I’m posting photo of what I’d describe as a promotional insert in the shape of a “card”.
In the town of Bergamo (Italy) in 2001, an event called “Minimarcia” (literally “mini march”) was organized. It was a non-competitive walk for kids along the main street in the city center, held on a Sunday afternoon. The whole thing felt like a small carnival, with Pokémon-themed activities everywhere and kids being extremely excited.
At the end of the walk, participants received a Pichu-themed backpack and a Pichu-themed T-shirt. They would then take a photo of you using a Polaroid i-Zone, write your name on this card, pin the photo onto it, and hand it to the kids.
I attended with my father, so I still have my own copy—and my father’s as well. My father was an avid stamp collector and had a strong collector’s instinct. He asked the girl distributing them if we could also get a “virgin” copy for the collection, without the photo attached. She gave us 3.
It should be official, which is also supported by the presence of the i-Zone logo, as Polaroid i-Zone was an official Pokémon partner in 2001—despite the camera itself being a commercial flop that was quickly forgotten.
In the next few days i am meeting the guy who organized the event, he is in his 70s now, just to get more info on the event. Maybe it will be listed on some of the wikies.
it’s still a small piece of early-2000s Pokémon history for me—and a memory I’m happy to preserve and share.
Pretty neat. I used to love when there was more community events surrounding Pokemon. There still are a few, but its changed alot compared to back then.
Very cool history on this event and the “card”. Thank you for sharing this with us! Do you mind sharing the backpack pictures and the back of this “card” with us?
