Pokemon Scoop Magazine. Widely distributed. Free of charge. Omnipresent in noughties Japan. Yet despite all this, relatively unknown to the internet. To quote a popular term: We might even consider Scoop lost media.
So, what was Pokémon Scoop (ポケモンスクープ)? Printed in leaflets and mini-booklets usually no more than 30 pages thick, Scoop is best considered a Pokémon variety magazine. Published twice or thrice yearly and distributed at PokeCenters, in-life events such as Festa (see here and here) and even at McDonalds, Scoop was jam-packed with eye-catching information on the latest developments in the world of Pokémon. It covered franchise pillars such as the video games, films, anime, manga, and TCG, but also gave updates about PokeCenters, the Daisuki Club, and in-life events. On top of that, it included puzzles to solve, contests to participate in, and giveaways to enter for rare and exclusive Pokémon merchandise. Goodies would occasionally be enclosed, such as a CD full of Daisuki Club minigames (xxx), the flashy Shadow Lugia TCG card (Summer 2005 Festa issue) or now-rare and desirable Pokemon Colosseum e-Cards (Collector Hidehiko and Cool Trainer Yufu in the Summer 2003 issue, and Hunter Bit in Winter 2004). In its heyday, Scoop was a pocket-sized paper bundle of joy. Nowadays, to us archivists, it is a splendid window into the Pokeverse of ages past.
Scoop’s reign lasted from 2002 (issue #1) to sometime around 2012, by which time it had devolved into no more than a flyer.
Now that you’re up to speed on Scoop, you might be wondering, where can I read it? Well, until recently, you couldn’t. Scoop issues surface occasionally on Japanese auction site Mercari, but no digital archive existed. That is, until now.
With the combined efforts (and purchasing frenzy!) of myself, PokemonHistorian, and ICanSnake, the majority of Scoop’s issues are now available in full on the internet for the first time, right here on pokemonhistorian.com. Enjoy!
Presently available on this website:
Summer 2004 Festa (6/19/2004)
Summer 2004 (7/17/2004)
Winter 2005 (12/10/2004)
Summer 2005 (6/25/2005)
Summer 2007
Coming soon:
Winter 2004
Summer 2006
Summer 2008
New Year 2010-11
Unknown B&W issue
Publication dates given in parentheses.
Special thanks to ICanSnake for providing scans of the following issues: Summer 2004 Festa, Summer 2004, Winter 2005, Summer 2005, Summer 2007.