The Pokémon origin story

How a young game critic made a mega-hit

Ed. Note: Hey Post Games listeners. To give myself a lighter load this holiday, I’m posting one of the monthly Patreon-exclusive episodes. The patrons selected the origin story of Pokémon. They think you’ll enjoy it, and I do too!

If you like this episode and want access to a backlog of bonus episodes and future bonuses, subscribe to Patreon.com/PostGames for $5. Next Monday, I’ll be posting the latest exclusive, “1996: The Most Important Year in Games,” featuring the co-hosts of My Life in Gaming!

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Listen to this week’s episode

Before Game Freak created Pokémon, it was a hand-stapled video game zine written by a crew of arcade-loving teenagers.

Welcome to the debut episode of Past Games, the new Patreon-exclusive series dedicated to revisiting the stories behind classic games and gaming moments. Over the next few months, we’ll be flipping through dusty periodicals and dog-eared history books to learn more about 2026’s big gaming anniversaries.

For this episode, I invited my buddy Brendon Bigley (Wavelengths, Into the Aether) to talk pocket monsters. I share the history of the biggest children’s entertainment icon since Mickey Mouse, and Brendon shares his experience of growing up alongside the rise of Pokémania.

Stories discussed:

• Beware of the Pokemania - 1999 (Time/Archive.org)

• The Ultimate Game Freak (Time/Archive.org)

• Windom Vs Alien Cools HD (Ultraseven Series First Battle) (TokuMax)

• 1998 KFC promotional Pokémon toys (Bulbapedia)

• Pokémon: Little. Yellow. Different. Better. (Slate)

• COVER STORY: Masters of the Universe, Youth Division (NYTimes)

• Pokémon Is One Powerful Drawing Card (LATimes)

• Pokémon mania sweeps the United States (CNN)

• Are Your Children Nuts About Little Cartoon Creatures From Japan? Don’t Know Why? The Diagnosis Is Simple: -- Pokemon Fever (Seattle Times)

• Pokemon history

• Pikachu’s global adventure: the rise and fall of Pokémon (Archive.org)

• Pokémon Red review (IGN)

• Magician ends 20-year battle with Nintendo over Pokémon card (Polygon)

• Translation: Satoshi Tajiri Cuts Loose (1997 Interview) (lavacutcontent)

• Is the Hottest Investment Pokémon Cards? (WSJ)