,” said Grace.
The Pokémon Company is once again collaborating with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, this time for a series of Pokémon-themed concerts to be performed across Japan. The tour offers four dates in four cities, beginning in August of this year. Performances will include musical selections from Pokémon games, including Pokémon Red and Green and the upcoming Pokémon Winds and Waves. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale in May..
The Pokémon Company has announced a new kind of Pokémon Center location, scheduled to open on April 9th in Yokohama. The new location is dubbed Pokémon Center Yokohama Satellite, and functions as a smaller branch to Yokohama’s regular Pokémon Center, which is located just a six minute walk away. This new satellite location will be in the Joinus shopping center, just outside the west exit of the Yokohama train station.
The Pokémon Company is debuting a new collection of merchandise drawing inspiration from a blooming field of flowers in spring. The collection stars Grass- and Bug-type Pokémon, especially Lurantis, Roserade, and Sunflora, and features plushes, homegoods, apparel, and more. This new floral collection will arrive at Pokémon Centers in Japan on March 21st, and to the Pokémon Center Online on March 19th.
The Pokémon Company is offering some sales data for the newly released Pokémon Pokopia, which had its worldwide release on March 5th. The company states that it sold more than 2.2 million units of Pokopia in its first four days, putting it on track to become one of the best-selling spin-off games in the Pokémon franchise.
The official X (formerly Twitter) account for the White House has shared a meme making use of the Pokémon Pokopia logo, to the chagrin of The Pokémon Company International (TPCi). The Tweet features Donald Trump’s infamous mantra, Make America Great Again, in the Pokopia title font. TPCi has responded with a statement firmly disassociating itself from the controversial administration. Sravanthi Dev, spokesperson for TPCi, said: We are aware of recent social content that includes imagery associated with our brand. We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property. Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda. TPCi has previously had to distance itself from the Trump White House, when in September of last year the official Department of Homeland Security (DHS) X account posted a video with the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” tagline...
Lots of new merchandise has been released in the lead up to the Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary, and this week saw even more announcements and debuts of Pokémon-themed goods. Frequent Pokémon partner Uniqlo is offering customizable Pokopia t-shirts at their locations in Japan, while Puma, another continuing collaborator, has announced their new Pikachu sneakers. Plus, Pokémon Centers worldwide have added plenty of plushes of Ditto posing as other Pokémon, available online now.
The Pokémon Company announced a new music player during its Pokémon Presents today which is designed to look like the original Game Boy. The system will play songs and sounds from Pokémon Red and Blue using 45 different cartridges. Also inspired by Red and Blue, Pokémon Centers worldwide are offering TCG accessories and apparel based on the games’ opening sequence, available online now.
The Pokémon Presents preview of Pokémon Pokopia has revealed some new details about the game, including some new characters and lots of new multiplayer functionality. Pokémon Pokopia is scheduled to release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, worldwide on March 5th.
The big ticket item for this Pokémon Presents was the highly anticipated Generation X announcement, which came as the finale of the 25-minute video. Pokémon Winds and Waves Versions will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, debuting simultaneously worldwide sometime in 2027. The Pokémon Presents revealed the player characters, first partner Pokémon trio, and more.
The Pokémon Company is once again teaming up with All Nippon Airways (ANA) for new Pokémon livery on three jets, all set to begin service in 2026. ANA began their partnership with the franchise all the way back in 1998 with their Pokémon Jet, so new liveries in celebration of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary are fitting. The actual livery designs are to be revealed in May 2026, and the jets are expected to begin service sequentially throughout the year.
