Pokémon: What goes into designing and making the cards?

Pokémon were invented by a Japanese man named Satoshi Tajiri and his friend Ken Sugimori, first appearing in a Nintendo game in 1996.

It was so popular the characters now appear in TV series, video games, Pokémon Go and trading cards.

There are more than 1,000 species of Pokémon which come in lots of different types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Lots of you will have played with Pokémon cards, or traded them with your friends, but have you ever wondered how they are designed?

Read on to find out more about what goes into producing the cards.

Pokémon cards are sold in packs of 10 with a mix of cards, people then swap them with friends to collect the ones they like or build a deck to play against other people

What are Pokémon cards?

The cards show what particular Pokémon look like and list their abilities.

They are used for the competitive games during tournaments like the Pokémon World Championships and people also collect and trade them.

Players in the Pokémon Trading Game make up a deck of 60 cards to use when playing against other people.

It should have at least one Basic Pokémon and no more than four cards of the same name.

Who makes Pokémon cards?

The company which makes the cards is called Creatures and is based in Japan where Pokémon were invented.

A lot of work goes into designing and developing the cards and there are 240 artists working for the company to illustrate them.

Some of the cards use cartoon drawings, some start as paintings or computer models and some are photographs of clay models of the characters which are carefully made in real life.

Rhys quizzed Atsushi Nagashima at Creatures HQ in Tokyo to find out all about how the cards are designed

How are Pokémon cards designed?

CBBC's Rhys Stephenson travelled to Japan for Newsround, he spoke to a Pokémon Card Game Director at Creatures HQ in Tokyo.

He asked how the team come up with the design for each card. Atsushi Nagashima said: "So I do some research, I look at various Pokémon and see how they interact with other Pokémon. How they move, how they smile, if they have any emotions, what kind of environment they live in.

"Then I put a list together and try to create a deck that works, that balances out the variety of Pokémon and makes sure it is a fun and playable deck."

Pokémon take part in battles against each other in the card game

He also revealed which card is his favourite saying: "It's an old card but I do like Dark Gengar.

"When I first joined this Creature's company that is the first card that I used to play with the staff here and it's always been my favourite since."

The cards show the different Pokémon and what they are like, Dark Gengar's power is Deep Sleep

Atsushi Nagashima told Rhys that although there are lots of rules in the game anyone can have a go, he said: "The most important thing I believe is to find your favourite Pokémon and then build a deck surrounding that Pokémon.

"Then play with your friends that is the most exciting and fun thing you can do with the cards."