This holiday season, the rapidly expanding legions of Pokemon fans have new ways to satisfy their hunger. As of November 8, the Pokemon creatures will inhabit more than 8,000 Burger King restaurants nationwide. The eight-week promotion boasts 57 toys in 56 days-one included in each kids meal. The fantastically popular toys will be packed in a “Poke Ball” and accompanied by one of 151 trading cards. Nintendo of America, Inc has combined forces with with Burger King Corporation for the limited time Pokemon promotion, in conjunction with the November 10 release of Pokemon’s first animated feature, WB Kids Presents “Pokemon: The First Movie.”
Additionally, consumers can purchase one of six collectable 23K gold plated trading cards for $1.99 with the purchase of any value meal beginning Nov. 15. Each of the six collectible cards come packaged in a mechanized Poke Ball and include a certificate of authenticity. The promotion is scheduled to run through Dec. 31 at participation restaurants, or while supplies last. “Our toy manufacturers are working around the clock to keep up with fulfillment demand from our restaurants,” said Richard Taylor, vice president, Marketing for Burger King Corporation.
To help kids “collect ’em all,” participating Burger King restaurants around the country will offer “trading nights” for four consecutive Tuesdays, beginning November 23, allowing consumers to trade their Burger King collectibles. While children are expected to be accompanied by an adult at the trading nights, no purchase is necessary.
The 57 toys feature seven different design functions, including squirters, bean bags, key chains, launchers, light-ups, talking plush toys and rev-tops. The trading cards, which are randomly packed with the toys, were created especially for Burger King. Nintendo-licensed Pokemon characters will be printed on the front and the back of the trading cards and will feature one of ten scenes from “Pokemon: The First Movie.”
The company’s website, www.burgerking.com, is also featuring a special interactive Poke Dex where kids can track their progress in collecting all the toys. During the first six hours of operation, over 1.2 million hits were recorded on the site. After installing server upgrades to accommodate heavy traffic, the corporation has assigned an entire team to monitor the site, which also includes screensaver wallpaper design, a Pokemon match game, and a trailer from the movie.
The Pokemon phenomenon in America began in September 1998 with the release of the original Blue and Red Game Boy games and the debut of a television series. More than 7 million Pokemon-related video games have been sold to date. Pokemon has entertained millions of fans all over the world with a best-selling toy line, a hugely popular card game, a multitude of licensed products, and a major motion picture.
