Pokémon

Pokémon was first released in Japan as Nintendo Game Boy software in 1996. It immediately became popular among children, and a TV series went on the air the following year. Pokémon became a movie in 1998. In the United States, the TV series began in 1998, and "Pokémon: The First Movie" was released in 1999. It became a great sensation that broke box office records for animated films in the U.S.