Pok茅mon: What goes into designing and making the cards?

Video caption, Pok茅mon: Rhys finds out what goes into designing the cards at Creatures HQ

Pok茅mon were invented by a Japanese man named Satoshi Tajiri and his friend Ken Sugimori, first appearing in a Nintendo game in 1996.

It was so popular the characters now appear in TV series, video games, Pok茅mon Go and trading cards.

There are more than 1,000 species of Pok茅mon which come in lots of different types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Lots of you will have played with Pok茅mon cards, or traded them with your friends, but have you ever wondered how they are designed?

Read on to find out more about what goes into producing the cards.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Pok茅mon cards are sold in packs of 10 with a mix of cards, people then swap them with friends to collect the ones they like or build a deck to play against other people

What are Pok茅mon cards?

The cards show what particular Pok茅mon look like and list their abilities.

They are used for the competitive games during tournaments like the Pok茅mon World Championships and people also collect and trade them.

Players in the Pok茅mon Trading Game make up a deck of 60 cards to use when playing against other people.

It should have at least one Basic Pok茅mon and no more than four cards of the same name.

Who makes Pok茅mon cards?

The company which makes the cards is called Creatures and is based in Japan where Pok茅mon were invented.

A lot of work goes into designing and developing the cards and there are 240 artists working for the company to illustrate them.

Some of the cards use cartoon drawings, some start as paintings or computer models and some are photographs of clay models of the characters which are carefully made in real life.

Image caption, Rhys quizzed Atsushi Nagashima at Creatures HQ in Tokyo to find out all about how the cards are designed

How are Pok茅mon cards designed?

C大象传媒's Rhys Stephenson travelled to Japan for Newsround, he spoke to a Pok茅mon Card Game Director at Creatures HQ in Tokyo.

He asked how the team come up with the design for each card. Atsushi Nagashima said: "So I do some research, I look at various Pok茅mon and see how they interact with other Pok茅mon. How they move, how they smile, if they have any emotions, what kind of environment they live in.

"Then I put a list together and try to create a deck that works, that balances out the variety of Pok茅mon and makes sure it is a fun and playable deck."

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Pok茅mon take part in battles against each other in the card game

He also revealed which card is his favourite saying: "It's an old card but I do like Dark Gengar.

"When I first joined this Creature's company that is the first card that I used to play with the staff here and it's always been my favourite since."

Image source, 笔辞办茅尘辞苍/颁谤别补迟耻谤别蝉

Image caption, The cards show the different Pok茅mon and what they are like, Dark Gengar's power is Deep Sleep

Atsushi Nagashima told Rhys that although there are lots of rules in the game anyone can have a go, he said: "The most important thing I believe is to find your favourite Pok茅mon and then build a deck surrounding that Pok茅mon.

"Then play with your friends that is the most exciting and fun thing you can do with the cards."