I have been collecting Pokémon cards ever since the original "base set" was released back in 1999 here in the United Kingdom.
I have collected many sets since then and would class myself as a "seasoned collector", but I'll be honest with you... The current state of the TCG is not for me. It feels like Pokémon are purposefully profiting off the greed and stock issues, which have made me go back in time to explore "vintage" sets that actually intrigue me, rather than chase hype.
This has been a blessing in disguise, as for me, the WOTC period featured some of the most incredible cards ever made. The artwork is out of this world and is so much more beautiful and rarer than today's mass-produced, underwhelming digital card designs.
I went down a rabbit hole to find a new set to collect, to scratch my nostalgic itch, when I stumbled across some incredibly rare GAME BOY promo cards that launched in the late 90s and early 2000s, specifically designed to promote the GAME BOY handheld video games.
If you know me, I am a big fan of the GAME BOY; I have even created a coffee table book about them and a company called GAMENOOK that makes accessories for them. It's safe to say that I am an addict, so this promo set was one I couldn't ignore.
The Pokémon GAME BOY Promo Card Collection
The GAME BOY Promotional Pokémon cards were released between the years 1998 and 2001, each being found in different products, with the sole goal of promoting the upcoming GAME BOY games.
The GAME BOY promotional set consists of:
- Dragonite Holo (1998)
- Meowth Holo in English & Japanese versions - Black Star Promo (2000)
- Dark Venusaur Holo - Trainer Magazine (2001)
- Venusaur Holo (1999)
- Dark Ivysaur Non Holo - Trainer Magazine (2001)
- Lugia Holo - (2001)
- G.R. Mewtwo Holo (2001)
- Dark Fearow Non Holo (2001)
Each card in this promotion features the"GB" promotional stamp on the right-middle side. The Meowth Promo in English has replaced it with the classic Black Star Promo icon and moved GB onto the actual artwork in the bottom right-hand corner.
Meowth - Black Star Promo
A majority of these cards were released exclusively in Japan; in fact, all but one, which was a Meowth Holo released in 2000. It was a promo card released throughout the West, given to those who purchased the Pokémon Trading Card Game on GAME BOY Color.
This card was sealed in a plastic sleeve and found inside the box insert. Although popular at the time due to the sheer amount of games sold, it was always that card that got scratched up, bent, or put inside a GAME BOY Color travel case.
This means that sealed versions in good condition and cards with high grades are incredibly hard to come by. Even more so if you want to find a boxed version of Pokémon TCG on GBC with the included sealed Meowth promo.
The GB Meowth Promo in Japan had a slightly different way of obtaining it.
This Meowth had the exact same artwork, but instead of it being inside the Japanese version of Pokémon TCG on GBC, it was found as a promotional card inside a CoroCoro magazine in 1999.
It would feature on a cardboard sheet that could be removed from the magazine's pages and then popped out to add to your collection. This was a popular way of promoting CoroCoro magazines back in the day. There's a wide selection of these to collect, but this one was special as it promoted the GAME BOY game.
Again, like many on this list, high grades are hard to come by, and the same goes for the original sheets from the CoroCoro magazine.
The First GAME BOY Promotional Card
The first, and in my opinion, the card that has some of the best artwork of the entire GB promo set, is the Dragonite Holo promo illustrated by Ken Sugimori.
This artwork is incredibly nostalgic to me, as Ken worked on some of the most influential Pokémon cards ever made, such as Blastoise and Mewtwo from the original base set (two of my favourite Pokémon). So when I saw this on eBay a few years ago, I had to pick it up.
This Dragonite promotional card was found inserted into the Japanese version of Pokémon Trading Card Game for GAME BOY Color, just like the Meowth here in the UK.
It was a popular card, with the game selling over 600,000 units in its first year, so you can imagine that these were seen everywhere in the school yard back in the day. Like any vintage promo card from the WOTC era, though, they're highly sought after now.
There's no wonder why it's beautiful. I have a very small Pokémon card collection, in all honesty (under 50 cards that I genuinely love/collect), but this is one of my gems just because of how stunning it is.
Venasaur Holo... In A Magazine?
The second promotional card for the GAME BOY was released in January 1999 and was, in fact, the Venasuar Holo promo.
This card was first found digitally in the game, and then the artwork was used to bring it into reality, being hidden inside the Pokémon Card GB Official Guidebook in Japan.
Unlike CoroCoro's way of hiding promotional cards, this guidebook places the card between a transparent sheet of plastic that collectors had to cut out. This seemed to be a better way of keeping it in pristine condition, in my opinion.
You can see in my guidebook that it's in great condition, so much so that I actually removed it while writing this article, in the hope that it receives a high grade to add to my GB Promo collection.
I obtained this guidebook using ZenMarket's services. In the UK and the USA, this guidebook sells for a premium on eBay, but I went straight to the source and bid on it using ZenMarket's website, which then sent it to ZenMarket's address in Japan, who then sent it to me, all packaged up. This saved me a lot of money, even considering the import fees due to the lower prices on Japanese marketplaces like Yahoo Auctions.
Many get confused with this card as it has almost the exact same artwork as another Vensaur card that was released at the same time. However, the GB promo icon is its biggest indication that this is a part of the promotion, alongside minor colour differences.
GB Promo Cards Continue Into 2001 With G.R. Mewtro & Lugia
With the release of the Japanese exclusive Pokémon Card GB2: Great Rocket‑Dan Sanjō!, which is the second in the Pokémon TCG series for GAME BOY Color, came two promotional cards inside each video game box.
Yes, not one, but two, which rarely happens. Inside was probably the two rarest cards of the entire set, likely because this game didn't sell well, as it technically launched one week after the release of the GAME BOY Advance on March 28th 2001.
Inside this box was a sealed packet, featuring G.R. Mewtwo (Great Rocket's Mewtwo) and a Lugia holo, again, with beautiful illustrations, the classic WOTC star holographics, and a high rarity, which many wanted.
These were the GB cards everyone wanted, but nobody wanted to buy what felt like an "old" game at the time. Everyone was focused on the GAME BOY Advance and the upcoming Pokémon games.
But those who were lucky enough to snag these cards now have some of the rarest WOTC promotional cards ever made, selling for hundreds if not thousands of pounds on marketplaces and auction sites.
The only boxed version, and sealed, I could find was on ZenMarket, through Yahoo Auctions, being priced at over 200,000 Yen (£1,000/$1,400). They're highly wanted!
More Double Promotions, This Time Inside A Trainer's Magazine - Dark Ivysaur & Dark Venusaur
In Japan in 2001, there was a magazine called Trainer's Magazine, focused on providing TCG players and collectors with tips, tricks and guides.
In the March 2001 edition came two promotional cards to promote the GAME BOY games - Dark Ivysaur Non Holo and Dark Venasaur Holo.
Unlike other GB Promotional cards, these were hidden inside a paper pack, forcing players to rip it open to add these two "dark" cards to their collection. These dark versions have no attribution to the Team Rocket set that launched in the late 90s in Japan. They do, however, match the dark, mature aesthetic.
The magazine retailed for ¥400–¥1,000, so it wasn't costly at all to obtain some of the rarest WOTC Promo cards ever made. But like many magazines and hidden promos, it was forgotten, and only made for a limited time.
So these are also incredibly rare at this moment in time. The Dark Ivysaur is a great starter purchase for anyone wanting to start their GB promo card collection, costing only $50+ to obtain a non-graded version, graded versions go a little more up to $300 (at the moment of writing this original).
These two cards are beautiful and will certainly please Team Rocket enthusiasts. For those wanting to start their GB collection, these are the most affordable cards at this moment in time.
The Final GB Promo Card - Dark Fearow
Last but not least, and a visually different card in comparison to the rest, is Dark Fearow, illustrated by Sumiyoshi Kizuki and released in April 2001.
Again, like the Venusaur 1999 Holo above, this was found in a magazine, this time another GB Guidebook, a magazine dedicated to guiding gamers through the second Pokémon Trading Card game on GAME BOY Color.
You can see somewhat of a trend here, with cards releasing in the game boxes themselves and in guidebooks and magazines about those specific games.
This is a rare card, as just like the second game, this magazine sold very little too due to the attention on the GAME BOY Advance, so even though this is a non-holo card, it's ridiculously rare and annoyingly hard to grade.
Nonetheless, it's a beautiful card for a very underrated Pokémon.
Unreleased Pokémon GAME BOY Promotional Cards
Wizards of the Coast planned on releasing more GB promotional cards through the next year or more, even going as far as promoting these upcoming cards in future guidebooks and magazines.
However, due to the fast-paced releases in both video games and trading card sets during this time, WOTC decided to focus elsewhere, seeing as there were no more "trading card" focused Pokémon games in the works, and the second Trading Card Game in Japan lost momentum.
It's a real shame, as some of the artwork, which only got as far as being digital in the games, is absolutely beautiful, and could have made some impressive physical cards for us collectors.
The images above are the only official announcements of the cards, found in an array of magazines and guidebooks.
And that's the brief story of the GAME BOY Pokémon promotional cards, which I believe to be some of the coolest WOTC cards out there. Yes, they are niche, but they marked a collaboration between digital and physical cards in an era where handheld gaming was exploding.
A big thank you to ZenMarket for allowing us to do some very deep research on these items, and thank you for allowing us to use their service to obtain these cards for a great price.
