Pokémon cards and video games are reminiscent of many teens’ childhood, the craze began in the early 2000s causing mystery card packs to fly off shelves, and the Nintendo games out of stock. Just as we started to “grow out” of the phase, Pokémon Go took the world by storm in mid-2016. But since then, the once Pokémon fanatics have long forgotten about their stacks of cards. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, here are some student’s recollections of their “Pokémon days”.

Youya Channel – 11

“[Collecting cards] was one of the only reasons why I went grocery shopping with my mom…I have never played the game. I bought the cards, opened the packs, and never looked at them after. I think I was around seven when I began collecting Pokémon cards. My favorite has always been Togekiss for some reason.”

Alora Amina – 10

“3/4 [of my collection] was handed down and the rest I bought.  I  [still] play Pokémon Go, but not as much as before and I’ll only collect if the card is rare.  I started when I was about seven or eight and took interest due to the style of drawing and colors, its popularity, the creativity put into creating the Pokémon , and what habitats they belong in. My favorite memory is being able to see actual gym areas that were specifically made for Pokémon players in real life.”

Jaylyn Katsutani

“I have around 500 Pokémon cards and I spent $450 for 5 cases. I only collect [cards], I don’t play [the card game].  [My] phase started in February and is ongoing.”