Burger King, the US-headquartered fastfood chain, began offering Pokemon toys on November 8, 1999. The eight-weekpromotion includes 57 different toys in 56 days -- one with each kid'smeal. The toys, each of which are packed in a Poke Ball and include one of151 trading cards, is said to be the largest licensing effort ever forBurger King. The toys are part of the licensing for the feature filmPOKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE which opens November 10, 1999. Consumers can alsopurchase one of six 23K gold plated trading cards for $1.99 with thepurchase of any value meal beginning November 15. Each of the six cardscomes packaged in a mechanized Poke Ball and includes a certificate ofauthenticity. The six characters are Pikachu, Mewtwo, Jigglypuff,Poliwhirl, Charizard, and Togepi. The promotion is scheduled to run throughDecember 31, 1999 at participating restaurants, or while supplies last. Tohelp kids collect all of the toys, Burger Kings around the country willoffer "trading nights" for four consecutive Tuesdays, beginning November23, allowing collectors to trade their Burger King toys. Additional itemswill also be available on Burger King's website, beginning the week ofNovember 8, at www.burgerking.com. The Pokemon phenomenon in America beganjust one year ago in September 1998 with the release of the original Blueand Red Nintendo Game Boy games and the debut of the television series.
