Grab your gear, your Pokéballs, and your highest-level Pokémon by your side, because this Saturday is the 20th anniversary of Pokémon! Two decades ago, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green debuted in Japan for the Game Boy, changing our world forever.
Pokémon has been a mainstay of pop culture for two decades, inspiring everything from jewelry and accessories to fried Pikachu on a Stick. Delicious. If you can’t get out to a local Pokémon anniversary celebration, then why not throw your own? Here are five ways to create a party that will have all the gym leaders lining up for an invite!
I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was.
Get creative with your party decor. Hand out Ash hats to guests and create training facilities around buffet tables using colorful balloons and DIY decorations. Mini red and white fans, lined with a strip of black cardstock and a bit of white paper, come together to create flat Pokéballs you can hang from ceilings or tape to the walls.
I will travel across the land, searching far and wide
Take your guests on a journey by creating stations around your party for food, drinks, and game play. Name each of them after favorite Pokémon villages—like Cerulean City, Fortree City or Castelia City. You can probably skip the dull-as-dirt Pallet Town.
Teach Pokémon to understand, the power that’s inside
Glass bowls look like clear Pokéballs with the help of the same black and white cardstock. To make them come to life, fill the inside bottom half with white candies or marshmallows and the top half with red candies. No Pokemon Master can resist the power of sugar before a battle.
Oh, you’re my best friend, in a world we must defend
I choose you, Pikachu! Simple yellow popcorn boxes are easily transformed into everyone’s electrified BFF by using black and red markers to draw on sweet Pikachu faces. Fill them with treats, toys, and more trainer accessories for favors to take home.
Gotta catch ’em all!
Your party guests will actually be able to choose their favorite Pokemon when you create a buffet table filled with tasty cookies. MewTwo, Bulbasaur, Eevee, Espeon, Charmander and, of course, Pikachu are just a few of the Pokébattlers you can make using different colored food dyes.
Using these five lyrical tips as your guide, you’ll be the Pokémon Master of party throwing! How will you be celebrating 20 years of Pokémon? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjennnrecipes on Instagram to show us your own Pokémon anniversary party photos.
*Pokémon cookie cutters from Sweet Prints Inc, glass jars from Michaels, paper fans and popcorn boxes from Party City.
IMAGES: Jenn Fujikawa
