The Pokémon franchise only became known in Germany with the anime on RTL2 and the editions Red & Blue in 1999. However, about a year earlier, the pocket monsters were already seen in another form.
What were the first Pokémon in Germany? Even before the anime and video games, the Pokémon had their first appearance in Germany as part of a console accessory. They were part of the Game Boy Camera.
- The Game Boy Camera was released in 1998, about a year before the anime and video game. It was available in 4 colors.
- The camera could be plugged into the Game Boy and was a digital black-and-white camera.
- With the accompanying printer, the photos taken could be printed out on paper.
- The photos could be decorated with stickers. And this is where the Pokémon come into play.
There were 7 Pokémon that could be placed on the photos. Among them were Pikachu, Mew, Mewtwo, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Thus, people in Germany encountered the first pocket monsters and could decorate their photos with them, without actually knowing what they were. The true debut of the pocket monsters occurred with the Game Boy Camera.
Meowth was part of the first generation of Pokémon:
Pokémon became a huge success
Why were the first Pokémon available with the Camera? The beginning of the Pokémon universe was marked by the two editions Green and Red in Japan in 1996. It wasn’t until 3 years later that they decided to release the red and blue edition in Germany.
The Game Boy Camera was originally released in 1998, almost simultaneously worldwide. Since the two editions were successful in Japan, they likely decided to add some Pokémon-themed stickers.
Not much work probably had to be put into localization for the camera, which is why the release went faster than the two video game editions. The anime for Pokémon also took a bit longer: The first episode aired in Japan in 1997. RTL2 was only able to broadcast the first episode 2 years later.
What’s new with Pokémon? Currently, many players are enjoying Pokémon TCG Pocket. This is a collectible card game for mobile devices, where trainers can collect as many cards as possible and battle against each other with them.
To ensure you do everything right from the start, you should check out the guide from MeinMMO. In it, we explain what mistakes you should definitely avoid: Pokémon TCG Pocket: 8 things you should definitely not do wrong
