Created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1995 due to his love of insect-collecting, Pokémon started life as a video game for Nintendo’s Gameboy in which players would roam a fantasy land, catching Pokémon (pocket monsters) and training them in battles against other Pokémon trainers across the world.

The original games were an instant success, spawning a wildly popular media empire that covers video games, trading cards, comics, films, cartoons and toys. A new mainline Pokémon game, Sun and Moon, is out later this year.

Smartly designed and wildly varied, Pokémon are classed on their ‘type’ (be it grass type Bulbasaur, the firey Charizard or the electric poster-Pokémon Pikachu) and rarity. There are now 740 different species of Pokémon to catch across two decades worth of games and remains one of the most treasured and popular properties in games. According to The Pokémon Company, the franchise has grossed $40.5bn worldwide. It’s kind of a big deal.