Pokemania: Play your cards right!

But a Shipley company has come to the rescue of hundreds of youngsters caught up in 'Pokemania'.

Schoolchildren are being swept up in the worldwide phenomena which started as a Nintendo Game Boy game.

It has now escalated to a cartoon series, a film due to be released in Britain this month and a trading card game. Packs of 11 cards should sell for £2.45 with the aim of collecting cards of all 151 Pokemon monsters.

But the rarest ones are being sold for much higher prices with bids of up to £300 being made on some Internet auction sites.

Many head teachers now claim the card game is causing classroom and playground havoc and have banned pupils bringing the cards into school.

One school which has banned the game is South View Junior in Yeadon.

According to head teacher Alison Anslow, the craze is causing disputes between pupils in the playground.

She said: "It is one of our playground rules to keep things orderly. We have always banned card trading games but with the Pokemon craze taking off we have had to remind pupils to leave them at home."

But Beaniequest UK, of Shipley, a collectable card specialist, and Dreams, of Cleckheaton, have joined forces to host Pokemania, Yorkshire's first Pokemon card trading event.

And Guiseley School has agreed to the use of its hall to host it.

Ben Barker, a partner in Beaniequest, said: "The Pokemon craze is huge. It's definitely the biggest thing for kids at the moment. We decided to put on the trading event because a lot of schools have banned the cards and it will provide a safe and controlled environment for the children to trade without anyone getting ripped off. We also thought it would be best in a school environment for the kids."

Beaniequest claims to be one of very few places which sells single cards and allows the trading of duplicate cards. It also imports cards from across the world which are yet to hit other stores.

And the company is urging parents of youngsters going wild for the new fad to attend the event.

"Money is involved when the cards are traded and some cards can cost up to £25. We want parents to understand the game and advise their children how to play. Hopefully we will be able to avoid any misunderstandings and fights, which is the reason why most head teachers have banned the game from school. We were lucky to get Guiseley School to agree."

A Bradford Council spokesman said it was at the discretion of each individual school to ban the Pokemon trading game depending on the behaviour of the children.

But some schools have been putting the Pokemon craze to their advantage.

David Hartley, head teacher at Wycliffe Church of England Middle School, Shipley, said: "It's not causing any problems and we are using Pokemon as a way to raise money for charity. A teacher on maternity leave made a huge Pokemon teddy to raffle to raise money for the flood disaster in Mozambique."

The card trading event takes place at Guiseley School, Field Head Road, Guiseley, tomorrow, from 6pm to 9pm. Admission costs £1.50 for adults and £1 for children. Under fives get in free.

Mark Newman, a member of the Bradford National Association of Head Teachers, said: "It's another smart move designed to part children and parents with their money.

"It can cause disruption and schools are quite right to ban them from the premises. Many of my colleagues have said that they would not have them on their premises.

"The sooner the fad wears off the better but there's no doubt toy manufacturers will come up with another idea."

Tina Briggs, headteacher at Buttershaw Primary School, said: "We have no problems at all. The children are not allowed to get the cards out in class but they can play with them in the playground.

"The children know if there is any falling out the cards will be banned."

Wizards of the Coast is the company behind the Pokemon trading card game. Samantha Ward, marketing manager, said it was planning to set up a Pokemon trading card game league in large toy stores throughout the country to provide a safe and positive environment for the children to play.

She said: "We know it has been causing some upset in schools so that is why we want to encourage the after-school league and work with the schools."

She also said the game had an educational benefit to the children. "The reading age on the cards is higher than that of an eight-year-old's reading ability and the children have to use strategic skills. It is also encouraging children to play together rather than sitting at a computer screen."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.