Wizards Black Star Promos #1 - Pikachu
The regular version of this card, which has no 1st Edition stamp, was released in July 1999 as the first Pokémon League promo. A “1st Edition” version of the card was included in 1st Edition booster packs of the Jungle Expansion.
Trainer Magazine Vol. 2
Released July 1st, 1999, Vol. 2 of the Trainer Magazine included a preview of Pokémon cards soon to be released in the west. Wizards of the Coast released Jungle in the United States just two weeks later on June 16th, 1999.
Text in this graphic reads: “Capture the rare Pikachu card! Look on inside wrapper!”
And this subsequent scan provided by @prochaos.
Each booster pack is marked with the same text alongside its 1st Edition symbol.
It seems unlikely that this text would refer to Jungle Pikachu 60/64, a common rarity card within the set. Since 1st Edition Ivy Pikachu would someday originate from 1st Edition Jungle packs, it seems likely that it was originally intended for this type of release.
The Jungle Blister Jolteon Prototype
This prototype material bears a similar reference to the “rare Pikachu card” contained within the set. This merchandise depicts Jolteon - a Pokémon not featured on Jungle booster packages and not shown in the Trainer Magazine spread. This Jolteon prototype is likely from an earlier point in product planning than the later artwork depicted in Trainer Magazine. This could indicate that the plan to include a “rare Pikachu” survived at least two phases of product development, including the near-final version of the product.
If you want to see this prototype being handled, check out this old video from @TCAGaming. Thank you to Rusty at TCA for documenting this rare material in the first place.
Jungle’s Allegedly Rushed Released
Over the years, many have alleged that the release for WotC’s Jungle expansion was moved up aggressively to compete with an upcoming release from their competitor, Topps, which also utilized the Pokémon license. Reference to this can still be found in this 2017 article posted in PSA’s website:
Reports indicate that the Pokémon Jungle 1st Edition cards were originally slated to be released in August 1999, but the release date was bumped up to June 16, 1999, when WOTC learned that Topps was unveiling Pokémon cards earlier that summer.
This claim used to be featured in the Bulbapedia article on the Jungle expansion as well, but has since been removed. Unfortunately I am not been able to find a proper source for this claim, but its persistence as common knowledge suggests there might be one out there. If you can find a primary source documenting this scheduling change, please post it here!
If true, the rushed release timeline for Jungle could be a factor as to why this promotion was altered or why cards were eventually released without proper promotion.
Distribution via 1st Edition Jungle Boosters
Despite reference to a rare Pikachu not being present on the final product packaging, 1st Edition Pikachu #1 promos could still be found in these packs. An uncut sheet of Jungle has never been found that includes a Pikachu #1 promo, suggesting that these cards were likely printed and cut separately before being inserted into booster packs.
These cards emerge from Jungle boosters unpredictably. Sometimes there is only one in the package, but other times there are more. As fellow member @joer once shared, a pair of streamers in 2021 pulled three sets of three Pikachu from a pack opening event. The cards occupied slots in the packs typically held by uncommon cards.
While the content clip itself is no longer available, thankfully these images were shared in the original thread:
The inconsistent nature of the release suggests the cards were loaded into packs without oversight, resulting in an uneven and haphazard distribution.
Official Acknowledgement from Wizards
Collectors have speculated whether the inclusion of this Pikachu promo in Jungle packs was intentional or not, but Wizards indicated the release was a mistake in the Thurs. March 23, 2000 Pokémon TCG chat. These chat logs are documented here.
Still Seeking Information
-
I would like to find and document more information about the allegedly rushed release of Jungle and how this could have contributed to this error.
-
I would love a primary source to someday clarify the intentions of this promo and at what point plans were changed.
-
To my knowledge, this is the only instance of an “error” card packaged alongside correct cards without sharing real estate on an uncut sheet. How and when were these introduced to the assembly line for packaging?
-
Was the card printed for Jungle always intended to have a 1st Edition stamp or is this a result of the distribution error?
-
The language used in the unreleased mocks (“Catch the rare Pikachu card! Look on inside wrapper!”) is extremely strange, even considering it is an early draft. All cards are inside the wrapper. The directness of the language suggests to a consumer that the card is definitely in the package, not possibly in the package. The space before the exclamation point is a conspicuous typo. The sentence feels like it was written by someone whose first language was not English - I’ve always found it really odd. Why was this promotional text so… unusual across multiple iterations of the packaging design?
Special Thanks:
From 2020 to 2022, this card was routinely discussed in this thread here. I’d like to acknowledge and thank @styluspt for their enthusiasm in discussing this card previously.
I’d also like to thank @scratchdesk for their work in documenting the WotC chat logs on this site, something I cannot find anywhere else. Even as members come and go, this sort of documentation lives forever and enriches the hobby and benefits collectors for years to come. It is work like this that exemplifies how we are all working together.