User: How did Pokemon start?
Assistant: Pokemon started out as Pocket Monsters in February of 1996 and was released as a pair of games for the Nintendo Game Boy. It quickly evolved into a mix of media such as the Pokemon Trading Card Game, the Pokemon manga, and the Pokemon anime show in 1997. After Pokemon continued gaining popularity in Japan in 1998, Nintendo spent $25 million to bring Pokemon to the United States, which was also a huge success, and the rest is history.