This card was as a Wizards Black Star Promo released through the Pokémon League in August 2001. In Japan, it was first available as an Unnumbered Promotional card on a two-card insert alongside Imakuni? in the September 1997 issue of CoroCoro Comic, released on August 15, 1997. A mail-in prize draw offering another copy of the Japanese print was published in the December 1998 issue of CoroCoro Comic, released on November 15, 1998. People wishing to enter the prize draw were required to affix the application ticket on the bottom left of the article page to a postcard and send it to Shogakukan. Two thousand winners were sent a set of five cards mounted on two plain sheets: Surfing Pikachu and Flying Pikachu on one; Jynx, Cubone, and Farfetch'd on the other. The two Japanese prints are on glossy card stock.
It was reprinted with slightly different artwork in Japan as another Unnumbered Promotional card and was available through the JR East Pokémon Stamp Rally, which ran between August 9 and 17, 1997 on the Yamanote Line. People taking part had two days to collect stamps from each station on the line in special stamp books. 100,000 reserve tickets were available to book between July 27 and August 8, 1997. Participants that managed to collect 10 stamps were given a Pokémon Trainer Certificate. Participants that managed to collect all 30 stamps were given a two-card set that included the variant Surfing Pikachu and Mew. This variant is commonly known as the Mt. Fuji Surfing Pikachu in reference to the background illustration, and is printed on regular card stock.
A French version of the Wizards Black Star Promo print was included in the Pikachu World Collection, available to purchase exclusively at Pokémon Park 2000 held at Sydney University, Sydney, Australia from September 12 to October 4, 2000. This print features a gold foil Pikachu tail stamp opposite the Black Star Promo symbol.
It was later reprinted in the Japanese Pokémon Web expansion and again as a retro card in the Rising Rivals expansion, originating from the Japanese Bonds to the End of Time expansion. It was reprinted again in the Evolutions expansion featuring the same artwork as the original print and an updated card template reminiscent of the Original Series layout. In Japan, it was available as a XY-P Promotional card in the 20th Anniversary Special Pack: M Slowbro-EX + Surfing Pikachu, released on September 16, 2016.
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