Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition was released in Japan in 1998 and elsewhere in 1999 and 2000. The Japanese version is the original release of what the West later knew as Pokemon Yellow, and in Japan alone it sold around 1.549 million copies in 1998, one of that year's biggest hits.

Its standout feature was Pikachu following the player around and reacting with visible emotions, which gave the game unusual personality on the original Game Boy. The game was marketed alongside the Game Boy Pocket Printer, including a Special Pikachu Edition printer, and it allowed the Pokemon picture book to be printed. Pokemon Yellow went on to sell 14.64 million copies. The collection also holds the Pikachu console and the Pikachu Pocket Printer.