YouTuber Lee Steinfeld is best known to his fans around the world as Leonhart, one of the top Pokémon content creators.
His fans, known as the “Hart Squad,” and other Pokémon aficionados will be tuning in to YouTube on Friday to watch one of his biggest videos ever to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the popular brand.
Benzinga recently caught up with Leonhart to hear about his memories of Pokémon as the brand turns 30.
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Pokémon Pack Opening
Coming shortly after news of a record sale of the Pikachu Illustrator card, Leonhart will put the spotlight on Pokémon cards of old and new.
On Friday, Leonhart is opening one pack from every Pokémon card set ever made on his YouTube channel, his most ambitious video ever. The popular content creator, who has nearly two million followers on YouTube, has opened every pack in previous videos, but with the last one coming in 2023, there have been multiple more releases since then and old packs may have gotten even more expensive and harder to obtain.
“Nothing like this has been done before,” Leonhart told Benzinga.
The pack opening video is on Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, known as Pokémon Day, which celebrates the release of the first video games (Red and Green) in Japan. The Pokémon Company is owned by three companies today, with ownership split between Game Freak, Creatures and Nintendo (OTC:NTDOY).
“30 years. I’m 39. It’s been part of my life for most of it. I have to go massive.”
A former lawyer by trade, Leonhart quit his job in 2017 to focus full-time on content creation around Pokémon. His YouTube channel, launched in 2014, surged in popularity alongside the recent growth of Pokémon, which may have started with the release of mobile game Pokémon Go in 2016.
Alongside his popularity, Leonhart made charity and giving back key to his full-time content creation, which included raising money for mental health support. His latest pack opening will be done to raise funds for charity.
“I’m giving away EVERY card I pull from EVERY pack of Pokémon cards ever made! Only need to donate $5 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness for a chance to win everything!” Leonhart tweeted with a link to the donation page.
Properly telling Benzinga that he likes to “open up shiny cardboard” in reference to Pokémon cards, Friday’s opening could be one of the biggest the brand has ever seen. Leonhart’s last opening of every pack in December 2023 ran nearly two hours in length and has around 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Nostalgia Carries Pokémon
Leonhart told Benzinga that his first memory of Pokémon was the original Game Boy Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games and the popular animated television show, which predated the release of Pokémon cards in the U.S.
It’s those memories that got him back into Pokémon over the years and led to his full-time efforts on YouTube.
“Nostalgia is one of the most powerful things and words in the entire world,” Leonhart told Benzinga.
Leonhart said he’s nearly speechless when he thinks about the ways he’s celebrated Pokémon over the decades as the brand turns 30.
“You have generations of people that love Pokémon.”
The content creator said new generations of fans fall in love with the brand, alongside existing fans falling back in love with it as new characters and products come out.
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