Pokemon loses to My Little Pony in National Toy Hall of Fame honors

The beloved Pokemon franchise will have to wait another year for a shot at a National Toy Hall of Fame recognition after losing out to Mattel’s Phase 10 and Hasbro’s My Little Pony and Transformers in 2024.

The National Toy Hall of Fame, housed in The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, announced the three inductees on Tuesday. The three winners were selected from 12 finalists, which included the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Since debuting with the original “Pokemon Red and Green” games in 1996 (“Pokemon Red and Blue” in English), the franchise has become a cultural phenomenon, expanding from video games into anime, films and trading cards.

Widely considered the world’s highest-grossing media franchise, Pokemon has generated $99 billion globally since its inception. Between March 2023 and February 2024, it earned a record-breaking 297.5 billion yen ($1.9 billion), marking its strongest year to date.