when did pokemon come out

The Pokémon franchise first came out with the release of the original video games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, on February 27, 1996, in Japan for the Game Boy. The games were later released internationally as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. Shortly after the games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game was introduced in October 1996, and the Pokémon anime series premiered in April 1997.