Pokémon rapidly taking over the world

[07.21.99] » Record game sales. Record book sales. Record television ratings. Record event attendence. Have you been assimilated yet?

    As Pokémon approaches a year spent on US shores, all signs point to a phenomenon that is still very much on the upswing. The latest Pokémon game, Pokémon Pinball, managed to sell over 260,000 units within 20 days of release (The GIA high score tally stands at just below 8 billion points, for those of you scoring at home). This stands as a Game Boy record, toppling even the original Pokémon, which has gone on to easily become the best-selling RPG of all time. 4 million units of Pokémon Red and Blue that have shipped to stores thus far, with over 2.5 million of those finding their way into the eager hands of gamers everywhere.

    That isn't all, however, as Pokémon has reached far beyond your Game Boy in its attempt to wrest away control of the universe. The cartoon is not only tops on the fairly lame WB network, but the #1 show in syndication anywhere. Pokémon alone has generated as much revenue for Nintendo as the entire US gaming industry did all of last year. 44,000 people showed up at the Mall of America for the first stop on the Pokémon League Summer Training Tour, an example of the massive popularity of the Pokémon card game and breaking the record attendence for any indoor mall event. 2BA Master, the "children's soundtrack" for Pokémon, has shipped 250,000 copies since release, while the "Official Pokémon Handbook" is amongst the USA Today's Top 20 selling books.

    Had enough yet? Don't let your guard down yet, as next week marks the US N64 debut of the little guys -- Pokémon Snap. This esoteric photo adventure is set for release on July 26th, and will include the option to have your favorite photos printed up as stickers at Blockbuster Video stores nationwide. The last Poké-event of the year might just be the biggest, as Mewtwo Strikes Back will carry Pokémon into US theaters on November 12th. Prepare to elbow your way through a sea of 12 year olds if you wish to catch this holiday's most Pokériffic movie.

    Pokémania reigns supreme.