18.10.2026 15:10
Born in Japan in 1996, Pokémon is once again at the peak of its popularity in its 30th year. While those who spent their childhood with it are returning to card collecting, a new generation is also joining the trend.
According to BBC News, Pokémon, which began as a video game series in Japan in 1996, is experiencing another major wave of popularity as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. Adults who traded cards as children are returning to their hobby, and a new generation is joining the trend.
According to industry data, Pokémon became the world's largest toy brand in 2025 and the fastest-growing brand in Europe. The series, in which players collect imaginary creatures and pit them against each other, has become one of the world's biggest entertainment brands through cards, TV series, films and mobile games.
In Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, three friends who met in cafés to trade cards turned this passion into a shop. Shop manager Daniel Phillips says, "There's a really big boom in Pokémon." About 600 people came to the first card-trading event they organized, the number of participants rose to 1,700 at the third, and more than 2,500 people are expected at the November event.
Phillips says his customers include lawyers who come during their lunch break and police officers who stop by after their shifts. Some collectors are prepared to pay thousands of pounds for rare cards; one Pikachu card sold for about 16,000 pounds.
Stephen Mitchell, one of the shop's partners, says that as a father of two approaching 30, he was at one point self-conscious about collecting cards. According to Mitchell, there are now enthusiasts of all ages; customers in their 70s and 80s also come to the shop.
Content creator Matthew Duguid says nostalgia is behind the resurgence, and that those who grew up with Pokémon now have "their own money to spend." Duguid thinks social media has played a "huge role" in introducing the brand to younger audiences.
Mattie Morgan, who competes in tournaments, won a tournament in Dublin at the age of 13 and has since competed in Brazil, the US and Europe; he made the top eight at the Pokémon World Championships in Japan. Morgan says Pokémon GO, released in 2016, "got even people who had never played before to play Pokémon."
Source: BBC