I love seeing the little ones,” Laurie said, beaming at trick-or-treaters. For residents who don’t always get visitors, the night brought connection and community across generations.

The original ugly-cute toy sold by Chinese variety retailer Pop Mart has spawned plenty of copycats, and they are becoming big businesses in their own rights.

The longevity of Pokémon as a series is incredibly interesting to me. It’s one of the few franchises which has survived since the very beginning of gaming as we know it, and continues to be an ...