The Pokémon Company International is spending all of 2021 celebrating the franchise’s 25th anniversary and announced today a partnership with Universal Music Group for the P52 Music event, headlined by Katy Perry.
“Pokémon has been a constant in my life from playing the original video games on my Game Boy, to trading Pokémon TCG cards at lunch, to the adventures of catching Pokémon on the street with Pokémon GO. I’ve even visited the Pokémon Café in Japan while on tour! It is an honor to be chosen to help celebrate a franchise that has given me so much joy in the last 25 years, and to be able to watch it evolve in the ways it’s provided that kind of electric joy for the kids in my life and around the world.”
To kick off the celebration, The Pokémon Company released a video highlighting unique moments in the brand’s 25-year history in the delightfully unique way the company is known for inciting joy and nostalgia.
“Every party needs a great playlist. To celebrate 25 years, The Pokémon Company International is teaming up with UMG through their brands strategies division, Universal Music Group for Brands, to make 2021 the biggest Pokémon party in history — and everyone is invited. Pokémon is working with some of the biggest names in music, from rising artists to award-winning global superstars, for the program, titled P25 Music. Pop icon Katy Perry was revealed today as a premier collaborator in the massive, yearlong music campaign.”
TPC will be announcing events all year long at pokemon.com/25 and will be collaborating programs from Build-A-Bear Workshop®, General Mills, Levi’s, McDonald’s, Jazwares, Scholastic, Mattel, Funko, PowerA, The Wand Company, and more.
“We are honored to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon and the significant cultural impact this beloved franchise continues to have around the world. Working together, we have developed dynamic year-round programming involving artists from across UMG’s labels — because what better way to create a global celebration than through the power of music,” said LJ Gutierrez, General Manager at UMGB.
Additionally, Pokémon fans will have the chance to pick up limited edition physical merchandise throughout the year, starting with some goodies this month.
“The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a cornerstone of the brand, and fans can look forward to special 25th anniversary-themed collections of the Pokémon TCG later in 2021. In the meantime, fans will soon be able to collect oversize cards featuring Pikachu and beloved first partner Pokémon from the various regions featured in the franchise-spanning retrospective,” The Pokémon Company said. “Fans can also expect 25th anniversary-themed products from Pokémon Center, the premier destination for official, high-quality Pokémon merchandise in the US and Canada. To kick off the celebrations on Pokémon Center, fans will be able to preorder the limited-edition 25th anniversary-themed skateboard by industry craftsman Bear Walker starting Jan. 19.”
And there is tons more in store. I can’t wait to celebrate one of my life long loves.
“The details revealed today are a glimpse into what the world can expect from Pokémon in 2021,” The Pokémon Company said. “With 25th anniversary-related activations planned for Pokémon animation, Pokémon video games, mobile games including Pokémon GO and Pokémon Masters EX, and more big announcements from the franchise, fans have a year full of new journeys ahead.”
