Japan Pokemon Center Inkay Campaign Merchandise

As most of you know by now, the Pokemon Centers in Japan have a new campaign that is dedicated solely to the adorable squid Pokemon, Inkay. On January, 18, 2014, the Pokemon Centers in Japan released a bunch of new merchandise solely featuring Inkay. Lets take a look at some of the items that were available.

First, a personal favorite of mine, the large lifesize Inkay plush toy. This plush toy is awesome. It measures about 15″ or 38cm tall. It has very soft fur and very nice, detailed stitching. This was probably the most popular item from this campaign. It seems almost everyone had one in their basket at the Pokemon Center.

The next item I would like to introduce is the Inkay ceramic plate. This is a set of 2 gorgeous ceramic plates. It is very similar to the Christmas plates that come out every year, but you get two plates in this set, one big and one small. The glaze on the plate shines. They are great to use, or display on your shelf. Along with the ceramic plate, there was also a ceramic cup and bowl.

 There was also several keychains, charms and straps including a rubber keychain, a  plush keychain where the chain can be reversed so that Inkay is upside down, and a  set of two charms. One of the charms features Inkay right-side up and the other is  upside-down.

For every day use, there was an iPhone 5 soft cover that can be used on either your  iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s. It protects your iPhone from bumping around and getting  damaged. I have one, they work great!!! There is a plush Inkay pass case which can  be used when you ride the train or bus. Just put your magnetic train or bus card in the clear slot on the bak of the pass case and when you get on the train or bus, just wave Inkay over the sensor. Very cool. And of course, there is a plush coin purse for all the female Inkay fans.

For those of you who are students, you might like some of the school supplies that came out. There was a file folder to store your school papers in, a ball pen, mechanical pencil, and a spiral notebook.

For more pictures and descriptions of the Inkay Campaign items, be sure to visit Pokevault.com.

 

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New Meloetta Plush Toys

By Pokevault

The Pokemon Center just released the first of the Meloetta plush toys. They have both the Aria and Pirouette forms. These plushies are really cool. They are similar to a doll in appearance, but the overall design is great. Of course they are well made.

Meloetta Plush

The Meloetta plush toys are made of nice fabric. Its very soft to the touch. The way the hair is made of fabric is also very unique. It is flexible and can obviously move around which is very nice.

The best part of them is probably the face. The eyes are really large and the stitching is very detailed. It really makes the plush look alive.

The only downside of these new plushies is the fact that they can not stand up without falling over. Obviously by the size of their legs, there is no way that they will stand up, but they are still really cool.

 

Meloetta Plush

There was also some other Meloetta merchandise released like file folders, stickers, hair ties, bags, straps, soft gel-type charms, memo pads, a hat, a face towel and much more. Come check it out.

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2012 Japan Pokemon Center Darumaka Minccino And Audino Canvas Plushies

The Pokemon Centers in Japan have released 3 new Pokemon canvas plush toys. Minccino, Darumaka and Audino are the first Pokemon canvas plushies to be released in 2012. After taking a long break from making the Pokemon canvas toys, the Pokemon Centers have released 18 different ones in a matter of 2 months.

The Tympole is about 3.25″ tall and 6″ long. It has nice stitching on the eyes. Very soft and cuddly.

Audino is about 4.5″ tall. Although it will not stand up by itself, its very cute. Its fur is very soft and has very nice stitching on its eyes.

Darumaka is about 4″ tall. Its round like a bowling ball. It stands up by itself. Very cute.

Minccino stands about 5″ tall. It won’t stand up by itself, but its very cool.  Its eyes are adorable.

All 3 of these canvas plushies have the new folding tag that started in late 2011.

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Sawk, Throh & Drilbur Pokemon Pokedolls

The Pokemon Centers in Japan have released the October Pokedolls. They are Sawk, Throh and Drilbur. These 3 new Pokemon plush Pokedolls were only available in Japan. They are the newest Pokemon Pokedolls to be released from the Generation V collection. Only sold in Japan for a limited time.

Sawk and Throh are about 5″ tall. They have very detailed faces that include the use of felt which is not commonly used on Pokedolls.  Nice embroidery and come in a karate or judo outfit.  They are soft and very cute. They cant stand up by themselves, but they are still very cool.

The Drilbur Pokedoll is amazing. Its one of the cutest I have seen so far. Its extremely soft and cuddly. It stands about 5″ tall like the Sawk and Throh Pokedolls, but is 8.75″ wide, so its a bit bigger than the other two. Its got nice stitching and is has beautiful blue and gray striped fur. The pink nose and smile give it a very warm and friendly look. A must for any Pokemon collector.

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Bisharp, Ducklett & Tympole Pokemon Pokedolls

The Pokemon Centers in Japan have released 3 new Pokemon pokedolls. Bisharp, Ducklett and Tympole are now available. Since their release in September, 2011, these have been very popular.

The Tympole is about 3.25″ tall and 6″ long. It has nice stitching on the eyes. Very soft and cuddly.

Ducklett is about 6″ tall. Although it will not stand up by itself, its very cute. Its fur is different than other Pokedolls. It is kind of a matted cotton. Very unique to this Pokedoll. Very adorable.

The Bisharp Pokedoll is about 8″ tall if you measure it to the tip of its helmet. This plush is very popular. The axe on its helmet is flexible and made of a soft material.  Its very well made and very cute. This pokedoll will also not stand up by itself, but is a must for any Pokemon collector.

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The Rarest Pokemon Pokedoll

By Anonymous

For collectors of Pokemon plush like myself, surely you’ve endured some grueling searchers for certain products. Whether one is a collector of a certain species or a certain generation, he or she will inevitably discover some out-of-the-way dolls in their own Pokemon journey. There are the well-known grails, of course, such as Espeon, but there are even some more rare that newer collectors aren’t even aware of. Before continuing, though, please take into account this article only pertains to regular sized Pokedolls, it does not include the DX or large sizes, so if you’ve begun reading thinking you know where this is going, time for your double-take.

It’s fair to say that all Pokemon fans at some point or another fans of the Eeveelution family. Whether it’s the diversity or just those adorable faces, they’re undeniable. This goes for both in game and for collectors of all sorts, of course. Figurine collectors may feverishly chase after kids and Tomy’s while plush collectors burn paychecks after the elusive Vaporeon Japanese Pokedoll. Of the lot of them, Leafeon and Glaceon hold their title of most elusive, though. The two get to be so bad that I even caved and just went for a bootleg Leafeon, courtesy of Hong Kong on eBay of course. For those who specialize in this family, you have my pity and support, especially for the successful of you.

While the Eeveelution die-hard collectors may have it tough, given the line has been around for more than a decade and counting, amounting to no small amount of merchandise to collect, there are a certain three dolls that have trumped them in rarity, despite the lower demand. With the release of the thirteenth Pokemon Movie Zorua Master of Illusions, the Japan Pokemon center released a limited number of shiny Pokemon dog Pokedolls, not available through any means besides lottery prizes and resale. The three dogs, the most rare being Suicune of course, are prizes worth bragging, as prices for just one can hover at four hundred dollars or more. Should you be one of the few collectors willing to fork out so much for a single Pokedoll, make haste and head over to http://www.pokevault.com, as they have but one Raikou and one Entei available. For the majority who want a deal, you may as well start stalking eBay, it seems like that’s your best chance to get one, assuming the reserve is indeed less than the list price. For Suicune fans, well, no such luck for you. If you’re dead set on getting one, it’ll be a tiresome endeavor, one that won’t end anytime soon. Surprisingly, although the shiny Pokedoll dogs were only released once and in such a limited fashion, I would not deem them to be the least common of Pokedolls. There are two more dolls that I have seen in even more fleeting quantities than these three, two that few would expect and fewer will believe.
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Tips To Buy And Collect Pokemon Plushes

By Jill/Redterror117

Cards are not the only thing that can be collected nowadays, plushes and figurines also being items of interest for collectors. However depending on where you live, the process of building up a collection can be either quite easy, or more of a challenge. When it comes to collecting Pokemon plushes, I have a few pieces of advice to give, which will hopefully make collecting a little easier.

Probably one of the most important things to try and do is to buy plushes in store if at all possible. While online stores can provide a much wider variety of plushes to choose from, the shipping cost of the plush in question can become rather expensive, especially when the store is outside the country. If you do decide to buy online, always be aware of what it will cost to ship it. Another benefit to buying in person is the ability to check for authenticity. While Hardrock Pokemon always stocks authentic plushes, there are a number of online stores which carry cheaper rip-offs. Not to say that there are retail stores that never carry fakes, but it’s easier to spot them if you’re actually looking at the item in person.

Of course, the ability to purchase plushes in person depends on where you live. From what I have seen, the practice is easier to do in the United States and Japan, since both have Pokemon Center retail stores scattered in both countries, as well as UFO catchers and other forms of ‘dispensers’. Stores such as Walmart and Target rarely stock the actual plushes, but some of the toys include a miniature plush (in particular, ‘Pokemon Throw Poke Ball’, which is produced by Jakks, includes a miniature plush). Jakks also produces mini plushies, which can be purchased in stores like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Walgreens, and so forth.

In Canada, Pokemon plushes can also be purchased most Zellers stores, which is where I get most of mine (to find them, you need to locate the specific area of the Toys section that’s stuffed full of different plushes).

If you do choose to buy online rather than in a store, make sure you’re buying from a reputable source. While it seems unfair to condemn all Hong-Kong or China-based stores on eBay, they are the source of the majority of all ‘fake plushes’ on the website. Before you do make a purchase, make sure to see whether or not the image of the plush being sold is an actual picture or it, or a stock photo. If it’s the actual picture, you can do an online search to find a picture of the authentic item, and compare the photos side by side. Normally what makes a fake stand out is how certain decals are applied onto the plush. For example, here is the image of a Pokemon Center Pachirisu Plush that I found posted by a Hong Kong seller:

http://s79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/redterror_117/?action=view&current=PC1175JPG600.jpg

Compare this to an image of a known legit Pokemon Center plush:

http://www.toystoreinc.com/catalog/pachirisu.jpg
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How To Capture Legendary Pokemon

By Legendary Luna

Hello Pokemon fans this is Legendary Luna coming to you on the awesome Pokezine website! Well most of us love legendary Pokemon do we not? So since I am Legendary Luna I have pretty much am obsessed with legends so here are some tips to help you capture legendary Pokemon in the games.

First off if it’s the type that flee from battle after a hit (examples are: Entei, Latios, Latias, exc), my best advice is to get a Golbat that knows mean look and then a Pokemon that knows the move “sing” to put the legendary to sleep. After this make the legends HP low into the red zone and then try to capture it. Note that the mean look does wear off so once the legend is asleep, switch out your Pokemon with the sing move and replace with a Pokemon that knows mean look. As soon as HP is low enough, use pokeballs to capture it. You do not need a master ball or cheats to obtain legends, only true masters know how to capture Pokemon without using cheats!

For me whenever I’m trying to capture legends I usually use great balls instead of my master ball. Now for the one legendary I did use my master ball on was Zekrom since I did not know whether or not my Pokemon were going to be revived by N or what not. So I hoped this helped with the games because now it’s onto collecting legends in real life!

Yes I am also a legendary Pokemon collector in real life and I live in a secret region where legendary Pokemon are my friend and we all get along and sing songs and… ok on to the advice. The best place to buy Pokemon merchandise is Japan! But if your not lucky enough to live in Japan well don’t be sad for there is an amazing site with four thousand plus Pokemon toys! The website is www.pokevault.com! Yes Brian has everything and is very nice! If you are looking for something special just email him and he will try to go out and catch your Pokemon for you ;)! IT is by far the best site for Pokemon shopping.
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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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