This project is a personal journey into the Pokémon card community. A subculture I chose to explore due to my love for collecting and the undeniable legacy of Pokémon cards as one of the most collected items for decades. This exploration focuses on the unique behaviors of the community, beyond just brand challenges. Truthfully, I just want to know why people are so crazy over cards.

Let’s be brief:

Role: Undercover Pokémon collector 

My first impression: Pokémon cards are everywhere!

My top 3 hypothesis: 

  • This hobby is primarily dominate with male individuals.

  • Collectors starts gathering Pokemon cards in childhood.

  • People only collect expensive pokemon cards.

Research Methodology 

5 Card Shows Conventions 40+ Locations 30+ Interviewers 4 Platforms

  • Pokebash x The Card Guys (Glen Allen)

  • Tidewater Cards & Collectables (Midlo)

  • Tidewater Cards & Collectables (Short Pump)

  • Pokebash x Priatesdog Card Collectables (Richmond)

  • PokeBurg (Fredericksburg)

  • GameStop

  • Police Station

  • Target, Barnes & Noble, etc.

  • Dollar General

  • The Card Guys

  • Mulligans

  • Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.

  • Local card shop owners

  • Costco, Sam’s Club staff

  • Target, Barnes & Noble Staff

  • Restocking vendors

  • Personal Collectors

  • Parents

  • Scalpers

  • Tik Tok live

  • eBay live

  • Facebook Marketplace

  • Mercari

  • Instagram stories sales

“Pokémon Epidemic”

I thought getting into Pokémon card collecting would be as simple as walking into Target and picking up a pack. I was humbled very quickly. Shelves were always empty, employees had no answers, and I realized I had stumbled into
an underground market full of gatekeeping and hidden rules.

This isn’t just a hobby. It’s a secret network. To find a restock, you check Facebook Marketplace to see scalpers posting new products. Information
isn’t freely shared. You have to decode it. Meeting strangers outside police
stations for a trade and tracking drops through Discord servers aren’t
exceptions. They’re the norm. It really is that serious for people in this hobby.

The Pokémon card craze isn’t just about demand. It’s about access, and
that’s controlled by those who already know the game.

The current surge in popularity can be attributed to three main factors:

01.

02.

03.

Storytelling through Art: Recent years we have seen Pokemon cards, particularly the Illustration Rares from the set 151, providing deeper background stories for each Pokemon. This not only revitalizes interest through nostalgic designs of classic characters like Psyduck or Mew but also adds a new layer of engagement for fans to appreciate the details and lore of their fav pokémons.

“The girls are entering the chat”: The beautifully illustrated cards have attracted a new demographic…women. The aesthetic and storytelling aspect of these cards have drawn in collectors who value the art and narrative over rarity, causing previously undervalued cards to spike in price and popularity.

Blind boxes add fuel to the hype: The rise of trinket blind boxes connects to the growing popularity of Pokémon cards today. This sense of surprise fuels the thrill of the chase. This shared love of unpredictability and discovery links both communities together.

    “Pokemon Trainers” - Target Audience Tiers

Pokédex (Findings)

(click on picture to watch the video!)

        “End of my journey” 

By the end of my journey, I realized just how unprepared I was for what this
hobby entailed. The one thing I right about was that the Pokémon community is
overwhelmingly male-dominated. I posted a video of me pulling a top chase card and it blew up with over 150K views. But the hate? Were all from men who were upset, calling me "fake" or saying I was "annoying for posting." The constant bitterness from men whenever a women joins in the conversation is very upsetting.

KPI’s:

  • 150K+ viewers on Instagram and Tik Tok

  • 135 hate comments (which really boosted my engagement..so thank you)

  • 60 new followers (surprised! the haters are now following me)

  • Over 5K reposted/shared

My own growing collection as I was researching:
(over 60+ cards, these are my Top 40)

Thought starters for this subculture:

  • People love searching for things. The thrill lies
    in the constant looking and piecing together
    where to search the next location to hit gold.

  • Classics are meant to be elevated, not replicated. This brings in nostalgia fans and newcomers, turning it into a modern classic.

  • Use mistakes or errors as a rarity. For collectors, a manufacturing error is a stroke of luck.