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Pokemon Turns 20 on Saturday: Here's How You Can Celebrate

Tom Brant
 & Tom Brant Managing Editor

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Pokemon fans have multiple reasons to celebrate this weekend, which marks the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo franchise.

The online and in-person festivities begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. EST, when Pokemon's Twitch channel will begin broadcasting discussions, gameplay footage, and interviews. It will switch over to animated content at 6 p.m., featuring movies, TV episodes, and specials for 24 hours straight.

In-person events will complement the virtual celebration at Nintendo locations and toy stores around the country.

In New York, the newly reopened Nintendo store at Rockefeller Center (see video below) will host an opening night party on Saturday. A pop-up Pokemon store at JapanLA in Los Angeles will also open on Saturday, hosting a photo booth, trivia games, and giveaways until March 27.

GameStop and Toys R Us stores are also taking part in the festivities. At Toys R Us, Pokemon card collectors can come in starting Saturday at 12 p.m. to get two free cards. You can get free sleeves for those cards by logging on to Pokémon TCG Online on Saturday.

You'll find hardcore Pokemon gamers showing off their fighting skills on Wii U at GameStop stores, which are hosting tournaments on Saturday. Its "Masters" division, for those older than 15, starts at 10 a.m., while kids under 15 can participate in the "Senior" division at 2:30 p.m. Just 32 participants will be allowed in each division, so get to your store early if you want to take part.

Finally, no Pokemon celebration would be complete without the iconic Red, Blue, and Yellow games. Originally introduced for Game Boy, as of Saturday they will also be available for Nintendo 3DS separately and in a 20th anniversary special edition bundle.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

About Our Expert

Tom Brant

Tom Brant

Managing Editor

I’m a managing editor at PCMag.com focused on PC hardware. Reading this during the day? Then you've caught me testing gear and editing reviews of Wi-Fi routers, printers, laptops, and tons of other personal tech. (Reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve covered the consumer tech world as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

I've covered most major consumer tech events, including CES, Computex, Google I/O, and IFA. I've also appeared on CBS News, in USA Today, and at many other outlets to offer analysis on breaking technology news.

Before I joined the tech-journalism ranks, I wrote on topics as diverse as Borneo's rainforests, Middle Eastern airlines, and Big Data's role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University.

The Technology I Use

While most people buy a phone or laptop and stick with it for years, I’m lucky enough to use devices based on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows daily as part of my job. As a result, I cycle through lots of tech in addition to my IT-issue work laptop. (Yes, that's a ThinkPad.) Personally, I’ve also owned a lot of tech products both cutting-edge and cringeworthy, from the Nintendo GameCube and the original MacBook to the Palm m105 and the CueCat.

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