“POKÉMON / ポケットモンスター” – ORIGINAL JAPANESE B1 TELEVISION BROADCAST PROMOTIONAL POSTER – TV TOKYO / ORIGINAL SERIES
Ultra-Rare Early Television Promotion | Spectacular Landscape B1 Ensemble Design | Late-1990s Broadcast Campaign, Attributed to 1998 | c. 103 × 72.8 cm (40.6 × 28.7 in) | Excellent Condition
An extraordinary, original Japanese B1 television promotional poster for the original Pocket Monsters animated series, bringing together Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock and an expansive gathering of Pokémon in a wonderfully exuberant landscape composition.
More than a metre wide, the design presents the early Pokémon universe as a single, colourful gathering. Ash advances through the centre with a Poké Ball extended towards the viewer, Pikachu at his feet and his companions behind him, while densely arranged groups of creatures fill either side. Above them, the enormous green 「ポケットモンスター」 logo establishes the unmistakable identity of the original Japanese series.
This is television broadcast publicity, not a theatrical film poster. Its printed weekly schedule, network information and production credits are integral to the design, giving it a particular historical character: an advertisement inviting Japanese audiences to return to the Pokémon world each week.
For collectors of early Pokémon material, the combination is exceptional—original-series imagery, Japanese broadcast provenance, the elusive large B1 printing and a beautifully preserved ensemble composition. In Excellent condition, this is a centrepiece for a collection devoted to the franchise’s formative years.
Date & Original Television Campaign
The poster explicitly identifies its subject as:
「テレビアニメーションシリーズ」
“Television animation series.”
The broadcast announcement along the lower-left edge reads:
「テレビ東京系全国6局ネット 毎週木曜日19:00〜19:30好評放送中」
“Now airing across the six-station TV Tokyo network, every Thursday from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.”
This is an advertisement for a programme already on air, rather than an announcement of its first episode. The Thursday schedule places the campaign in the period beginning in April 1998.
The small production line names TV Tokyo, SOFTX and Shogakukan Production. The SOFTX credit is consistent with the 1990`s production structure before the 1999 merger involving TV Tokyo Software and TV Tokyo Medianet. Taken together with the artwork, these details support a 1998 catalogue attribution.
This poster has huge historical appeal. It is one of the earliest Japanese publicity posters for the original television series, preserving the character designs, branding and broadcast information associated with Pokémon’s first years on screen.
The Series & Its Place in Popular-Culture History
The adventure that turned a world of collectible creatures into a world of personalities, friendships and stories.
Pokémon began with the Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy in February 1996, followed by the trading-card game later that year. The animated television series launched in April 1997, adding a new way for audiences to encounter the creatures and their world.
The original series follows Satoshi—known internationally as Ash Ketchum—from Pallet Town, where he receives Pikachu from Professor Oak and sets off to become a Pokémon Master. Gym challenges, encounters with unfamiliar Pokémon and the relationships formed along the journey provide the structure of the adventure.
Its appeal extends beyond collecting and battling. The creatures have temperaments, habits and vulnerabilities: they can be mischievous, stubborn, affectionate, frightened or unexpectedly brave. That emotional range gives the journey its warmth and makes the companionship between Ash and Pikachu particularly important.
This poster expresses that quality beautifully. The Pokémon are not arranged as a numbered scientific chart or a sequence of game statistics. They form a lively company around the central characters, each with a recognisable expression, silhouette and presence.
The late 1990s were also the period in which Pokémon rapidly expanded internationally. The first feature film opened in Japan in July 1998, while the television anime and Red and Blue games reached the United States that September. This poster belongs to the early Japanese broadcast culture surrounding that extraordinary expansion.
For a collector, its importance lies in that proximity to the beginnings: the original cast, the early creature designs and the Japanese television identity from which so many later memories developed.
Design Notes
This is an exceptionally accomplished panoramic character composition, using a clear central opening to organise an enormous amount of colourful detail.
Ash at the centre: Wearing his familiar red-and-white cap, blue jacket, green gloves and pale jeans, Ash moves directly towards the viewer. The extended Poké Ball provides a strong focal point, while his forward stride gives the entire gathering a sense of momentum.
Pikachu in the foreground: Pikachu’s bright yellow body, red cheeks and zigzag tail introduce one of the strongest colour accents. The rounded silhouette and open expression have tremendous charm, providing an immediate point of recognition beneath the much larger title.
Misty and Brock: Positioned behind Ash, the original travelling companions help establish the poster’s early-series identity. Their contrasting orange, yellow, green and red clothing also connects the central human group to the surrounding Pokémon.
The left-hand gathering: An enormous Venusaur anchors the foreground, surrounded by smaller creatures including Psyduck, Ditto, Caterpie and Krabby. Above, Blastoise, Charizard, Onix and Mewtwo contribute dramatically different silhouettes, while Mew floats in the pale space nearer the logo.
The right-hand gathering: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander and Meowth are especially prominent towards the front, with Ivysaur, Jigglypuff, Gengar, Scyther and numerous other Pokémon layered behind them. Higher up, Gyarados introduces a spectacular open-mouthed silhouette, with Jessie and James appearing above it.
The smaller airborne figures: Pokémon including Dragonite, Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos help carry the composition towards the upper edges. Their spacing prevents the dense groups below from becoming a single undifferentiated mass.
Togepi’s presence: Togepi appears prominently beside Ash’s feet, its patterned shell and outstretched arms adding a delightful foreground detail.
The green title: The enormous 「ポケットモンスター」 lettering dominates the upper centre, combining deep emerald passages, pale highlights and sharp, serrated contours. The gold-toned English “POCKET MONSTERS” lettering beneath it provides a more delicate horizontal counterpoint.
The pale background: The open space is essential to the design. It separates the characters, keeps Ash and Pikachu readable and allows even the smaller Pokémon to retain their individual shapes. Soft printed shadows beneath the foreground figures give the gathering a shared ground plane.
The result works on two levels: a bold, immediately recognisable image from across a room, and an absorbing collection of individual characters when viewed closely. At B1 scale, that second experience becomes particularly rewarding.
The Original Japanese Promotional Message
The red vertical slogan at the right reads:
「みんなもポケモンゲットだぜ！」
“You can catch Pokémon too!”
The wording makes the advertisement participatory. It does not simply introduce characters to be watched; it invites the audience into the adventure.
At lower right, the publishing announcement reads:
「小学館コロコロコミック好評連載中!!」
“Also serialising in Shogakukan’s CoroCoro Comic!”
Together with the television schedule, these details reveal the poster’s promotional purpose. It connects the animated series, its audience and its wider publishing presence, rather than advertising a particular cinema release.
The six named broadcasters are TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Hokkaido, TV Setouchi and TXN Kyushu. Their names are valuable period details, preserved as part of the original printed layout.
The lower-right sponsor line also names Tomy, Nagatanien, Meiji Seika, Media Factory, Shogakukan and Nintendo. These are sponsor credits, distinct from the TV Tokyo, SOFTX and Shogakukan Production production line at the opposite side.
Such information may appear small beside the artwork, but it gives the sheet an identity beyond an ordinary decorative image: it is an advertisement tied to an actual Japanese broadcast schedule and its supporting commercial network.
The Japanese B1 Format & Collector Appeal
Presented horizontally, the Japanese B1 format measures approximately 103 × 72.8 cm, providing roughly twice the surface area of B2. The landscape orientation gives this particular design the width needed to accommodate its expansive cast without sacrificing the central figures.
Here, scale is fundamental to the appeal. Venusaur’s broad face, Pikachu’s silhouette, the smaller creatures tucked between larger forms and the layered green logo all benefit from the additional space.
This is the elusive large-format broadcast promotional sheet, not a later enlargement of familiar artwork. Its combination of period scheduling information and original-series imagery makes it particularly attractive alongside early Pokémon games, cards, publications and other contemporary promotional material.
A poster of this size also requires care in handling and storage. Its extensive pale areas readily reveal stains or intrusive repairs, while creases can interrupt the clean outlines and flat colour fields. The survival of an example with such an attractive principal image is therefore an important part of its appeal.
This poster is a holy grail: early Japanese television publicity, an exceptionally rich ensemble design, the scarce B1 printing and Excellent condition.
For a dedicated early Pokémon collection, this is a piece around which a display can be built.
Creative Character & Original Printed Credits
The artwork is expressed in the clear visual language of the early animated series: confident black outlines, broad colour fields, expressive faces and carefully differentiated silhouettes.
Its achievement is largely one of arrangement. The designer has gathered a huge variety of forms—plants, birds, reptiles, insects, rock-like bodies and fantastical creatures—without losing the immediate identity of Ash and Pikachu at the centre.
The printed copyright line includes Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak, TV Tokyo, Sho-Pro and JR Kikaku, while the production and planning credits preserve the original broadcast framework.
Condition Report
Overall condition: Excellent. Original unbacked sheet, with vibrant colour and outstanding display appeal.
The poster retains strong yellows, rich greens, clear blues, warm orange and pink accents, and crisp black character outlines. The main logo and the enormous ensemble remain beautifully legible, including the many smaller Pokémon within the crowded side groups.
There are light handling and storage impressions and gentle paper undulation. A little localised creasing is visible around portions of the pale border, including the area near the broadcast information.
Excellent describes the poster’s overall condition, not a claim that it is flawless or demonstrably never displayed. Its particular strengths are the clean principal image, strong colour, complete layout and impressive landscape scale.
Authenticity: Original vintage Japanese B1 television promotional poster for the original Pocket Monsters series, dated 1998 from its broadcast and production information.
Format: Landscape B1, approximately 103 × 72.8 cm; single sheet, unbacked.
Presentation: Excellent condition.
Not a modern reproduction, theatrical movie poster or later commemorative print.
Please review the photographs of the front, reverse and details carefully, as they show the exact poster offered for sale. Once framed, this will make an exceptional display.
An extraordinary survivor from Pokémon’s formative television years—combining the original cast, a spectacular gathering of early Pokémon, richly nostalgic Japanese branding and the commanding scale of the B1 format.
