Created in 1996 as a game for the Nintendo Game Boy hand-held gaming console, Pokémon (pronounced "POH-kay-mon") soon became a worldwide youth phenomenon. Seen in video games (see entry under 1970s—Sports and Games in volume 4), Saturday morning cartoons (see entry under 1960s—TV and Radio in volume 4), films, books, and thousands of trading cards, Pokémon (short for "pocket monsters") is a unique world, populated by over 150 creatures with magical powers that enable them to transform themselves into stronger and stronger monsters. Children around the globe have been captivated by the world of Pokémon, collecting the pocket monsters and memorizing their names and powers with a skill that often amazes their parents.

It took game designer Satoshi Tajiri (1965–) six years to design his imaginative new game, designed for use on the Nintendo Game Boy. Inspired by the bug collections he...