Alternate version of "Pokemon Master Trainer" game with MEW?

[dandeco]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but I noticed something very strange about the original version of the Milton Bradley board game "Pokemon Master Trainer" Hasbro put out in 1999 (you know, the version with the black board game lid depicting all 150 Pokemon of the time.)

Well, on Amazon.com, they had a picture of the game front that was actually a bit different; it featured MEW on it!

As you can see, the Pokemon pictures used are pretty much identical to the Canadian version (which was bilingual), such as featuring side profile views of many of the Pokemon instead of them facing toward the "camera," Ninetails and Poliwrath in "running" poses, etc. However, after Mewtwo, there is also a picture of Mew next to it!

Was this a later variation of the original Kanto version of the game that included Mew as well, once he became more known? Or was this just a clever Photoshop-style attempt by someone as a fictional "updated" version? Because I remember only seeing the "regular" version with the normal Pokemon pictures and without Mew (I even had a copy of this game too!) The only other time I remember Mew being in the game was the Johto variation that came out around 2001 (I had this one too).

BTW, I also remember Milton Bradley releasing a large 200-piece puzzle that showed the 150 Pokemon, in the same style as the Pokemon Master Trainer game cover (black background, the white "evolutionary" lines, etc.) It used the same pictures as the "original" version of the game, but the pictures were recolored so they would look more consistent (Meowth was not dark-colored anymore, Sandshrew and Sandslash's colors matched, etc.)

 

[SaffronGamer]

wow this is odd
i have this game and its nothing like this(and no i dont have the johto version)

Btw i remember that puzzle! its right here!

 

[Zesty Cactus]

I've never heard of anything like this before. For what it's worth, my copy of the game doesn't have Mew on the box (yeah i totally ran upstairs to check)

 

[dandeco]

I apologize for the thread bump, but here's some more evidence about this rare "Mew" version of the game:

Spoiler

It looks legitimate enough for me. Usually I am used to seeing Mewtwo in Mew's place on the board. Also note the Machamp picture on Bruno's card is different. The lid for it also uses most of the pics from the rare Canadian version:

Note that Metapod is facing the back, several others (like Sandslash, Raticate, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Primeape, Machoke, Machamp, Tentacruel, Slowbro, Farfetch'd, Shellder, Hypno, Voltorb, Electrode, Tangela, Kangaskhan, Goldeen and just about every creature from 121 to 127) are all in profile view, Ninetales is leaping up, Venonat is just standing there instead of running, Poliwrath is running to the side, Doduo and Dodrio aren't running, Gastly's purple gas is not trailing off, and Moltres is pointed upward.
I am saying that because I am more used to the lid on the version I had, which was the most common version:

This uses some of the more "common" Ken Sugimori stock art used on most of the Pokemon merchandise available in North America between 1998 and 2004. Although one peculiarity is the inclusion of the early "fat Pikachu" picture on it; it seems sort of out of place with the more "on model/updated" character designs there.
Interestingly, when the 2001 version of Pokemon Master Trainer came out (with all the 250 Kanto and Johto Pokemon included, even Mew!), it still had some decent Pokemon pictures, but for some strange reason they continued to use that older "fat Pikachu" stock art, even though by then nobody was really using it anymore! That puzzled me, as by then there were plenty of decent Pikachu stock art pictures to choose from:

Just a thought.

 

[Aestivate]

@dandeco - I hope you don't mind but I'm going to add a spoiler tag to your entire post. Those images are quite large and would be difficult to see on a small resolution screen.

 

[dandeco]

Thanks; that actually seems to help.