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When did you first get into Pokémon?

NovaBrunswick

Canada Connoisseur
What year did you first get into Pokémon, or if you can’t remember an exact year, how old were you?

I first got into Pokémon around 2000-2001. By this time, Gold/Silver/Crystal were out, and the heated craze that had initially started in the late 90s was calming down. I remember getting loads of Pokémon stuff for Christmas 2000, including a Psyduck backpack (which I still have, minus the straps), some CDs for my computer, and even a Pikachu plush backpack. The CDs were Project Studio Red and Blue Versions and the Zapdos and Elekid Poké-ROMs, which have now sadly been given away in a car boot sale. I got a Gameboy Colour not long after with Pokémon Yellow and Silver, and I continued playing Pokémon up until Ruby and Sapphire. (I got back into it later in 2013, when I bought myself Black and a Nintendo DS.)
 

RedJirachi

Veteran member
I got in around the time I was returning to my home country of New Zealand in 2003. I started with Sapphire
 

WishIhadaManafi5

To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before.
Staff member
Moderator
Got interested in it around 98'/99', thanks to a friend gifting me R/B/Y used during a Secret Santa swap. Then it was all downhill from there (in a good way) :p.
 

Hunter Zolomon

Into the Shadows
Staff member
Moderator
I dived into the world of Pokémon in 1998. In Elementary school just about every kid had a Game Boy. Most kids brought their trading cards. The Pokémon craze was out of this world. Here I am, turning 28 years old in 4 months, and I'm still crazy about Pokémon haha. When I have kids someday I hope I can pass on the Pokémon legacy to them. Never in a million years did I think Pokémon would stick with me for this long, but here we are.
 

Ignition

We are so back Zygardebros
I got into Pokèmon around the airing of the AG (Hoenn) anime. Was quite awhile until I found out there were games as a source material. Around that time, the shift from gen 3 to 4/GBA to DS was coming so I got Diamond instead of RSE or FRLG
 

NovaBrunswick

Canada Connoisseur
I dived into the world of Pokémon in 1998. In Elementary school just about every kid had a Game Boy. Most kids brought their trading cards. The Pokémon craze was out of this world. Here I am, turning 28 years old in 4 months, and I'm still crazy about Pokémon haha. When I have kids someday I hope I can pass on the Pokémon legacy to them. Never in a million years did I think Pokémon would stick with me for this long, but here we are.

You're never too old to love Pokémon. ;)

I got into Pokèmon around the airing of the AG (Hoenn) anime. Was quite awhile until I found out there were games as a source material. Around that time, the shift from gen 3 to 4/GBA to DS was coming so I got Diamond instead of RSE or FRLG

I got into it when Gen 2 was just about finishing, and Gen 3 was about to come out in Japan. If I remember correctly, wasn't Gen 3 announced as early as 2001, when Crystal came out in the West?
 

NovaBrunswick

Canada Connoisseur
Although I did watch the anime when I was around 7, I only got into Pokemon after playing FireRed. I think I was around 16 then.

I think I started watching the show way after I started playing the games, possibly at the end of the Johto saga/beginning of the Hoenn saga.
 
When the 90's pokémon craze hit Europe. It first started with pokemon tcg cards (I got the doubles of my friends since my parents wouldn't buy me any) and the anime. Shortly after that I got pokémon blue for my birthday.

Never stopped playing the games since then. I still have my tcg cards though but don't really buy new sets unless it's one that really interests me, I did buy old cards online till I completed the base, fossil and jungle sets though, might go for the rocket and gym challenge ones one time.

I basically lost interest in the anime after the Johto saga. Still saw a few early episodes of the Advanced ones but never watched it since then.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
The Pokemon craze. There was the Pokemon anime, Pokemon poptarts, Pokemon macaroni, Pokemon folders, Pokemon manga, Pokemon Yo-Yo's, Pokemon stickers, Pokemon temporary tattoos, Pokemon dog tags, Pokemon skateboards, Pokemon cards, Pokemon plushie dolls (my favorite was Gengar at the time), Pokemon action figures, Pokemon cake, Pokemon shoes, a Pokemon movie, Pokemon clothes, Pokemon children coloring books, Pokemon children books, Pokemon on VHS, Pokemon wallpapers, Pokemon vitamin supplements, Pokemon kids meal toy at BK I believe, pretty much everything you can think of what you saw from your childhood, a Pokemon-styled version of it probably exists and I saw all of this before I realized this is all based on a Pokemon video game.
 
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TheWanderingMist

Paladin of the Snow Queen
When I was 5 years old and my best friend showed the anime to me. My mom used to be kind of strict about what we watched, so it took some convincing from his mom to let us rent a VHS tape of episodes (it was "Fighting Tournament", which, incidentally, has a trailer for my favorite Ghibli film I've never actually seen "Kiki's Delivery Service"). Then, when I turned 8, I got my first video game system and game, a Game Boy Advance with Pokemon Gold. Haven't stopped since.
 

Captain Jigglypuff

Leader of Jigglypuff Army
I was fourteen when Red and Blue were released and I didn’t know for months what Pokémon were or anything about the games. I actually thought that the Trainer sprite shown before and after battles was a duck. I asked a kid one day why you play as a duck and he said, “That’s a person!” Look at the original battle screen from a distance of three or four feet on the original GB screen and you’ll see “the duck!”
 

NovaBrunswick

Canada Connoisseur
I basically lost interest in the anime after the Johto saga. Still saw a few early episodes of the Advanced ones but never watched it since then.

I think I watched the anime up until the X/Y series. I watched some of the Unova saga episodes, but I haven’t seen any of the Sun/Moon episodes. The dramatic change of animation style from X/Y to S/M kind of put me off.

When I was 5 years old and my best friend showed the anime to me. My mom used to be kind of strict about what we watched, so it took some convincing from his mom to let us rent a VHS tape of episodes (it was "Fighting Tournament", which, incidentally, has a trailer for my favorite Ghibli film I've never actually seen "Kiki's Delivery Service"). Then, when I turned 8, I got my first video game system and game, a Game Boy Advance with Pokemon Gold. Haven't stopped since.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen KDS either. I see bits of it every now and then, but I’ve never watched it in its entirety.

I was fourteen when Red and Blue were released and I didn’t know for months what Pokémon were or anything about the games. I actually thought that the Trainer sprite shown before and after battles was a duck. I asked a kid one day why you play as a duck and he said, “That’s a person!” Look at the original battle screen from a distance of three or four feet on the original GB screen and you’ll see “the duck!”

Didn’t you say that in the “Stupid things you thought/did with Pokémon as a kid” thread?
 

halloweenghost

Well-Known Member
I am an older fan of the franchise myself. I got into Pokemon in September of 1998 at the age of 18. I had heard about it before that in magazines, promoting that it was coming to the US, also not to mention when The Pokemon Shock incident happened in 1997, thats probably when i first heard of it.

My friend James and I were into anime,.. one day in september, he asked me if i was watching Pokemon,.. I said no. I had no interest, I thought it was going to be just some weird random show about creatures just mindlessly fighting one another, but he convinced me to give it a chance that day, i was not sure but i said ok, sure,,..if you like it i will give it a chance.

For awhile i thoguht it was "the ghost at maiden's peak", but i do remember it was earlier than that.. the show had been on for two weeks when he got me to watch it... I remember it being "mystery at the lighthouse" and man was i surprised.. it was a REALLY good show! and the Pokemon were very smart and not just mindless like i had feared. Ever since then I have been a fan. I went with James to Toys R us when he went to buy Red version,.. and I was to buy Blue. I did not have a GB at the time so i had to wait. (for those wondering,.. my first was actually Yellow)). I started to record the episodes off of TV on days james had to work when it was on. I remember it started with "Sparks fly for magnamite" and I recorded EVERY episode for years after that.... Eventhough James kinda got in and out of pokemon over the years... I still recorded every episode so he could catch up if needed.... sadly to say... VCRs are pretty much obsolete.. and stores around here, kept hiking prices on VHS tapes until they no longer sell them around here anymore. I had recorded every episode up until midway through the Black and White series. :( i'm not sure why i guess i felt it was my duty to record all those episodes for him after he asked me to do so, so, so long ago.

Now sometimes i feel like i am alone in the fandom :/
 
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