Original TCG Series merchandise

The Original TCG Series maintained the steady flow of TCG merchandise from the start of the Pokémon Trading Card Game until the beginning of Generation II with the release of . Throughout this time, a steady flow of products such as s were released in order to promote the card game, and ultimately, the video games and the franchise as a whole. Below is a chronological list of all merchandise items released during the Original TCG Series.
==Promotional pre-Base Set merchandise==
There are several early Pokémon TCG products that served as an introduction to the Pokémon Trading Card Game for the US market. It is believed that these items were released as early as 1998, before even was released.
The first of these items is the Demo Game booster pack. This booster pack was designed for two players and contained 24 Shadowless Base Set cards and an instruction booklet. It is believed that these booster were distributed to retailers so that customers could sample the game. They were not intended for public sale.
The second of these items are the Trainer Decks - (Brock's Deck) and (Misty's Deck). These decks were released to early s to help promote the TCG. Like the Demo Game booster pack, these decks were not sold publicly.
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==Base Set Theme Decks==
The very first expansion, , was released by Wizards of the Coast on January 9, 1999 and had five separate s associated with it. The first four, named , , , and , were each released with 60 cards, each focusing on a different combination of the six types released within Base Set. Blackout, while primarily focusing on the , also included Pokémon cards. Brushfire focused on the and , while Zap! featured and Pokémon. The fourth Theme Deck, Overgrowth, doubled up on the Water-type and the Grass-type. Each deck had one Holofoil card included within, in addition to damage counters, a coin, and a rule book detailing how to play the card game against another person.
The fifth Theme Deck for the Base Set expansion was the . More akin to the later released Trainer Kits, the 2-Player Starter Set contained instructions on how to divide the cards included in the deck into two separate s in order to teach players how to play the card game in a more detailed, step-by-step process. This deck also contained damage counters, but not a , as none of the included cards need a coin for their attacks. It does, however, include a 61st card, in order to bolster the deck when both half decks are played as one.
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==Deck Boxes==
At some point after the release of , 4 Deck Boxes were released with theming of the fully evolved first partner Pokémon , and , along with a separate release of another featuring .
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==Jungle Theme Decks==
The second expansion, , continued the trend for Theme Decks left by . For this expansion, only two Theme Decks were made available, starting June 16, 1999 when the main expansion was released to stores. The first Theme Deck, named , featured the Parent Pokémon , as well as the and . The second Theme Deck, , featured the Bubble Jet Pokémon, and the and . Both Theme Decks contained a rulebook, damage counters, a custom coin, and card list for the expansion. 
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==Pokémon Trading Card Game Player's Guide==
In July 1999, Sandwich Islands Publishing released a strategy guide for the TCG, covering the and expansions. This strategy guide details the rules of the TCG, deck building strategies and game play strategies.
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==Starter Gift Box==
The Starter Gift Box is a separate release made available sometime in between the releases of and . This Gift Box came packaged with a copy of 's , as well as one of the two , or , a Jungle booster pack, a play mat with deck building tips, and an exclusive .
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==Fossil Theme Decks==
, the third expansion, was released on October 10, 1999 and came with two Theme Decks: and . The and themed BodyGuard Theme Deck featured the Holofoil card . The and Theme Deck featured Holofoil . Much like other Theme Decks, these two came with a rulebook, damage counters, an exclusive coin, and card list. 
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==Pokémon Trading Card Game Fossil Expansion Player's Guide==
In November 1999, Sandwich Islands Publishing released a strategy guide for the TCG covering the expansion. This strategy guide details the rules of the TCG, deck building strategies and game play strategies.
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==Pokémon Trading Card Game: Prima's Official Strategy Guide==
In December 1999, Prima Games released an officially licensed strategy guide for the TCG. This strategy guide details the rules of the TCG, deck building strategies and game play strategies.
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==Original Collector's Albums==
Sometime in 1999, two official Collector's Albums for card storage were released. Although having the same name, the two albums are different in size, look and usability.
The larger of the two albums is a 2" 3-ring album for use with 9-pocket pages, and features , and on the front, and , and on the back. It also included a checklist for the first three expansions; , and , and 5 Ultra Pro 9-pocket pages.
The smaller of the two albums is a 4-pocket portfolio with pages already fixed in, and features , and on the front, and on the back.
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==Cloth play mat==
Sometime in 1999, an official cloth play mat for the TCG was released by Wizards of the Coast. The play mat has spaces dedicated for both players' decks, discard piles, Prizes, Active Pokémon ("Arena") and Bench.
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==Base Set 2 Theme Decks==
As was mostly treated as a release of the original , this expansion's Theme Decks mirror what was released for the first expansion in January 1999. Base Set 2, released on February 24, 2000 also featured four separate Theme Decks, as well as the , this time featuring the and , instead of the original Fighting and s. The four other Theme Decks, named (Fighting and Grass), (Fire and Water), (Lightning and Grass), and (Psychic and Water), each came with 1 Holofoil card, a coin, a rulebook, damage counters, and a cardlist. 
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==Pokémon Made Simple!==
In March 2000, Wizards of the Coast released an official handbook for the TCG titled "Pokémon Made Simple!". The book is intended as an introduction to the TCG for parents and their children — it reviews the rules of the TCG, deck building strategies, a guide to the rarity system to ensure children trade rare cards fairly, and an overview of the premise of the Pokémon video games and TCG to help parents better understand their children's enjoyment of the franchise.
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==Pokémon Trading Card Game: Prima's Official Strategy Guide (video game version)==
On April 5, 2000, Prima Games released an officially licensed strategy guide for the video game. 
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==Official Pokémon Trading Card Game Perfect Guide==
On April 12, 2000, Versus Books released an officially licensed strategy guide for the video game. 
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==Team Rocket Theme Decks==
The Theme Decks for the expansion are named and and were released on April 24, 2000. The two names are based on Jessie, James, and 's from the anime, and are loosely based on the trio. Trouble featured with the and , while Devastation featured and the Grass and s. Each Theme Deck came packaged with the standard deck contents, this time including an exclusive coin.
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==Team Rocket Strategy Guide==
In May 2000, an official companion book to the expansion was published by Wizards of the Coast. The book contains strategies for the new cards introduced in the expansion, both as standalone cards and when paired with earlier cards; as well as custom deck configurations focused on the new cards introduced in the expansion.
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==Team Rocket Collector's Binder==
Sometime in 2000, another official Collector's Binder for card storage was released. The album is similar to the Collector's Album released in 1999, and is a 2" 3-ring album for use with 9-pocket pages. It features designs of Jessie and James on the front, with on the back. It also included 5 Ultra Pro 9-pocket pages.
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==Let's Play Pokémon==
In May 2000, Wizards of the Coast released an official handbook for the TCG titled "Let's Play Pokémon". This book is similar in nature to the previous book, Pokémon Made Simple!, though it covers game play strategies more in-depth and is updated to include the new expansion.
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==Gym Heroes Theme Decks==
The first Pokémon Gym themed expansion of the Original Series, , came with four s when it was released to the public on August 14, 2000. Based on the first four Gym Leaders of the Kanto region, the four Theme Decks were named , , and , and each featured the signature type of their namesake: , , , and respectively. These four Theme Decks each came with a rulebook, damage counters, an exclusive coin, and card list for the expansion. 
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==Gym Heroes Strategy Guide==
In August 2000, an official companion book to the expansion was published by Wizards of the Coast. The book contains strategies for the new cards introduced in the expansion, both as standalone cards and when paired with earlier cards; as well as custom deck configurations focused on the new cards introduced in the expansion.
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==Thunderstorm Gift Box==
The Thunderstorm Gift Box, known as the Tempest Gift Box outside the United States, was released in the time between and . It includes a unique preconstructed featuring cards from , , , , and expansions. It also includes three s, one each from , , , and the Pokémon Play It! Version 2 CD-ROM. Also included were a play mat, deck building tip sheet, coin, and a felt deck bag. The included within the product is exclusive to the deck, as it utilizes the Cosmos Holofoil introduced for the , and not the Starlight Holofoil originally used for the Fossil release.
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==Gym Challenge Theme Decks==
The expansion released the latter half of the Gym Leader themed Theme Decks on October 16, 2000. Featuring Sabrina, Koga, Blaine, and Giovanni, the four decks named after these Gym Leaders featured the , , and for the first three, and the Grass and s for . Each deck featured the standard rulebook, damage counters, and card list, while this time featuring an exclusive coin. 
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==Gym Challenge Strategy Guide==
In late 2000, an official companion book to the expansion was published by Wizards of the Coast. The book contains strategies for the new cards introduced in the expansion, both as standalone cards and when paired with earlier cards; as well as custom deck configurations focused on the new cards introduced in the expansion.
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