Vol. 2, Issue 35 - Kimberley’s Pokémon Day Memories
A Pokémon fan called Kimberley, from the Netherlands, shares her memories of visiting the Pokémon Day event at Walibi World, in 2008. Plus, a recap of the latest Pokémon news
Welcome to Vol. 2, issue 35 of the Johto Times! This week we have another feature, detailing the memories of a Pokémon fan called Kimberley from The Netherlands, who visited the Pokémon Day event at Walibi World in 2008 and took lots of great, wholesome photographs! We also have a recap of the most recent Pokémon news.
I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of our readers, especially those who have subscribed and continued to read each issue. I sincerely thank you for sticking with us. If you enjoy what we do, and think you’ve got a friend or loved one who may be interested, please consider sharing this newsletter with them! It would be fantastic to reach more people, and grow our audience.
Now, on with the issue!
News
The next English Pokémon TCG set has officially been revealed! Surging Sparks, the next expansion in the Scarlet & Violet Series, and will focus on Terastallised Pokémon, including Stellar Tera Types such as Pikachu ex. Other cards in the set that have been revealed are Latias ex, Latios, and an impressive Secret Illustration Rare of Magneton. This massive set contains over 250 cards, and will be released on November 8th, 2024.
Source: Pokémon
The next season of Pokémon GO, Max Out, has been officially revealed, and will take place over three months between September 3rd and December 3rd, 2024. In a short teaser trailer released on Monday, Grookey, Sobble, Scorbunny, and a Dynamax Pokémon could be seen walking by. Will you be taking part in the Max Out season?
Also, Niantic have confirmed a brand new Pokémon GO adventure called "Wild Area" which takes place in Fukuoka, Japan, on November 16th and 17th, 2024. Players can take part wherever they are in the world on November 23rd and 24th. No further details have been announced at the time of writing.
Sources: Pokémon GO, Pokémon GO
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet players should be aware that the distribution for Cetitan, which was given to commemorate Paldean Winds Episode 1, is due to end on August 31st, 2024. To obtain it, enter the code L1KEAFLUTE in the Mystery Gift section of the game. This is your last chance to claim the Pokémon. Special thanks to Serebii for this reminder!
Source: Serebii
It may be August, but The Pokémon Company have already kicked off the Halloween season with a new collection of "Pokéween" products, launching on the Pokémon Center online stores in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Fancy a Fuecoco Halloween mug? Or maybe a Gengar Haunted House Hoodie? There are a selection of Spooky figures you can buy too, and even some Pokémon Trading Card Game: Trick or Trade BOOster Bundles (launching August 30th, 2024).
Additional Pokémon Merchandise and Experiences are coming soon, so be sure to check out the official Pokéween section of the official website for more details!
Source: Pokémon
Feature: Kimberley’s Pokémon Day Memories
Pokémon Day was a series of official Pokémon events that took place in certain countries around the world, giving fans the opportunity to obtain event distribution Pokémon, promotional items, buy merchandise and go hands-on with various Pokémon products. They would partner with local companies and Pokémon communities, and were held at different points between 2004 and 2015.
Kimberley Ligtvoet attended a Pokémon Day event in 2008 at Walibi World, an amusement park in The Netherlands. She kindly took the time to share her memories with us, and some photographs from that special day!
I'm not sure how we even heard of Pokémon Day, but I'm glad we got to go!
We (my mom, dad and brother) have been to Pokémon Day in Walibi twice. The first time we didn't know you could get a special Pokémon so we didn't bring our games with us (because we didn't want to risk losing them)! The second time in 2008 we were prepared and my brother and I brought our DSi with us to get Darkrai! Unfortunately, when we got there the stand didn't work, but there was still a lot we did get to do.
At the start we got a map of the park with info on all the things we could do. The thing I remember most is going around the park looking for all the inflatable Poké Balls with letters on them. If you spotted one you'd put down the letter by the number on the map which in the end would spell something and you would get the goodie bag if you handed it in. I didn't know yet that this Pikachu card, along with my first ever Pokémon [Trading Card Game] tin of Feraligatr, would be the start of my big Pokémon card collection! We also got to choose something besides cards, so I got a Pikachu propeller pen which would spin when you put batteries in it, which back then seemed really cool.
There were also Pokémon quizzes on a stage that you could win prizes with and of course everyone wanted in. I remember them throwing a chocolate surprise egg which my dad attempted to catch for me but someone smashed it out of the air in front of him[,] but he still managed to grab the little Psyduck toy off the ground for me. I know I still have it somewhere, but it seems to be the one thing I could not find right now (oops!). We also got to see The Rise of Darkrai which was really cool because we got to see Dialga and Palkia battle it out on the big screen!
We, of course, enjoyed the rest of the park too, but we came there for Pokémon and that's what we got! I also still remember getting to take pictures with the mascots, which was amazing as well since they were so big and soft (I already loved anything plushie like back then, so those big suits were amazing to hug).
At that point I've been into Pokémon for a few years since I started when Pokémon Emerald came out here in Europe. I named my trainer Esmee since I thought that's what the girl from the anime was called (it was May). I was about 7 years old when I got my first ever Pokémon which was Mudkip. I still have him all these years later on my Ultra Moon file as a Swampert! I'm really glad I got into Pokémon since that meant being able to be part of a community and meeting new friends throughout the years. From playing with cards on the playground, to trading them in game stores to get chase cards, playing with a link cable with my brother, to connecting with everyone on the Internet. Now that I'm 25, I think the only thing that really changed since then is the amount of Pokémon to love and the size of my Pokémon collection, which is still growing to this day all these years later.
Additional photographs
Thank you Kimberley, for sharing your memories of Pokémon Day, and for those fantastic photographs, they are so wholesome! It’s great to see how different countries celebrate Pokémon, proving just how much of a global phenomenon it truly is. I hope Pokémon continues to have a positive impact on your life for many years to come!
Mailbag
We had another piece of mail land in our mailbag, from a familiar face to Johto Times! Josh Sobek has returned to share another piece of artwork, this time of Absol, which he originally submitted for the Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest 2024.
This piece of Absol art was done as a 2024 submission contest for a set of trading cards. Of the options, I chose Absol because it has a special place for me growing up playing Ruby on my GBA. I wanted to show it in a peaceful moment while the ancient artwork on the wall of its cave den depicts its unfortunate reputation to humans, being linked to catastrophe.
Josh Sobek, United States
It’s great to hear from you again, Josh! Thank you for sharing your artwork of Absol, or should I say, two Absol? I love the autumnal leaves you used for the Absol to lay on, and it reminds me of a lot of artwork you would see in the early era of the Pokémon TCG, so if you were going for that, you nailed it, in my opinion! As always, keep up the fantastic work!
No way!! I never got to go to these Pokémon Days in Walibi, which always left me sad and envious. Hearing someone else's experiences from that day heals my inner child a bit.