Pokémon
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of video games, animated series and films, a trading card game, and other related media. The franchise takes place in a shared universe in which humans co-exist with the eponymous creatures, a large variety of species endowed with special powers. The franchise's primary target audience is children aged 5 to 12, but it is known to attract people of all ages. Pokémon is estimated to be the world's highest-grossing media franchise, with the video games in particular being among the best-selling.
The franchise originated as a pair of role-playing games developed by Game Freak, from an original concept by its founder, Satoshi Tajiri. Released on the Game Boy on 27 February 1996, the games became sleeper hits and were followed by manga series, a trading card game, and anime series and films. From 1998 to 2000, Pokémon was exported to the rest of the world, creating an unprecedented global phenomenon dubbed "Pokémania". By 2002, the craze had ended, after which Pokémon became a fixture in popular culture, with new products releasing to this day. In 2016, the franchise spawned a second craze with the release of the AR game Pokémon Go, developed by Niantic.
The franchise is managed by the Pokémon Company (TPC), which was established in 2000 by the joint owners of the franchise: original video game series publisher Nintendo, Trading Card Game developer Creatures, and Game Freak. The three companies also own the anime series alongside TV Tokyo, ShoPro, and JR Kikaku, and Pikachu Project, a joint venture between The Pokémon Company, TV Tokyo, and ShoPro, owns the anime films. Since 2009, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), a subsidiary of TPC, has managed the franchise in all regions outside Asia.
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