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Pokemon Collection (Part 1) – Plush

By Brandon Yeo

Plush collecting has been a hobby of mine since I was about 5. Of course my plush collection consists of mostly Pokemon plush. Unlike many who buy plush and display them on shelves, I do have them on my bed and they definitely help in helping my drift off to my dreams.

Why do I like collecting plush? It’s mainly because they’re so huggable which is in clear contrast to figures which I collect as well but it has only been a recent hobby less than a year old. As I’ve stated earlier, a large proportion of my plush collection is Pokemon and they occupy a space on my bed. As this is so, to make sure that I do actually have room for sleeping, I choose very carefully. My two or three main Pokemon collection is Minun, Plusle and Oshawott. Initially it was just Minun, but since Plusle always came with it and they look weird alone, just as they appear as a pair in both movies and anime, I had to collect them both. But surely buying the duo costs twice as much but I reckon it’s worth it given their cuddly natures. I currently have a custom made Minun plush which is around a 1:1 size.

What I love about custom plushies is that you’re not limited to the typical plush poses of the plush companies, so creativity shows its superiority here. I also possess the two pokedolls, 3 of each Hasbro/Tomy laying plush and a Plusle canvas plush. You might be asking, why do I have 3 of the same plush. It’s a long story really. The first Pokemon plush I ever bought was a Tomy laying Minun plush at Narita Airport on my first trip to Japan.

After a great 5-6 years of constant pampering, it has indeed became worn out and has tears in some areas that had to be stitched back. So I thought I should get a new one just in case this one tears apart. So I hopped off to eBay and bought a set of the Hasbro ones. At that point of time I had no clue mine was actually a Tomy plush as I had neither hang or tush tag left. It so happened, Tomy and Hasbro made almost similar looking plush with the only variance, its hand size. So when I realized this, I resorted to Yahoo!Japan and there you have 3 sets of the “same” plush.
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Pokemon Plush Review – MPCs.

By Myntii

MPCs, otherwise known as ‘My Pokemon Collection’ plush, are small plush made by Banpresto that can be obtained through the UFO claw machines in Japan. These plush were showcased at the World Hobby Fair in Tokyo in January 2011. Several MPCs were also shown at the Amusement Machine Operators Expo 2011, also in Tokyo, in February. They started appearing in the UFO games in late April of this year, which are claw machines where one uses a joystick to manuever a large claw around in order to grab a prize. The MPCs are released in 6-plush sets every few weeks. In an announcement made in March 2011, Banpresto noted on their MPC mobile site that these plush will be released in every Unova Pokemon, for a total of over 100 plush! In July, the first two non-Unova Pokemon were featured in the line-up – Meowth and Pikachu. Also, for Pokemon such as Deerling, or Shikijika, there will be separate plush for each of their versions.

My Pokemon Collection plush are made of soft, minky fabric and are a small size, each at roughly 4 inches, or 10 centimeters, in height. Some characters have certain attributes that make them a little larger. For such small size, they are incredibly detailed and high quality. Their features are embroidered. They also have a black, ball-chain attached to the top so that you can hang them from purses, backpacks, windows, and anything else you’d like. Each plush has an ID, or serial number, found on their paper tag, that one can use to register on the mobile site, which can be found at http://bpnavi.jp/mpc/, using a cellphone after winning the plush. After registering, you can name your plush and share your collection with other people. Paper tags feature a picture of the Pokemon and its name in Japanese. The paper tags for the different sets are different. The first two releases featured square tags, first in yellowish orange, and then in green. In the third release, the tag design changed to a cellphone-like shape with a blue outline. This design has remained the same in the fourth release. They also have a small tush tag that resembles a Pokeball, in addition to the regular Banpresto tush tag.

Along with the regular releases, there have been some special MPC plush that have been added in celebration of the newest Pokemon movies, Victini and the Black Hero, and Victini and the White Hero. The first movie version set was released in the last week of June. In total, there will be three movie sets, A, B and C, some of them including new plush of characters that have been released regularly, such as Blitzle/Shimama, or the same character with a different expression, such as Victini’s movie release, which shows him frowning. Their paper tags are similar to those of the third and fourth sets, but with a purple outline instead. These special movie plush are released in 5-character sets.
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Pokemon Merchandise

By Carl00456

Humans have created many different types of Pokemon merchandise including; key chains, wallets, containers, plush’s, stationary and clothing. I am going to do a review of most of them and tell you the good and bad things about them.

Firstly, the plush’s are great. To me they are the best type of Pokemon merchandise out there as you feel like you actually own a Pokemon and some of the Pokemon plush’s out there look amazing. Most plush’s are detailed and the stitching is excellent. The fabrics used are soft and nice to touch. There are a huge variety of plush’s available that come in different shapes and sizes so I’m sure you’ll find one to suit you. There are a few small problems though that you must take into account when buying a Pokemon plush, they get damaged easily. All of my plush’s except one have got dust all over them, this is very hard to get off and my attempts of trying to get it off have made the plush’s even worse. I tried to wash it but if it has a material on that doesn’t feel soft or look like cloth or fabric (this is usually the material used for the eyes) then that part will turn crinkly and start to show creases. Also any white parts with this material on might turn blue and if any part of the material is not washable then I strongly suggest that you do not wash it, no matter what happens.

A range of Pokemon key chains and charms are also sold. These can easily be found in small machines that give them out. The key chains usually only costs a small amount of money and is worth buying a keychain if you see a good Pokemon that they have. I have used these machines many times but sometimes the machines give out the same Pokemon keychain which I find annoying and a waste of money, although there is no way to avoid this. The key chains can be flat, two dimensional pictures of Pokémon or they can be three dimensional models which are fairly detailed. I did find, however, that sometimes the Pokemon key chains are in bad condition or have scratches over them which I find disappointing. I have lots of these key chains and I strap them on my key holder. It is nice to have a collection of them and they are cheap so I would recommend getting one.
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The Joys Of Pokemon Plush Collecting

By Stephanie Sartain

I began collecting Pokemon plushes when I was very young. I love collecting Pokemon plushes. I have currently sixty four Pokemon plushes in my collection. Some of my plushes are very old while some are newer. The first plush I ever got was of my favorite Pokemon Pikachu. I only collect plushes of Pokemon that I like. I have Pokemon from every generation from first to fifth. I find the collecting Pokemon you like is much better than simply getting every single Pokemon plush there is. That would take way to long and cost way too much money. I find that collecting is fun however it also because like an addiction. Somehow you always want more. But no matter that downside Pokemon plush collecting is an enjoyable hobby.

Now my Pokemon plushes are from many different companies. Some are from Pokemon Center while others are from Takara Tomy. I have collected for many years. Each plush is like a new addition to the family. Now I love my plushes and keep the in the best condition I can. However some have endured some wear and tear over the years such as my Pikachu whose tail and arm had to be sewn up. Whenever I tell people how many plushes I have they are always amazed. I suppose I have a lot but not as many as other people might have.

Another one of my favorite Pokemon from my collection is Buizel. A great thing about collecting them is when they arrive. I always find my self getting super excited when one of my packages arrives. Of course ordering them is the key step. I order them from Amazon.com and Hardrock-Pokemon.com because these are trusted places were I know I won’t be receiving fake or counterfeit plushes. I would never buy a counterfeit plush because as I have learned that makes the Pokemon Center lose money and force them to raise their prices.
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Pokemon Fifth Generation Tomy Plush

By Emily

One of the major producers of Pokemon collectables for Japan, Takara Tomy has created many unique items over the years, and continues to do so for the fifth generation. While they may not produce plush with as much variety as Banpresto, the quality of the plush is great enough to rival those from the official Pokemon Center line of plush. Takara Tomy also has an exclusive line of talking plush, which are very popular and sought-after.

The first plush for the fifth generation made by Takara Tomy were of Zorua and Zoroark because of the 13th Pokemon movie. Zoroark was a sizably large plush at nearly one foot tall, while Zorua was roughly seven inches tall. Two other Zorua plush were also released, and were the large and small talking plush. The large one was about the same size as the Zoroark plush, while the small one was about half the height and was made like a keychain with a small chain atop its head. In October, shortly after the release of Pokemon Black and White, Takara Tomy came out with another set of plush featuring three new Pokemon – Pidove, Axew, and Munna. The new plush were a little bigger than the Pokemon Center plush, and cost a small amount more.
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Fifth Generation Pokemon Center Plush

By Emily

Usually Pokemon Center plush are associated with the small chibi-fied Pokedolls. Regular plush were introduced bit by bit, but never in a high quantity. Not until the release of Black and White. Along with the classic Pokedoll plush, the Pokemon Center also started to release new plush toys that look more true-to-life, and they have been a huge hit ever since.

The first set of the new plush was on the day Pokemon Black and White were released, and featured two types of plush. There were two large plush of Reshiram and Zekrom, both of which are roughly twelve inches tall. Smaller plush were also released and featured the starters along with some of the heavily-advertised Pokemon like Minccino and Axew. In total one dozen new plush were available, with the large plush costing 3300 yen and the small plush being 1200 yen, more than the price of a regular Pokedoll. Three large, life-size plush were also released of the three starters. The life-size plush were nearly two feet tall, with Pokabu being about that long length-wise, and have been the most expensive plush to be sold in the stores. The large plush were extremely popular and other Pokemon have been made into this style of plush in recent times thanks to the original success of these three.
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5th Generation Pokemon Pokedolls

By Emily

Resisting the allure of the Pokemon Center-exclusive Pokedoll plush is difficult, and a wide variety of them have been made. Even though the current generation of Pokemon is less than a year old, a good number of characters already have a Pokedoll. Some have even gotten the large DX Pokedolls or the plush pens featuring a miniaturized version of the Pokedoll plush. But since so many have been available since summer last year, keeping up with new and old releases may be a bit difficult, and quite pricey.

The first two Pokedolls of the current generation were Zorua and Zoroark, available around the time of the fourteenth Pokemon movie. The two Pokedolls tied in with the movie closely as both characters were major characters, plus they were the first two fifth generation Pokemon revealed.
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Pokemon Center Cinccino, Audino And Foongus Pokedolls

By Brian Grabow

Three more Japanese Pokemon Center plush pokedolls were just released. They are Cinccino, Audino and Foongus. They are from the generation V collection. Each of them is approximately 5-6″ tall (15cm).

Audino, Foongus & Cinccino Pokedolls
Audino, Foongus & Cinccino Pokedolls

They are made of nice soft material and have very nicely embroidered eyes. They are really nicely made and adorable. Very soft and squeezable.

They will only be available for a very short time at the Pokemon Centers in Japan. These are very popular and will sell out very fast. Get them while you still can.

You can buy these beautiful Pokemon pokedolls directly at HardrockPokemon. Each pokedoll comes with the official Pokemon Center pokedoll tag and is an officially licensed product.
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Pokemon Lifesize Pansage Plush Toy

By Brian Grabow

There is a new lifesize plush toy released in Japan. This time it is Pansage, or Yanappu as it is referred to in Japanese. This Pokemon plushie is huge. It measures 25″ (64cm) tall and 20.5″ (54cm) wide. Far bigger than any other Pansage plush toy made to date.

Pansage Lifesize Plush

You can see it here next to a can of juice for a size comparison. This is the 5th lifesize plushie to come out from the generation V character series. The other lifesize plush were Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy and Scraggy.
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Pokemon Plush Toys And Figures

By Anonymous

Pokemon plush toys are a fun way to display your obsession for Pokemon! There are plushies made for almost every Pokemon! Ones from the original one hundred fifty to the new Black and White Pokemon. Plush toys are fun to collect. Like the TCG cards there are also sets of Pokemon plushies! Like Poke Dolls, UFO Catcher Prize, etc. There are such ones like Zorua, Zoroark, Mew etc. Some people even trade plush toy for plush toy! You can buy plush toys from good Pokemon websites or stores. You can even buy plush toys from this website! There are also key chain plush toys.
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