AD AGE'S WORLD WIRE.(Hasbro has rights to Nintendo's Pokemon characters)

Advertising Age, June, 1998

Hasbro to handle Pokemon in U.S.

[tokyo] U.S. toymaker Hasbro has landed the rights as the major licensee for Nintendo's Pokemon characters. A number of companies battled for the U.S. rights to Pokemon merchandise, which racked up a stunning $4 billion in sales in Japan over the last 18 months. Hasbro is expected to launch products for the 150 Pokemon (Japanese for "pocket monsters") this fall in the U.S. The Pokemon animated TV series will come to the U.S. in the fall, and Nintendo is planning a Pokemon game for its new Nintendo 64 due to arrive for Christmas. Pokemon products in Japan range from stuffed animals to food to yo-yos. Pokemon came to the attention of the world when 700 people across Japan were rushed to hospitals across Japan with symptom such as...

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