Nearly three decades ago, Pokemon debuted in Japan and spawned a best-selling video game franchise that continues to this day. The Pokemania phenomenon has since grown to include multiple anime series, films, trading-card games, toys, and more. Pokemon was also one of the 12 finalists to make it into this year’s inductees for the Toy Hall of Fame. However, Pikachu and his pals are going to have to wait until at least 2025 after being denied this year.
The National Toy Hall of Fame has released its new inductions for 2024, and Pokemon didn’t make the cut. But at least Pokemon is in good company. The Choose Your Own Adventure books, remote-controlled vehicles, Hess Toy Trucks, trampoline, Apples to Apples, and Sequence were also denied the honor.
Hasbro was the big winner, as two of its 1980s franchises, Transformers and My Little Pony, earned their induction into this year’s class at the Toy Hall of Fame. The Transformers toys debuted in 1984, and the franchise has largely endured for four decades. My Little Pony was originally launched as My Pretty Pony in 1981 before it became a hit toy line of its own. MLP went dormant for a few years before a 2003 revival proved to successful. The card game Phase 10 was the final 2024 inductee for the Toy Hall of Fame.
Pokemon may not have won this year, but its ongoing popularity is staggering. On the Nintendo Switch alone, the Pokemon franchise has sold 99 million units. The mobile game Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket blew past 30 million downloads on the App Store and Google Play in a week. A new version of Pokemon Monopoly is coming this holiday season, and even Pokemon Go is still going strong nearly a decade after its release.