Board Game, Pokemon Master Trainer: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This Pokémon-inspired board game by Milton Bradley is for "Ages 7 and Up". The object contains one (1) trifold game board, six (6) "mover" pieces that vary in color (pink, brown, green, yellow, blue, orange), one (1) "Item Card" card deck containing 52 cards, one (1) "Event Card" card deck containing 41 cards, one (1) "Rival Card" card deck containing 5 cards, one (1) stack of blue character chips containing 43 chips, one (1) stack of green "Pokémon" chips containing 44 chips, one (1) stack of red "Pokémon" chips containing 25 chips, one (1) stack of yellow "Pokémon" chips containing 2 chips, one (1) stack of pink "Pokémon" chips containing 35 chips, 1 (one) stack of pink "Starter Pokémon" containing 6 chips, one black (1) internal cardboard support box and one (1) internal plastic storage tray designed to hold the game pieces. Each of the "Pokémon" chips feature various characters from the franchise. The exterior box has two parts. The top features the game title and various characters from the franchise, the bottom gives various information about the game including an original list of the contents of the box. (Missing are 2 game dice, 2 item cards, 13 event cards, and an additional 5 chips according to the list of contents provided.) The game board displays a map highlighting various cities featured in the franchise as well as number indentations for game pieces (chips and movers). The mover pieces all resemble Ash Ketchem, the original protagonist of the franchise, in a singular pose.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1999
• maker: Milton Bradley Company
• Object Name: board game
• Physical Description: cardboard (exterior container material)
• Physical Description: plastic (mover pieces material)
• Physical Description: cardboard (chips, cards material)
• Physical Description: plastic (storage tray material)
• Measurements: overall: 10 3/4 in x 21 3/32 in x 2 1/4 in; 27.305 cm x 53.594 cm x 5.715 cm
• Measurements: game board (unfolded): 21 3/16 in x 30 1/4 in; 53.848 cm x 76.8604 cm
• place made: United States
• place made: China
• place made: Japan
• Associated Place: United States: Pennsylvania, Japan
• Associated Place: Japan
• Associated Place: United States
• ID Number: 2016.3016.01
• nonaccession number: 2016.3016
• catalog number: 2016.3016.01
• Credit Line: Judy Gradwohl
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.