In 1996 and 1997, Bandai released a series of stickers that were distributed with various types of candy. These are known as Bandai Snack stickers, while the earliest ones are referred to as Bandai Club stickers. Together, they represent some of the very first Pokémon collectibles ever released.
I’m proud to have found a copy of the 1996/1997 Snack Stickers 2. The background behind Starmie features a unique color combination of black, blue, and green, which is quite uncommon. I really like the swirly design and find it to be an interesting and striking combination.
As far as I know, PGS is the first company to have ever graded these stickers. I absolutely love seeing this card sealed in a slab!
I absolutely love snack stickers and all the ones i’m missing are in my top 5 of most wanted items! I hope you manage to find the 3 missing ones, especially as the holo pattern is so nice. These at least don’t have any of the most popular pokemon in them so shouldn’t be the most pricy ones, unlike my muk that is paired with gengar
The so called Extra Regulation Box was released on October 4th, 2019. It was a Japan-exclusive release and featured cards designed for playing the equivalent of the Expanded Format in Japan. In total, it included 48 different cards, excluding Energy cards. The numbering is a clear indicator that the card is part of this specific release. Design wise it featured Starmie from the early days of the 1996 Expansion Set with missing rarity symbol.
In my attempt to build unique Starmie and Dragalge collections, I’ve reached another milestone for my second little guy. A few months ago, I discovered two sealed XY Flashfire Promo Booster packs and bought both of them.
In another thread, I asked E4 members about the contents of these packs and learned that they include a Staff promo Dragalge along with 10 regular variants.
I really thought hard about whether I should open the packs to send the Staff promos for grading—hoping to finally get a Staff PSA 10—but ultimately decided against it. The centering is way too poor for a 10 in my opinion, and besides, I think unopened promo boosters are rarer than a single graded copy.
Long story short, I’m incredibly proud to have these two rare items in my Dragalge collection and truly believe they’re something special. And maybe—just maybe—one day, I’ll find a PSA 10 Staff or regular promo of my beloved little dragon.
Very cool. It’s always fun to have some sealed versions of items, and a sealed pack of prerelease promos (with a staff one on top) is a pretty awesome one to have. It’s great Dragalge got some love via a prelease promo!
2019 and 2025 saw the release of two Starmie stickers released by B-Side Label. Who, you ask?
B-Side Label is made up of Japanese artists who create stickers and express themselves through their individual pop art styles. The results are highly original works that we hope everyone can enjoy and that brighten your day. source
The 2025 sticker will be featured in a later post, but for now, I am happy to show you this beautifully designed sticker of my little purple double-starfish. As far as I know, the text reads “Invaders from space?” and the shape of the sticker is what really makes it stand out. I love the simple and direct approach of the artist, working with Starmie’s distinct purple color, and its recognizable body.
One of the cards I enjoy collecting the most are Pokémon Monopoly cards, and I’m happy to have added another one to my collection.
In 1999 Monopoly: Pokémon Edition was released by Hasbro as well as Parker Brothers. As the Bulbapedia article states, the only difference between versions is the included tokens. However, I suspect that the copyright printed on the card might also differ.
Below, you can see the Hasbro variant of the card, which is wider than a regular Pokémon card and does not fit into a standard sleeve. PGS placed it in a booster slab, which fits quite nicely.
Personally, I love the charm of Monopoly combined with Pokémon, and I find that this card holds a unique appeal for me.
If anybody could tell me if the Monopoly cards were also released in Japanese, that would be great.
Love it, didn’t realise starmie was also included in the game! So far i’ve found 3 different variants in english with two different layouts and one of them having two copyright variants so indeed your statement about copyright differences is correct
Made of sturdy paper, these little cards were sold as lottery prizes, according to this great post on e4. They belong to the 2003 Kakumen Retsuden set called Advanced Generation.
I really like the feel of them and find them quite pleasing to look at, with their bright blue color and dark blue frame. However, I don’t think they did a great job designing the background of the card—it looks too futuristic to me. What I also don’t like too much is the back of the card that just doesn’t do it for me with the metallic design.
In the end, I’m still very happy to have this little beauty in my collection.
The Kindergarten Magazine released a set of small-sized poker cards in its January 1999 issue. The cards look really cool and feature the evolution line of Starmie (or other Pokémon on other cards). The pink background is warm and visually appealing, giving the cards a unique appearance.
Another highlight is the beautifully designed back of the cards. Ash and Pikachu look playful, surrounded by all the other Pokémon, creating a fantastic image. I absolutely love this card!
I looked through the posts on E4 but couldn’t find much information on the Meiji 3D Lenticular cards below. There are many Lenticular variants, and PGC labeled this one as 1999.
The front features Starmie in a 3D print, but I’m not impressed—the image always looks somewhat unclear, even though the artwork itself is quite nice. The back of the card is shiny and silver, displaying the evolution line. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the silver backs and don’t think this Meiji card stands out as a great looking collectible.
If anyone has more information, I’d love to hear about it—especially if the year is indeed 1999.
Lotte Corporation is a South Korean company. One of the products they distribute is chocolate-filled waffles called Lotte Wafers. These waffles included Pokémon stickers in various sets (for more information, see here).
The Japanese 2022 set featured a Starmie sticker with artwork on both the front and back. The front image depicts Starmie against a holographic background, while the back shows a close-up of Starmie facing the other direction. The stickers are made of very thin, flimsy paper, giving them a somewhat “cheap” feel.
At first glance, the sticker looks nice, but it lacks a distinct character of its own. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly I dislike about it, but I simply don’t enjoy looking at it that much. Nevertheless, it’s good to have it in the collection, sealed for the years to come.
It may not be one of the prettiest cards, but this Starmie Nice Card from 2004 is certainly one of the most fun to collect.
In 2003 a game for the Gamecube was released called Pokémon Channel. In this game you could do different things, one of them was collecting so called Nice Cards:
Nice Cards were the main collectable in Pokemon Channel. True to their name, they were nice cards that you could either obtain by answering trivia questions from Pokemon you found wandering around or buying booster packs from the Shop N’ Squirtle TV channel. Source
Those in-game cards were released as physical cards too! Isn’t that totally awesome?
Nice Cards have a unique charm that few other cards possess. There’s something special about their green color, thick plastic “cardstock”, and unconventional format. The blurry CGI images give them a distinct aesthetic, complemented by the bold yet oddly appealing font on the back—partially written in white and pink. These cards feel like a mix of design elements that weren’t meant to be combined, yet somehow, they come together in an oddly satisfying way.
If you’d like to learn more about these fascinating cards, there’s a e4 article with plenty of links to explore.
Gathering all the information about this 2004 Bandai Kids Advance 4 sticker, I found out (in this amazing thread), that it was actually released in December of 2003 — if I am not mistaken (see pic here).
The sticker actually resembles the Pokémon Nice Cards, judging by the green color. However, overall, it’s not as well-made. Starmie looks cool against the white backdrop, but the lower section with the text appears rather underwhelming due to the fisheye lens effect. Still, it’s a really nice addition, and I’m curious to know if there are more Starmie cards in the series from 2000 to the present. If anyone has more information or can confirm whether the 2003 release date is accurate, that would be fantastic.
This is a completely made up bootleg resembling a Vending Machine sticker card. Unfortunately, it’s not a real one, because the design looks pretty cool with its colorful backdrop and the overall arrangement. The back of the card features the Gengar evolution line with a very pleasant holo pattern. Even though this card isn’t an official release, it’s still quite nice to look at.
A few months ago, I discovered two sealed XY Flashfire Promo Booster packs and bought both of them.
