Amada Pokemon Stickers from 1996 in Japan | Found At Home

Old Treasures of Childhood

While doing a thorough cleaning of the house, have you come across toys or games from your childhood that you hadn’t seen for many years?

I’ve been undertaking a major cleaning and “DanShaRi” (decluttering) of my room every few years, and over the last decade, I’ve discarded a lot of old things, including old toys and stuff, which I kind of regret throwing away now.

(DanShaRi is a term derived from the teachings of Japanese Zen Buddhism, which means cutting off unnecessary things, discarding them, and detaching oneself from attachment. In Japan, this word has become commonly used for tidying up or organizing, especially with the popularity of cleaning methods like Marie Kondo’s.)

Now, those old “treasures” from my childhood, which have survived numerous rounds of DanShaRi, are quietly nestled within my home. While they usually remain out of sight, they resurface unexpectedly every few years when I tidy up my closet or embark on a major cleaning spree.

In those moments, I inevitably pause my chores, pick them up, and immerse myself in nostalgia.

Today, amidst those nostalgic relics from my childhood, I’d like to showcase the Amada Pokémon Stickers from 1996.

What are Amada Pokémon Stickers?

The “Amada Pokémon Stickers,” officially known as “Pocket Monsters Saikyō Shīru Retsuden (Strongest Sticker Chronicles)”, were released in Japan in 1996. They typically came in packs of 10 and were priced around $1.

The Amada Pokémon stickers of mine from 1996

It seems that these stickers were manufactured by a company called Amada, although there isn’t much information about this company. Upon further investigation, it appears that the company may have transitioned to a different entity, namely Ensky Co., Ltd.

However, since there’s no mention of these Pokémon Stickers on the company’s page or Wikipedia, I can’t be 100% certain… It’s quite unusual not to be able to find detailed information about a company that was producing Pokémon merchandise, isn’t it?

Moreover, the fact that there’s no information about these Pokémon Stickers themselves even on Japanese Wikipedia is quite surprising. Does this mean the stickers weren’t as popular as I thought they were? I wonder if I’m rare for being so obsessed with collecting hundreds of these stickers back in 1996.

Dedicated Sticker Book: The Perfect Album

This dedicated sticker book for the Amada Pokémon Stickers is known as the “Pocket Monsters Saikyō Shīru Retsuden Perfect Album”, and it seems there are two types of Perfect Albums available for the first-gen Pokémon.

Perfect Albums For Amada Pokemon Stickers

Inside the album, there are frames for placing collected stickers, with descriptions of each Pokémon written next to the frames.

Powwow is missing…

The one I had featured Mewtwo’s design on the cover. The Pikachu one at right also kinda looks familiar, so I might have had that one too and lost it at some point.

I then suddenly wondered:

‘Wait, when did the one with Pikachu on the cover come out?🤔’

Pikachu Was Not That Popular Back Then

The reason why the question popped into my head is that, if my memory serves me right, Pikachu wasn’t particularly popular when the original Pokémon Game Boy games were released in Japan.

It’s true it gradually gained popularity, but it wasn’t like it was overwhelmingly popular; rather, it was just one of the cute Pokémon that were somewhat popular, like Clefairy or Jigglypuff.

Wild PIKACHU appeared!

Was it popular enough to be featured solo on the cover of merchandise like this back then? Definitely not.

The popular Pokémon at the time would have been the three starter Pokémon, the three legendary bird Pokémon, Mew, and Mewtwo.

Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, Mew, and Mewtwo

While there are opinions on the Internet that Pikachu was relatively popular even before the anime began, if we consider Mew and the starter Pokémon as the top-tiers, Pikachu would have been a second-tier or a 1.5-tier Pokémon at best.

Pikachu established its current popularity only after the anime began.

Pikachu and Satoshi (Ash)

He was the first Pokémon of the protagonist, Satoshi (Ash), in the anime, and Pikachu’s voice and visuals in the anime were so adorable that it helped solidify its status as a fan favorite.

Pikachu’s Journey to Iconic Status

If I organize the timeline:

• “Pocket Monsters: Red & Green (Pokémon Red & Green)” was released in 1996.
• “Amada Pokemon Stickers” was released in 1996.
• The Pokémon anime aired in 1997.

I don’t think merchandise featuring Pikachu alone on the cover would have been released before the anime began, as I don’t believe Pikachu was that popular at the time. Therefore, the Pikachu Perfect Album was very likely released after the anime aired.

The fact that it says “改” (Kai, meaning “revised” or “improved”) on the obi strip and “Perfect Album 2” suggests that this design came out later as well.

Or maybe both of these albums were created after the anime, not in 1996.

(For most people, when Pikachu became popular may seem trivial, but it kinda bothered me thinking, “No way Pikachu was popular enough for the cover in ’96! 🤣”)

I would have liked to delve deeper into this, but there’s so little information about these stickers that it’s difficult to determine which product was released in what year. (Strange how little info there is about this product in the internet age!)

Anyway, there was this brief period after the game’s release when Pikachu was not featured as the main character in Pokémon merchandise. Doesn’t it feel weird given his global fame now?

1996 – The Era BEFORE “Pikachu Popularity”

The original Pikachu was a bit chubby.

Now, looking back to the time when the perception of “Pikachu as the #1 Fan Favorite!” wasn’t yet established, I didn’t particularly find Pikachu attractive, to be honest. (Today, I can appreciate its character design and understand why it became so popular though.)

If my vague memories from the time before Pikachu became the mascot of Pokémon were accurate, then Pikachu was just one of many Pokémon to me and not among my “special favorite Pokémon.” I remember I rather found Pokémon like Dratini and Vulpix cute.

Let’s Explore More Pokémon Stickers of Mine

In anime cards and stickers, there are usually regular ones and shiny ones called prism cards or prism stickers. The Amada Pokémon Stickers are no exception.

Regular stickers – Aerodactyl, Snorlax, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Dratini.

Silver Prism Stickers – Exeggutor, Chansey, Gyarados, Eevee, Vaporeon, and Jolteon.

Silver Prism Stickers – Psyduck, Growlithe, Poliwag, Abra, Ponyta, and Farfetchd.

Doesn’t the excitement you felt as a kid surge just by looking at these cool prism stickers, even though you’re an adult? If I remember correctly, there’s always one shiny sticker in a pack of 10 stickers. It’s kind of similar to Pokémon cards.

Here are all the silver prism stickers I’ve got. (There are 150 regular stickers before 35 silver prism stickers. That’s why the number starts from 151.)

The Amada Pokémon Stickers feature not only silver ones but also gold ones. (Gold ones were so rare that I couldn’t collect many of them.)

These 18 Pokémon featured on this gold sticker are likely the ones that Nintendo initially designated as sort of ‘popular/rare Pokémon’.

The special frame on the back of the cover is dedicated to ‘Mew’, of course. (Today, it would probably be Pikachu in that spot.)

Interesting Initial Background Settings of Pokémon

Next to the space for stickers, the types and ecology of each Pokémon are written. I didn’t read them as a kid, but now, reading them after 25 years, I find the initial background settings of some Pokémon quite interesting and funny. I’ll pick a few and introduce them here along with their English translations.

1. Charmander

• Type – Fire
• Height – 0.6m
• Weight – 8.5kg

“When born, it carries a flame on its tail, and when this flame goes out, its life ends.”

I thought its body just weakened when the flame went out, but I didn’t realize it actually dies.

2. Growlithe

• Type – Fire
• Height – 0.7m
• Weight – 19.0kg

“It seems to be the most friendly among Pokémon. It desperately protects its trainer when enemies approach.”

I don’t think I ever had Growlithe in my party when playing the game as a kid. I didn’t even realize it was a dog Pokémon, although it obviously is. The Japanese name is ‘Gādi’, which comes from the word ‘guardian’. No wonder it’s so loyal to its trainer.

3. Ponyta

• Type – Fire
• Height – 1.0m
• Weight – 30.0kg

“Its body is light, and its leg strength is incredible. With a single jump, it can leap over the 333-meter-tall Tokyo Tower.”

What amazing jumping ability!

Tokyo Tower (333 meters tall )

4. Gastly

• Type – Ghost/Poison
• Height – 1.3m
• Weight – 0.1kg

“A thin, gaseous life form. Its origin cannot be explained by Darwin’s theory of evolution.”

Does that mean the other Pokémons can be explained by Darwin’s theory of evolution?

5. Weezing

• Type – Poison
• Height – 1.2m
• Weight – 9.5kg

“The evolution form of Koffing. However, it is recognized more as a sudden mutation of twins rather than traditional evolution.”

Even when I was a kid, I found it kinda weird that another small Koffing appeared after Koffing evolved. (I thought it was a mother-and-child relationship, somehow.) Now it makes sense if it’s just a mutation of twins.

6. Lapras

• Type – Water/Ice
• Height – 2.5m
• Weight – 220.0kg

“It possesses the highest intelligence among Pokémon. It enjoys carrying people on its back and traveling across the sea.”

It does look intelligent indeed, but I didn’t realize Lapras was the most intelligent Pokémon.

7. Clefairy

• Type – Normal
• Height – 0.6m
• Weight – 7.5kg

“A Pokémon that lives on Mt. Moon. There seems to be a malicious gambling den where they use Clefairyas prizes.”

I’d spend a lot for sure to get Clefairy if it were a prize.

I wondered why its type is ‘Normal’ instead of ‘Fairy,’ but it seems there was no such type as Fairy until Pokémon X and Y.

8. Wartortle

• Type – Water
• Height – 1.0m
• Weight – 22.5kg

“The evolution form of Squirtle. The tail covered in white fur is revered as a symbol of longevity.”

There is a Japanese proverb that goes, “The crane lives for a thousand years, the turtle for ten thousand.” While the crane is said to live for a long time, the turtle is believed to live even longer. They are both considered long-lived and very auspicious animals. The story about Squirtle’s tail probably originates from this idea.

9. Psyduck

• Type – Water
• Height – 0.8m
• Weight – 19.6kg

“It’s surprisingly popular with girls because the way it holds its head is considered cute. As it grows, it learns powerful moves.”

I personally didn’t realize the cuteness of Psyduck until I became an adult. I wonder if this “being popular with girls” is more of a Pokémon world thing? At least at the time of these stickers, it wasn’t that popular in the real world.

10. Pikachu

• Type – Water
• Height – 0.8m
• Weight – 19.6kg

“The plan for the Pikachu Power Plant is underway as a safe alternative to nuclear power.”

How wonderful would it be if the Pikachu Power Plant really came to fruition!

How To Play Amada Pokémon Stickers

During my research for this article, I made an interesting discovery: after over 25 years, I found out that these stickers can actually be played with like Pokemon cards.

Personally, I’ve only collected these stickers, so I have no memory of playing with them. In fact, I’ve never seen or heard of anyone playing with them either. I even wonder if there are actually people who bought these stickers for purposes other than collecting them.

Here are the instructions, as written on the back of the package:

• Each player takes turns playing one sticker at a time.
  The winner is determined by comparing the “Attack” value of their sticker to the opponent’s “Defense” value. If the Attack value is higher, the player wins.
• If the sticker’s type matches the opponent’s type, the damage dealt is doubled (Attack power is doubled).
• In the case of a tie, compare the “Level.”
• Note: Sticker number, Attack power, Defense power, and Level are unique to Pocket Monsters Saikyō Shīru Retsuden

Regrets About Throwing Away All Pokémon Cards

Speaking of Pokémon cards, I truly regret what I did with my old first-generation Pokémon cards.

Among all the toys I purchased back in the 1990s, there are only a few items left at home now, including the stickers. I’ve either thrown away or sold almost all of my games, walkthrough manuals, comics, and character goods. What I particularly regret is throwing away all of my first-generation Pokémon cards. There were about 500 cards in total, packed in a large plastic box.

They were still at home until about 15 years ago, but at some point, I decided to get rid of them. I truly regret it – I wish I hadn’t thrown them away! (I handled them so roughly as a kid that their condition wasn’t great though.) I even had valuable cards like Charizard. Not just one, but multiples of the same card, doubles, or even triples.

Final Thoughts

Even though it’s been nearly 30 years, whenever I see old Pokémon merchandise from that era, the excitement of that time comes flooding back.

About 95% of what I owned back then is no longer in my possession. The items I sold may still be in someone else’s hands, but most of it has been discarded.

I strongly feel that I should have kept everything.

As an adult, I understand the sentiment of those who are willing to pay ten times the original price to collect old toys they played with in their childhood or wanted but never got. I still long to have those treasures I once let go of or couldn’t obtain.

I will definitely keep this Perfect Album and these stickers with me until I die.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it.

I’ll write Pokémon articles (mostly focusing on the first generation because that’s all I know) from time to time, so please feel free to visit my blog again.