Pokémon and Fender Reveal New 30th Anniversary Electric Guitars
Fender and Pokémon Center have transformed the games that started the Pokémon franchise into two new electric guitars, complete with pixel artwork and a special system designed to add 8-bit sounds while they are being played.
The “Made in Japan Pokémon ‘Red Version’ Stratocaster” and “Made in Japan Pokémon ‘Green Version’ Telecaster” recreate the worlds of Pokémon Red and Green across two of Fender’s best-known guitar designs as part of Pokémon’s continuing 30th anniversary celebrations.
Pokémon Red and Green originally launched for the Game Boy in Japan in 1996, introducing the first 151 Pokémon and beginning a series that has spent much of 2026 looking back at its earliest generation through anniversary releases that have included a huge 62-piece 3COINS collection starring the original 151 Pokémon.
Image by James RichardsonBandai has also revisited merchandise released during Pokémon’s first year through the “Pokémon Kids 30th Anniversary Edition”, which recreated 11 of the original soft-vinyl figures alongside retro packaging inspired by their 1996 debut.
Image by Charlotte DavisFender’s new collaboration takes that same nostalgia into the guitars themselves, covering both bodies with pixel graphics inspired by the original Game Boy games and fitting them with special pickguards that can appear fluorescent as they catch the light from different angles.
A newly created pixel-style 30th anniversary logo is engraved into the neck plate of both models, while each guitar also comes with an illustrated certificate, a dedicated hard case, and a special tin containing 11 picks.
Ten of those picks feature different Pokémon rendered in pixel art, with the final design carrying Pokémon’s 30th anniversary logo.
Fender’s new “8-Bit Sound System” is activated by pressing the guitar’s Volume knob and layers an electronic 8-bit sound over the normal output to evoke the music and sound design of Pokémon Red and Green.
Fender has also developed separate single-coil pickups specifically for each version rather than giving the two guitars identical electronics.
The Red Version is based on Fender’s Stratocaster and uses three custom “Pokémon ‘Red Version’ Stratocaster Single Coil” pickups, with Fender describing the setup as a higher-output design intended to produce a powerful, focused sound while retaining the flexibility associated with the Stratocaster.
The Green Version instead uses the Telecaster as its base and receives dedicated “Pokémon ‘Green Version’ Telecaster Single Coil” pickups, tuned around a more balanced output with the clear, sharp high-frequency response traditionally associated with Fender’s Telecaster.
That difference means the collaboration mirrors the choice between Pokémon Red and Green with two genuinely different instruments rather than simply applying alternate artwork to the same guitar, allowing players to choose between the Stratocaster and Telecaster according to their preferred playing style.
Pokémon’s 30th anniversary has already produced several collaborations with popular brands, including a special Polaroid collection built around Pokémon-themed instant cameras, film and photography accessories.
The two Fender guitars will be offered exclusively through Pokémon Center Online in Japan by lottery, with applications opening on November 19 and closing on November 24, 2026.
Applicants will need a registered Pokémon Center Online account with phone-number verification, making it virtually impossible for those based outside of Japan to purchase the collaboration.
Both the “Made in Japan Pokémon ‘Red Version’ Stratocaster” and “Made in Japan Pokémon ‘Green Version’ Telecaster” are priced at ¥396,000 each (approximately $2,518 / £1,880).
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