The trading card game is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 and is more popular than ever.
Yes.
A plant in Howard, South Dakota, produced Pokémon cards in the early years of the immensely popular trading card game that features now-iconic characters Pikachu and Charizard.
PBM, formerly Wrap-It, packaged Pokémon cards by cutting, collating and wrapping them. An article from The Madison Daily Leader in 1999 said the plant was operating seven days a week and 24 hours a day because of the card game’s worldwide popularity. PBM employed 300 people at the time.
Pokémon is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 as the largest media franchise in the world, according to The Times of London. As of March 2025, 75 billion cards have been produced.
After PBM was sold in 2008, the previous owner purchased Millenium Print Group (MPG).
From 2020 to 2023, Millenium operated a facility in Howard that manufactured and processed collectible and trading cards. Millennium was a major Pokémon Trading Card Game manufacturer and The Pokémon Company International acquired it in 2022.
Sources
The Madison Daily Leader, Pokemon: Get it before it gets 'hot' in the Midwest
Raleigh News & Observer, How a Triangle company became the primary US printer of Pokémon cards
Heartland Energy, Millennium Print Group setting up shop in Howard
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