When we think of the first official Pokémon cards, the Base Set of 1996 usually comes to mind straight away. But did you know that another run of cards existed before the official Base Set cards? Those cards, the Bandai Carddass, were not released by Pokémon itself but by the Japanese company Bandai. Let us dive into the history of these early cards and what they meant for the world of Pokémon.
The first Pokémon cards: the Bandai Carddass
Before The Pokémon Company introduced the official Base Set cards, the Japanese company Bandai put out a series of cards called Bandai Carddass. They hit the Japanese market in September 1996. What made them so unusual is that they were not sold through the usual channels, but through vending machines. They were meant as collectibles from the start, not for playing the TCG.
The Bandai Carddass cards were sold in vending machines and card dispensers, and they carried artwork of the popular Pokémon from the anime. For a lot of fans they were the first time they saw Pokémon in card format. What stands out is that these cards, unlike the later Pokémon TCG cards, were aimed at collecting rather than at strategic play. They had no real gameplay elements as we know them today, just artwork of the Pokémon themselves.
The first official Pokémon cards: the Base Set
The real breakthrough for Pokémon cards came with the Base Set, released in 1999 in the US and in 1996 in Japan. The cards from this set became the foundation of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and icons such as Charizard, Blastoise and Venusaur were introduced as playable cards in the TCG. Those cards went around the world and are still wanted by collectors today, with a legendary status to match.
Where are Pokémon cards made?
As you know, Pokémon cards are produced worldwide. The main plant for making the cards, though, is in Japan. The cards are printed largely by Creatures Inc., the company responsible for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Creatures Inc. works with a number of other partners to distribute the cards around the world.
The Bandai Carddass cards, on the other hand, were produced in Japan by Bandai, and unlike the later official Pokémon cards they were collectibles more than playing cards.
