The century ends with harassed parents yet again rushing to toy stores to snap up this year’s latest must-have toy, the wildly popular Pokemon and all associated spin-offs. The craze began in Japan when Pokemon – or “pocket monster” – was launched as a Nintendo video game which then evolved into a trading card phenomenon and a TV series. Pokemon: The First Movie, released in the U.S. in November 1999, broke box office records, taking more than $50 million in its first five days