FOR 20-somethings born in the era of Britpop, Union Jack dresses and The Macarena, those from the 1980s and 1990s will also remember dedicating Saturday mornings to cartoon-watching.

Every weekend, households across the North-East were taken over by a global craze that spread from Japan via our television screens.

Fictional creatures known as Pokémon defined how a generation would remember their childhood.

And after a seventeen-year wait since the cartoon transcended TV, youngsters who longed for the Pokémon universe to be a reality have finally seen their childhood dream come true.

Following the UK release of global phenomenon and mobile phone game Pokémon Go yesterday (July 14), thousands of fans have seen the cartoon brought to life on their phone screens.

Within hours of the app appearing in the iOS App Store and Google Play store, young adults across Darlington had taken to the streets to hunt for their own Pokémon.

The free-to-play app allows users to catch, train and battle their fictional creatures – just as the characters known as Pokémon Trainers had done in the original TV-series.

The game uses augmented reality to overlay interactive Pokémon onto a user’s screen to create a truly immersive experience.

And GPS location data transmitted from the phone will give would-be Pokémon Trainers the opportunity to find other gamers in their immediate area.

St Cuthbert’s Church, in the heart of Darlington’s town centre, has already become a hotspot for Pokémon Go players after it became a place to battle Pokémon, known as a Gym. 

Craig Benson, of Darlington, said: “I'm loving the sense of community the players have. Ran into a couple of Trainers at the Pokémon Gym on the churchyard in town and had a lovely chat with them.

“It really is bringing people together during a time when as a country we've never been more divided. With so much hatred these days we needed Pokémon Go.”

The revelation in mobile technology is a far cry from Pokémon’s more humble beginnings as traditional trading cards that could be gambled among enthusiasts for bigger and better Pokémon.

And many users have praised the app for its focus on encouraging players to walk around and explore new places in a bid to find hidden creatures.

Facebook groups and Twitter hashtags have also been created to help other Pokémon players in the North-East and to organise public meetings to exchange hunting tips.

David Curtis, of Darlington, said: “I love all of the cheeky grins when you walk past someone else who is obviously playing it or the random people coming for a chat when you're sat battling the Gym they own - never had so many people that I didn't know interacting.

“Bringing people together is nice when all we ever seem to see or hear is people being divided.

“It's nice – especially after the Europe debate and referendum – to have something to bring people back to a common ground.”

Some nostalgia from the ‘80s and ‘90s would be best left in the past, but Pokémon is one piece of bygone pop culture that is set to enjoy a bright future.