• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, June 2, 2009

Pokémon Company International and Burger King are partnering on a promotional giveaway tied to BK Kids Meals.

Participating BK restaurants in North America and Latin America will give out two Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards and a Pokémon-themed accessory with each purchase of one of the kids' meals.

The promotion began June 1 in the U.S. and Canada and will run for three weeks, or while supplies last. In Latin America, it will start Aug. 24 and run for four to six weeks.

BK will support the promotion with an integrated campaign that includes television advertising, in-restaurant merchandising and online at the clubbk.com site.

Last summer, the two companies teamed for a promotion in which each kids' meal purchase came with one TCG card and accessory. BK restaurants were the only places kids could collect all 12 cards/accessories featuring characters from the "Diamond & Pearl" TCG release.

Pokémon released its new TCG Platinum Version in February -- prior to its March U.S. release of its Platinum Version video game for the Nintendo DS -- and followed with the release of its "Platinum - Rising Rivals" TCG in late May.

U.S. TCG sales have jumped by 374% since 2005, according to the company. TCG is sold in more than 30 countries. The Platinum video game version is Pokémon's fastest-selling Nintendo DS game thus far, with more than 3.75 million copies sold worldwide since its release earlier this year.

Pokémon also has a new, direct-to-DVD film and a new season of its branded animated cartoon series on the Cartoon Network out this year.