Pokemon returns with renewed vitality

NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Pikachu, Jigglypuff and their friends are back as the Pokeman craze that hit the United States in the 1990s has been reborn.

Pokemon, short for the "pocket monsters" cartoon characters with supernatural powers, burst on the child-driven scene with television cartoons, video games and trading cards. Over saturation led to burn-out and little product movement beyond Pokemon's core audience of boys.

Pokemon USA last year began reviving its brand, The International Herald Tribune reported. First, Pokemon USA took control over franchise components managed elsewhere, including the trading cards and the cartoons. Within months of each other, Nindento introduced two Pokemon video games, the Cartoon Network began its 10th season of the franchise's cartoon series and Pokemon USA distributed trading cards.

"We're on fire," said Holly Rawlinson, vice president of licensing and entertainment for Pokemon USA, a subsidiary of the Pokemon joint venture created by Nintendo and two other companies. Pokemon USA, based in New York, is responsible for managing the Pokemon name everywhere but in Asia.

"All the elements support each other," she said. "The kids play the ... games and watch the new shows and they immediately want to get the new cards."

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