Next Wednesday, Feb. 27, is Pokémon Day—a pop culture holiday celebrating the anniversary of the first Pokémon game’s release in 1996. To celebrate this year, Pokémon will host a variety of events and new product launches.
To start, there will be in-store Pokémon trade and play events at more than 2,500 GameStop locations across the country on Feb. 23. At the events, GameStop will release an exclusive Lapras plush from Wicked Cool Toys, and more than 100 Best Buy stores in the U.S. and more than 100 EB Games stores in Canada will host various events as well. These events celebrate the release of the latest Pokémon Trading Game expansion pack, Sun & Moon—Team Up. Attendees will receive a free oversize booster pack containing cards and other goodies, while supplies last.
Fans can revisit favorite moments from the animates series with the Twitch Pokémon Marathon, which returns on Pokémon Day and runs through May 5. Twitch will showcase favorite episodes and movies all day Wednesday, or fans can watch on Pokémon TV.
To round out the celebration, fans can get their hands on multiple new lines of new Pokémon merch. Pokémon Center will release Poké Ball Classics, a new collection of apparel and accessories designed for the workplace and dressy occasions. The line—including a bifold wallet, tie, scarf, Fossil watches, and more—features a Poké Ball pattern.
Pokémon will also debut its new streetwear collaboration with 10.Deep on Feb. 27. The spring/summer line includes apparel featuring Team Rocket, and will be available at a pop-up event at 10.Deep’s flagship store in New York City and online at 10Deep.com.
Outside of clothing, the new Funko Pop! Bulbasaur figure will drop on Pokémon Day, while Build-A-Bear Workshop will offer an online discount of up to 30 percent off all Pokémon bundles from Feb. 25 to 27.
Pokémon invites fans to share their celebration on social media using the hashtag #PokemonDay.
