When I was a kid there were these pokeballs you could buy that would have the worst tasting candy inside and a random pokemon figure
There wasn't a list or something on the box which pokemon were available and you couldn't look inside before buying as they were wrapped shut, so for all I know you could really get any of the pokemon from gen 1-3
When my mom allowed me to pick one, I ended up with a little Croconaw figured and I felt like the luckiest kid in the world