After two decades, Kadabra might finally be returning to the Pokemon TCG
Long time no see, old friend.
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Kadabra, the spoon-bending psychic Pokemon, might finally be returning to the trading card game after more than two decades of absence.
The history of the Pokemon TCG and Kadabra is a bit of a weird and sad one. To catch you up to speed, back in 2000, magician Uri Geller took legal action against Nintendo over Kadabra's supposed resemblance to him because of the Pokemon's psychic abilities and spoon-bending iconography. As a result, Kadabra couldn't be used in the TCG, but in 2020 Geller apologised for the situation, and granted Nintendo permission to start printing Kadabra cards again. And according to Pokemon TCG fansite PokeBeach, we should be seeing Kadabra in the card game once more later this year.
Earlier this month, PokeBeach reported that a new Japanese Pokemon TCG set called Pokemon Card 151 would be releasing this June, obviously alluding to the original 151 pocket monsters. When asked by PokeBeach about any knowledge he might have to do with Kadabra, he simply linked its own report of Pokemon Card 151 back to them, strongly suggesting that's where we'll see… whatever Kadabra is again.
Geller also provided a quote to PokeBeach explaining it was the fans that convinced him to change his mind on lifting the ban, saying "I am pleased Pokemon fans are excited to see Kadabra return to the card game. Look, I want to thank the Pokemon fans who reached out to me over the last [few] years. Including the ones from PokeBeach, who kept contacting me nonstop. So basically, it was you and my granddaughters that got me to change my mind. Now we can all see Kadabra reunited with the original Pokemon in the card game this summer."
That last line lines up with PokeBeach's report on the June release of Pokemon Card 151, so hopefully if it is confirmed, the Pokemon gets some nice art to mark its return.