Every good thing must eventually come to an end. And on Pokémon, that means saying goodbye to the beloved hero Ash. After 25 years, Ash left the world of Pokémon. But that doesn’t mean the show is ending. On the contrary, a new story is beginning. And we still don’t know how Ash will play into it, if at all. Maybe someday, we’ll see our favorite protagonist again, but for now, Pokémon Horizons: The Series, a “new animated Pokémon series” is dawning. Meet Liko, Roy, their Pokémon, and the rest of the gang that will step in as Pokémon’s new heroes. Those are bigger sneakers to fill, but we’re excited to see what happens next. Especially since we now have a US release date for this new Pokémon show.

What Is Pokémon Horizons US Release Date, and Where Will It Stream?

Pokémon Horizons: The Series is officially coming to the United States. This new Pokémon series will premiere in the US on February 23, 2024, and it will stream exclusively on Netflix. A release shares that this “all-new Pokémon animated series that will follow a never-before-seen storyline and characters, will The launch comes just in time to celebrate Pokémon Day 2024, the annual pop-culture holiday commemorating the launch anniversary of the original Pokémon video games on Feb. 27, 1996.”

Additionally, Pokémon Horizons: The Series has set some international release dates as well. The series “will be releasing in Canada on Cartoon Network and Télétoon beginning March 2, 2024, and in Australia on 9Go! beginning Feb. 27, 2024.” 

That’s very exciting for all the Pokémon trainers out there.

More about Pokémon Horizons: The Series

In a trailer for the new iteration of Pokémon, fans learned the official name for the post-Ash adventures. The new Pokémon series is called Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and it’s teasing mysterious adventures linked to a special pendant that shares a bond with our new heroes.

The official synopsis for the show shares:

A new adventure is beginning within the wide world of Pokémon! Arriving at Indigo Academy, a girl named Liko receives her first partner Pokémon, Sprigatito. But she soon finds herself pursued by the Explorers, a mysterious group that’s determined to take the pendant necklace she wears. Liko isn’t on her own, though, as Friede, Captain Pikachu, and the other Rising Volt Tacklers offer her protection aboard their airship. Meanwhile, a boy named Roy dreams of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, unaware of the secret hiding within the Ancient Poké Ball he carries. As Liko, Roy, and the Rising Volt Tacklers set sail for new horizons, what kind of discoveries await?

Pokémon Horizons‘ New Heroes

We also know a little bit more about who we’ll meet in Pokémon Horizons: The Series, thanks to a different trailer for the new Pokémon show. There’s Liko, “the girl with the awe-inspiring pendent.” We bet evil will be trying to snag that. And Roy, “the boy with the mysterious Poké Ball.” Surely, a match made in heaven. These two will be our new Pokémon protagonists in the series.

Joining them are Friede and Captain Pikachu. Friede, we learn, is a Pokémon professor. Captain Pikachu is clearly a boss. We also see a lot of the Gen. 9 starters we met in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in this new series trailer. Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly were instant fan favorites, so we’re not surprised they show up. And we’re excited to see them in action. Liko, whose partner Pokémon appears to be Sprigatito, and Roy, whose partner Pokémon is Fuecoc, may have a more traditional start to their Pokémon journey than Ash did, but we know we have twists in store. We wonder, for instance, what role Quaxly will have to play.

Additional new characters for Pokémon Horizons have also been revealed.

Per Comicbook, these images include Orla and her Metagross, Murdock and his Rockruff, Mollie and her Chansey, and Ludlow.

We may even meet some mysterious new Pokémon on the journey.

And it seems like they’ll cross over into the Pokémon games, like the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC expansion The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.

Pokémon‘s New Villains

Okay, so we can’t say for sure these are the villains, but they certainly do seem villainesque. According to Crunchyroll, this new post-Ash Pokémon trailer introduces us to Amethyo and his Pokémon Ceruledge, as well as Zir, whose Pokémon is Rhydon and Conia, whose Pokémon is Golduck. It sounds like these three belong to a new organization called “The Explorers.” Since Team Rocket has officially waved goodbye to Pokémon, we will need someone to stir up trouble.

There’s also a fourth mysterious Pokémon character called Gurumin, who wears a Nidorina kigurumi. Makes total sense to us!

If these are Pokémon’s newest villains, we can’t wait to learn more about them soon. We’ll have to wait to learn their identities and goals.

But for now, time has come to set off on new Pokémon adventures, and we couldn’t be more ready.

Originally published March 3, 2023.

The post Post-Ash POKÉMON HORIZONS Series Sets 2024 US Release Date on Netflix appeared first on Nerdist.

The original Pokémon series is all about the battles. After all, you can’t become the greatest Pokémon trainer that ever was without some serious work and fighting. But a new Pokémon series coming to Netflix, Pokémon Concierge, wants us to take a breath, then release it. Because this Netflix Pokémon series is all about the vibes. Using stop-motion animation Pokémon Concierge invites you to relax, take a load off, and just enjoy the world of Pokémon. Learn more about what awaits us on this magical Pokémon adventure with the full Pokémon Concierge trailer.

Check Out Pokémon Concierge‘s Trailer

The first Pokémon Concierge trailer really sets the mood for the series we’ll see on Netflix. We learn that this series is set at a resort for Pokémon, and they come to visit as guests. Hopefully, the Poké R&R is enough to give Psyduck a break from its headache. The new Netflix show, Pokémon Concierge‘s trailer reveals, will tell the story of the resort’s concierge. It’s not always smooth sailing, but we feel like the stakes will be appropriately low. And at the end, we, Haru, the Pokémon’s concierge, and, of course, the Pokémon themselves will end up having a great time.

You can also enjoy the show’s teaser below.

The Netflix Pokémon Series’ Plot Synopsis

The Pokémon Concierge‘s trailer description also shares more about what we can expect. It notes:

Set at a resort for Pokémon on a southern island, this is the story of a new concierge named Haru, who gradually discovers herself as she and her fellow staff members scramble to attend to the various Pokémon guests.

We’ll get to see different Pokémon experience relaxing vacations. And honestly, what more could we ask from a show than that? In the trailer, we see Eevee, Pikachu, Dragonite, and many more of our favorite Pokemon friends. Of course, Psyduck seems like he’ll be the star of Pokémon Concerige, and we love that for him. Perhaps Ash and Pikachu might drop by for a well-deserved break after their final episodes as Pokémon‘s main heroes. Anything is possible.

What Is Pokémon Concierge‘s Release Date?

When you have a world as rich as Pokémon‘s, it’s always fun to dive in and explore its more light-hearted and fluffy perspectives. And Pokémon Concierge sounds like it will give us all a restful treat. After all, its tagline is “I’m happy when you’re happy.”

The Pokémon Concierge series also officially has a release date for us to anticipate. The show will arrive on Netflix on December 28. The perfect holiday season treat.

Originally published on February 27, 2023.

The post POKÉMON CONCIERGE Stop-Motion Series Shares Trailer and Sets Netflix Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are finally here. These latest games in the Pokémon franchise will build help the series “take a new evolutionary step” into “a richly expressed open world.” While Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ gameplay was expansive and exploration-driven, Pokémon has not yet had true open-world games before. This makes Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet extra exciting. And, of course, new Pokémon games mean a new generation of Pokémon to discover. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet have three adorable new starter Pokémon that players can look forward to catching, Legendary Pokémon that turn into vehicles, adorable new regional forms, and many other new Gen 9 Pokémon. Not to mention, Scarlet and Violet will offer all Pokémon a way to transform into something novel, the games introduce the mysterious Terastal phenomenon.

Here are the new Pokémon we met before Scarlet and Violet‘s release and some additional ones that will be coming in its new DLC expansion.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon; Jump To:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon

As mentioned, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will feature the next generation of Pokémon: Gen 9. And given the open-world nature of the game, we expect there will be many surprises when it comes to the Pokémon the game will introduce. The official description for the game shares: “Various towns blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders. You’ll be able to see the Pokémon of this region in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets—all over!” Here are all the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet creatures we’ve met so far.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Iron Treads

So far, we’ve only glimpsed the mysterious new Pokémon, Iron Treads. It sounds like this Pokémon only exists in the Violet game. A description of it offers, that Iron Treads is “a monster that rolls to attack and leaves scorched earth in its path.” Iron Treads could be a Paldean regional variant of the Pokémon,  Donphan. Or it could be its ancestor.

Iron Treads and Great Tusk both live in books title The Violet Book and Scarlet Book respectively. These books hold notes about the Paldea region and its Pokémon from an ancient expedition.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Great Tusk

Meanwhile, Great Tusk is the new Donphan relative from Pokémon Scarlet. Great Tusk attacks with its large body and tusks.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Gimmighoul

The latest new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet creature is ghoulishly delightful. Gimmighoul is a ghostly Pokémon that loves treasure. In fact, it hides itself in a treasure chest most of the time. Though its treasure chest home provides safety for Gimmighoul, it also makes it move slowly. And, often, Gimmighoul, in what we learn is its chest form, may get mistaken for an antique.

But beware, anyone who gets too close to a Gimmighoul may be ambushed. Gimmighouls use ghost energy to control people and then make them hunt for coins. And these people can stay under this Pokémon’s spell for a long time.

Gimmighoul also has a roaming form. This form of Gimmighoul carries a single coin on its back. The Pokémon is found all over Scarlet and Violet‘s Paldea, but no one has ever captured one because it moves so speedily. This form of the Gimmighoul will make its way to Pokémon Go.

This Pokémon is a part of the ‘Coin Cheat Pokémon’ category of Pokémon and is a Ghost-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 11 lbs.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Greavard

Not all puppy-like creatures are sugar and spice in the world of Pokémon. In fact, this new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon is anything but at first glance. According to Greavard’s official description, “It has powerful jaws that can shatter bones.” One bite can lead to a lot of pain. But as we look deeper, it seems like Greavard isn’t actually vicious, just a little odd. Most of the time, Greavard just lays underground. But if someone gets too close, it will let out eerie howls.

Greavard does want to make friends, and it loves attention. But apparently, “Greavard will slowly and inadvertently absorb the life-force of those around it, so it’s best not to play with it too much.” Poor thing!

This Pokémon is a part of the ‘Ghost Dog Pokémon’ category of Pokémon and is a Ghost-type. Its height is 2’1 and it usually weighs about 77.2 lbs.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Bellibolt

Bellibolt is an adorable frog-like Pokémon that lives in the Paldea region. It contracts and expands its body to generate electricity in its belly-button like organ. This electricity then releases through eye-like bumps on Bellibolt’s head, which help this new Pokémon to appear intimidating. Bellibolt has an easy going nature and won’t typically attack first. Its stomach emits noises that sound like cries when it’s hungry.

Bellibolt has a brand new ability, Electromorphosis. When attacked, Bellibolt becomes charged and its next Electric-type move gets a power boost.

This Pokémon is a part of the ‘EleFrog’ category of Pokémon and is an Electric-type. Its height is 3’11” and it usually weighs about 249.1 lbs.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Wiglett

The Pokémon Company recently revealed another brand new Pokémon to the world of Scarlet and Violet. Even though the Paldean Wiglett looks like a Diglett, this is a brand new creature altogether. In the video, the Pokémon researchers consider whether Wiglett could be a Scarlet and Violet regional form of Diglett, but decide this is not the case.

While no one is sure how long Wiglett’s really are, we do know they have a great sense of smell. If a Wiglett catches the scent of another Pokémon, it will burrow down into the sand and hide.

Scarlet and Violet‘s Wiglett is a part of the ‘Garden Eel’ category of Pokémon and is a Water-type. Its height is 3’11” and it usually weighs about 4 lbs.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Armarouge

In addition to all its cute critters, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are introducing us to two new more humanoid Pokémon. The first of these is Armarouge. This noble Pokémon dons armor that once belonged to a distinguished warrior (whether human or not isn’t confirmed). The armor is the energy source of Armarouge’s psychic moves. The armor’s psychic abilities also allows the Pokémon to control the fire energy in its body and attack. The official description for Armarough notes that it believes in a fair fight and will always approach an opponent head-on, no matter the power difference between them.

Armarouge has a fire-type special move called Armor Canon, which this new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon can learn. To use Armor Canon, Armarouge “moves both its pauldrons to its hands and puts its arms together to form a cannon, allowing it to shoot its own armor out as blazing projectiles.” But in exchange for power, its defense falls.

Armarouge is a part of the ‘Fire Warrior’ category of Pokémon and is a Fire/Psychic-type. Its height is 4’11” and it usually weighs about 187.4 lbs. This Pokémon is one fiery knight.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Ceruledge

Ceruledge is Armarouge’s Scarlet and Violet foil. While Armarouge’s armor belonged to a great fighter, Ceruledge wears armor “steeped in grudges and wields blades made of fire and ghost energy.” This new Pokémon sounds pretty cool though. Ceruledge’s blades become great swords in battle and wounds from them leave cuts that cause life energy to flow away.

Ceruledge will never hesitate to sneak attack to gain an advantage. It uses its fast movements to capitalize on opponents’ blind spots and then attacks with its blades. It can learn the fire-type move “Bitter Blade.” This move “gathers the lingering regrets of the fallen into Ceruledge’s swords, allowing it to focus that bitterness into a slashing attack. The swords then absorb life energy from wounds they made, and the user’s HP is restored by up to half the damage taken by the target.”

Ceruledge is a part of the ‘Fire Blades’ category of Pokémon and is a Fire/Ghost-type. Its height is 5’3″ and it usually weighs about 136.7 lbs. This Pokémon is one to watch out for.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Klawf

But, back to the cute new Pokémon. Klawf may not be able to compete with puppy-like Pokémon, but we still love this crab character. According to its description, Klawf has powerful claws. They can hold things incredibly tightly and will grow back if cut off. Typically, Klawf uses one claw to hold its opponent in place while it attacks with the other. A bit disturbingly, “in certain parts of the Paldea region, Klawf claws are considered a valuable cooking ingredient.” Sounds like one for the Pokémon cookbook.

Klawf also has the advantage of bulbous spinning eyes that can see all and leave it with no blindspots. To hunt its prey, it latches onto cliffsides and hangs upside down to attack from above. However, eventually it gets dizzy from the blood rushing to its head. Klawf also has a new Pokémon special ability, “Anger Shell.” This means that “when Klawf’s HP drops to half or less, the Pokémon gets angry. This lowers its Defense and Sp. Def stats but boosts its Attack, Sp. Atk, and Speed stats.”

Klawf is a part of the ‘Ambush’ category of Pokémon and is a Rock-type. Its height is 4’3″ and it usually weighs about 174.2 lbs. This Pokémon is not monkeying around.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Grafaiai

Grafaiai is a mysterious new Pokémon coming to Scarlet and Violet. The official description of Grafaiai shares, “Grafaiai is a moody Pokémon with a fastidious disposition. It doesn’t form packs, preferring to roam alone. It’s constantly caught up in territorial struggles with other Pokémon.” In short, this new Pokémon is a loner monkey/lemur. The nocturnal Grafaiai uses its poisonous saliva to paint designs on trees in its territory during the night. Bug Pokémon are attracted to the saliva’s sweet smell, but when they encounter the poison, it paralyzes them. At dawn, Grafaiai collects its prey… Very ominous.

When this Scarlet and Violet Pokémon feels like it’s in danger, its saliva becomes more potent and the poison in it more concentrated. Grafaiai attacks with this venomous saliva, which changes colors depending on what it has eaten. It spits at its foes or coats its claws to slash at enemies. Grafaiai’s toxins can immobilize victims for days.​​

Grafaiai is a part of the ‘Toxic Monkey’ category of Pokémon and is a Poison/Normal-type. Its height is 2’4″ and it usually weighs about 60 lbs. This Pokémon is not monkeying around.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Cyclizar

The upcoming games seem to love the idea of Pokémon that become machines. And Cyclizar, a new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon does exactly this. Its official description shares that it’s very common to see people riding Cyclizar. Apparently, the Pokémon has lived in households in the Paldea region since ancient times. Apparently, the warmth of a rider helps Cyclizer to keep away the chill.

Cyclizar can go at speeds of over 70 mph with a human rider. It has a hard and thick head, but also a lithe tail. These help it keep its balance and absorb shock while sprinting, but also help it attack during battle. In addition, Cyclizar has a new move to introduce to the Pokémon world called “Shed Tail.”

Apparently when Shed Tail is launched, “the user creates a substitute for itself using its own HP before switching places with a party Pokémon in waiting.” A very interesting ability.

Cyclizar is a part of the ‘Mount’ category of Pokémon and is a Dragon/Normal-type. Its height is 5’3″ and it usually weighs about 138.9 lbs. Trainers will definitely appreciate the skills of this Pokémon.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Cetitan

It’s not every day a whale lives on land, or in the snow, for that matter, but Cetitan does both these things. A Terra Whale Pokémon​, Cetitan uses its tough muscles and other adapatations to survive. According to its description, this new Pokémon​ have tough muscles that make their bodily attacks incredibly powerful. In addition, they are protected from the elements by a layer of thick blubber. In addition, Cetitan has five powerful horns and one on the upper jaw can even gather ice energy from the Pokemon’s freezing surrondings. Definetly one whale not to mess with.

Cetitan is a part of the ‘Terra Whale’ category of Pokémon and is an Ice-type. Its height is 14’9″ and it usually weighs about 1,543.2 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Cetitan. But can imagine that it will only grow more powerful in every form.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Fidough

Although the the Gen 9 starters have been lauded as supremely sweet and other new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, like Lechonk, are super adorable, Fidough may have just claimed the cutest prize. This Scarlet and Violet Pokémon is literally a puppy made of bread, and it helps people bake. What could be cuter than that? According to its description, Fidough’s skin has the quality of dough, it’s smooth, moist, and elastic. When it gets excited it puffs right up like puff pastery to intimidate its opponents by appearing bigger. (No word yet if that actually works.) In addition, Fidough ferments things around it with the yeast in its breath. This yeast is useful for cooking and baking, so Fidough is greatly loved and protected.

Fidough is a part of the ‘Puppy’ category of Pokémon and is a Fairy-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 24 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Fidough. We hope if it gets any though it becomes even cuter and turns into a more complicated pastry.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Pawmi

Move over Pikachu, because Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s adorable new Pokémon, Pawmi, is coming for the best electric-mouse Pokémon prize. Well, okay, okay, there’s room enough for everyone. But this Pokémon sure is cute and, as mentioned, it has the advantage of being new to the game.

According to its description, Pawmi has electric sacks in its cheeks, similar to Pikachu. But in addition, “Pawmi has electricity-discharging organs on its forepaws. It generates electricity by rubbing its cheeks, then it shocks its opponents by touching them with the pads on its forepaws.” Don’t get too close, no matter how adorable, is the moral of the story.

Pawmi’s thick fur gives it good insulation against the cold. But that fur also stores electricity for Pawmi. And “when it feels uneasy, this cautious Pokémon will begin rubbing its cheeks, preparing itself to discharge an electric shock.” So, let’s make sure to keep this new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon very comfortable.

Pawmi is a part of the ‘Mouse’ category of Pokémon and is an Electric-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 5.5 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Pawmi. But we’re sure whatever evolutionary form it takes will probably be a little less cute and a little more fierce.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Lechonk

Lechonk‘s name really says it all. This new Pokémon will bring some much-needed chonky energy to Scarlet and Violet. And we already admire its commitment to getting a delicious treat.

According to its official description, this Pokémon is a “gourmand with an excellent nose.” And that means it can always sniff out “only the most fragrant wild grasses and the richest Berries” to eat. It’s not a favorite of bug Pokémon though, as its eating habits give it a specific smell of herbs those Pokémon dislike. That certainly gives us food for thought.

While Lechonk is timid and fainthearted, don’t let that fool you. The Pokémon may panic if attacked, but it is made of mostly muscle. All that walking around in search of food keeps Lechonk in shape.

Lechonk is a part of the ‘Hog’ category of Pokémon and is a Normal-type. Its height is 1’8″ and it usually weighs about 22.5 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Lechonk. But honestly, we don’t need any new Scarlet and Violet evolutions for this Pokémon. It is perfect as is.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Smoliv

Smoliv may be… smol, but it sure packs a punch. This new Pokémon may look like a tiny little plant but it releases an oil from its head that’s bitter and will make you back away. When Smoliv is threatened, it will shoot this oil at its opponents, slowing them down. Smoliv is also an incredibly adaptable Pokémon. It’s official description shares:

In the fruit on its head, Smoliv stores oil made from nutrients it gathers through photosynthesis. As a result, it can go for a week without eating or drinking.​ It prefers dry and sunny climates, and it seems to spend its days sunbathing.

Smoliv is a part of the ‘Olive’ category of Pokémon and is a Grass/Normal-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 14.3 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Smoliv. But we can’t wait to see what Smoliv’s evolutionary forms will look like. It surely has us in mind of Mediterranean climes. And that makes a lot of sense considering the new Pokémon games will take place in a world that seems inspired by Spain. We wonder what other kinds of new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will bring.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants

Of course, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduce us to a new region, the region of Paldea. According to the games’ official website, the Paldea regions is “a land of vast open spaces dotted with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, and perilous mountain ranges.” There, people and Pokémon live together. Naturally a new Pokémon region means new regional forms and variants for us to explore. Here are the new Gen 9 Scarlet and Violet regional variants that we’ve met so far.

New Gen 9 Regional Form: Paldean Farigiraf

Pokémon’s Girafarig has never before had an evolutionary form, until now. In Paldea, Girafarig will evolve into the Paldean regional variant, Farigiraf. Technically, Farigiraf is a brand new Pokémon, but since it comes from an existing one, we’ll label it a Scarlet and Violet regional variant.

Farigiraf actually has two brains, one from its tail and one from it head, which have fused together in this evolutionary form. They are connected through thick nerves and can attack with psychic energy. Sometimes, a Farigiraf’s brains move faster than its body. Farigiraf can also attack and defend with its long neck. The force of its neck, made sturdy by the connection of its tail, can crush rock.

Farigiraf has two new unique abilities, Cud Chew and Armor tail, which really power up the Scarlet and Violet Pokémon.

The height of this regional variant is 10’6 ” and it usually weighs about 352.7 lbs. It is a “Long Neck” Pokémon and its type is Normal/Psychic.

New Gen 9 Regional Form: Paldean Wooper

The Paldean Wooper is every bit as cute as its normal counterpart. While a normal Wooper is usually a Water Fish category Pokémon that is a Water/Ground-type, this Scarlet and Violent regional variant is a little bit different. The Paldean Wooper is a Poison/Ground​-type and a Poison Fish Pokémon.

According to its description, this Gen 9 regional Pokémon lives on land. And it’s actually a sad story. The official website shares, “In ancient times, Wooper lived underwater in the Paldea region. But it seems after losing in a struggle for territory, they began living in bogs on land.​” In order to avoid drying out, they began to “cover their bodies with a poisonous film.”

Additionally the Paldean Wooper’s gills have hardened because of its new land life, and its body is heavy and moves slowly. But in its Scarlet and Violent regional form, the Wooper can shoot poisonous liquid from the gills instead, poisioning the Pokémon around it.

The height of this Scarlet and Violet regional variant is 1’4″ and it usually weighs about 24.3 lbs. There’s no word yet on whether the Paldean Wooper evolves into a Paldean Quagsire. We guess we will have to hear more about Scarlet and Violet‘s regional forms to find out.

Scarlet and Violet‘s Legendary Pokémon

It wouldn’t be a new Pokémon game if we didn’t get some incredible Legendaries to marvel at. And Pokémon Scarlet and Violet absolutely do not let us down in the Legendary Pokémon department. We now know that the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon will appear in Pokémon Scarlet. In the meanwhile, the new Legendary Pokémon Miraidon will appear in Pokémon Violet. We also recently learned that both these Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokémon can turn into vehicles, such as motorcycles and planes, their trainer can ride.

Gen 9’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon

Both the new Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokémon look like dragons to us and Miraidon looks like it could be an electric-type Pokémon. However, not much information is yet available about these Legendary Pokémon.

The official website for the games shares:

Koraidon is a Legendary Pokémon you can meet in Pokémon Scarlet, and Miraidon is a Legendary Pokémon you can meet in Pokémon Violet. These two Pokémon are said to have powers that far surpass those of other Pokémon, but details about Koraidon and Miraidon are still shrouded in mystery.

A new trailer for the game does give us a better look a the mythical creatures, though.

In the trailer, we get a more life-like rendering of these two new Legendary Scarlet and Violet Pokémon. And what jumps out to us there is how machine-like Miraidon seems. The Legendary Pokémon even has blasters for legs. Meanwhile, Koraidon seems all-natural. Some internet speculation wonders if the design of these new Legendaries reflects a theme of nature vs. technology, with Pokémon Scarlet repping nature and Pokémon Violet representing technology. The professors for the two games seem to also fit into this idea. We guess we will just have to wait and see what these powerful creatures have in store for us.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters

Starter Pokémon are among some of the most important Pokémon in the games. Trainers pick these creatures as their first companions and they set the tone for the rest of a player’s adventure. They also often reveal the theme of the game. For instance, Gen 9’s starter Pokémon hint at the idea that the Scarlet and Violet games will take place in a Spain-inspired Region, as mentioned above. Often, starter Pokémon are Earth, Fire, and Water-types, and Scarlet and Violet‘s new starters follow this format as well.

Gen 9’s New Grass-type Starter: Sprigatito

The first of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s new starters is Sprigatito, Gen 9’s grass-type starter. More specifically, Sprigatito is a Grass Cat Pokémon. This Pokémon’s height is 1’4″ and it weighs 9 lbs. Its primary ability is Overgrow.

According to its official description, Sprigatito is a “capricious, attention-seeking Grass Cat Pokémon.” Well, that sounds like every cat we’ve ever met to us. But watch out for this one’s leaves, in addition to its claws. It has a sweet smile, but we can see the mischief lurking underneath.

We’ve also now learned that “when Sprigatito kneads and rubs with its forepaws, a sweet aroma is released that can mesmerize those around it. This aroma has therapeutic qualities and makes opponents lose their will to battle.” Sounds like a handy ability. Additionally, Sprigatito creates energy by absorbing sunlight and it “adds moisture to its fur by grooming itself, which aids its ability to photosynthesize.”

Gen 9’s New Fire-type Starter: Fuecoco

Gen 9’s adorable fire-type starter is Fuecoco. This Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet creature is actually a Fire Croc Pokémon. He reminds us more of a fire dinosaur, but we can see the croc there if we squint. We’re sure that aspect will come out more in Fuecoco’s evolutions.

Additionally, we know now that the square scales on Fuecoco’s stomach absorb heat. And this heat can be converted into fire energy. Although always warm, watch out for these scales getting hot. This Scarlet and Violet starter also has flames sprouting out of its head, that’s actually fire energy leaking out. The more excited Fuecoco is, the more flames decorate its head. Happily, this member of the Scarlet and Violet starters club is very chill.

In its starter form, Fuecoco measures 1’4″ and weighs 21.6 lbs. Its main ability is Blaze. Its official description shares, “The laid-back Fire Croc Pokémon that does things at its own pace” and “it will sprint toward any food it finds with a glint in its eye.” Absolutely adorable. Perhaps Fuecoco and Slowpoke can be good friends.

Gen 9’s New Water-type Starter: Quaxly

Quaxly makes up the last part of the Scarlet and Violet starters trio. This adorable duck is a water-type Pokémon in the Duckling category. (Our new favorite category, it must be said.)

Although Quaxly is a brand new Pokémon, he has already won many hearts. At 1’8″, it stands as the tallest of the Gen 9 starter Pokémon. And Quaxly weighs 13.4 lbs. Its main ability is Torrent.

Quaxly’s whole body is covered in a protective, glossy gel which repels dirt and grime. And that’s why Quaxly is always shiny. Quaxly’s coif is kept in place with a thick, rich cream but can become unkempt when dry. Quaxly also has some strong legs and can swim against fierce currents. In battle it will often kick its opponents repeatedly.

We also know that Quaxly is an “earnest and tidy Duckling Pokémon” and that it “dislikes getting its head dirty.” Cue the collective awwwwws over this Pokémon.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Full Pokédex

To get to know every single one of Scarlet and Violet‘s Pokémon, you can check out this full Pokédex that YouTube MELOO has put together.

Enjoy catching them all!

New Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Features

Terastallizing with Tera Orbs in Scarlet and Violet

In addition to new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, regional forms, legendaries, and starters, every Pokémon gets a novel form in the Paldea region. The upcoming Pokémon games introduce a new gameplay element. With the help of a Tera orb, Pokémon can undergo the phenomenon of terastallizing. This makes Pokémon shine like gemstones as they crystallize into new forms of themselves. All Pokémon in the Paldea region are able to terastallize. Undergoing this process may provide or change a Pokémon’s type and enhance its moves. These changes occur based on a Pokémon’s Tera-type and some Pokémon possess rare Tera-types. All we know is, these Scarlet and Violet crystalline Pokémon forms sure are pretty.

Titan Pokémon

What are Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Titan Pokémon? Well, Titan Pokémon are a new variation of existing Pokémon that appear in the games that are “bigger and stronger than ordinary Pokémon.” It seems like these Titan Pokémon will offer something like boss battles during Scarlet and Violet‘s adventures.

To defeat them, you’ll likely need to use Herba Mystica. Herba Mystica are “extremely rare herbs that can only be found in Paldea.” And they’ll restore your health immediately after you eat them. Incredible.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

New Pokémon From Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansions

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will receive their first DLC expansions in 2023. These two-part additions to the game, titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will, of course, bring with them some more entries to the Pokédex. You can see them in action in the latest teaser trailer for the Scarlet and Violet DLC.

Here are the new Pokémon you’ll receive when you add these DLCs to Scarlet and Violet.

The Teal Mask

In The Teal Mask, you’ll find new Pokémon that inhabit the land of Kitakami. They include Legendary Pokémon Ogerpon as well as Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. Ogerpon seems to resemble a demon of some sort, while Okidogi looks like a humanoid dog, Munkidori carries a monkey presence with him, and Fezandipiti is pheasant-like. Dipplin, the Candy Apple Pokémon and a new evolution of Applin, also joins the fun.

Click To View Gallery

Additonally, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 1: The Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet will reveal a very special Matcha Pokémon, Poltchageist. Don’t be fooled by its cute appearance. “After a target is sprinkled with some of Poltchageist’s powdery body or eats food dusted with it, Poltchageist drains their life-force and absorbs it as energy.​

We finally have a specific release date for The Teal Mask—this Scarlet and Violet DLC will arrive on September 13, 2023.

The Indigo Disk

The Indigo Disk presented us with the new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, Terapagos. This sea-turtle like creature seems to be tied to the terastallizing phenomenon somehow.

the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos also has a second Normal Form in addition to its Terastal Form.

Joining Terapagos we also have Raging Bolt, an Electric/Dragon Pokémon, and Iron Crown, a Steel/Psychic Pokémon. These fellas seem very powerful.

Archaludon, a Steel/Dragon evolution of Duraludon, also joins the fray. Archaludon can take the form of a bridge in battle.

We also finally have a release date for The Indigo Mask—this Scarlet and Violet DLC will arrive on December 14.

Other Expansion Additions

The official site also shares, “These expansions bring with them over 230 familiar Pokémon that had not appeared in Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet.” For instance, Gligar will appear in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Scarlet, while Aipom turns up in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Violet. Here is a sampling of other Pokémon we’ll see.

From Teal Mask

From Indigo Disk

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Gameplay, Order/Release Information, and More

The Pokémon Company has now released two trailers for the upcoming games. In addition to information about the new Scarlet and Violet starters, we see some of the cool environments and gameplay we can expect from the open-world adventures in the first trailer. From desert areas to beachside houses, the game offers a lush variety of different settings. We also feel interested to see if an element of time travel comes into play.

The trailer seems to focus on a whirling clock. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, trainers traveled back in time. But perhaps in Scarlet and Violet, fans will see gameplay across time periods. This would allow the games to showcase a wider scope of action. Additionally, if the games really are inspired by Spain, they could take players to different moments in history. It would certainly offer a cool twist on the standard Pokémon game. We’re used to seeing regional variants of Pokémon, but maybe Scarlet and Violet could lean even harder into temporal variants.

The second trailer for the game also revealed some other important information, Scarlet and Violet‘s release date information. The games released on November 18.

For now, you can already pre-order Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. 

Order Pokémon Scarlet Order:

Amazon // Wal-Mart

Order Pokémon Violet:

Amazon // Wal-Mart

Discover All of the New Pokémon From Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

We love the first new Pokémon we’ve got to meet, and now it’s time to play the games and explore the world of Paldea fully. With so many different environments, you never know what’s around the corner. From new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet starters to more new legendaries to eagerly anticipated regional forms and evolutions, these creatures are unique. May your Pokémon trainer journeys be the very best.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Originally Published February 28, 2022.

The post Meet POKÉMON SCARLET and VIOLET’s New Pokémon and Regional Forms appeared first on Nerdist.

What are trading cards if not vast collections of art pieces you collect? Whenever fans clamor to know about new Pokémon joining the franchise, they’re really hoping to see new artwork revealed. And so, it only makes sense for Pokémon to engage with other famous artists. This time, Pokémon is collaborating with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This partnership brings Van Gogh’s art style to a Pokémon exhibit that celebrates some of our favorite creatures of all. And it even gives Pokémon Masters a chance to collect a new rare promo card, “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat.” However, there have been some changes in how you can acquire the card and some overall evolutions in the collaboration since its initial release. Here’s the latest news on what’s going on with this Van Gogh and Pokémon meeting of the minds.

Jump to: The Permanent Pokémon x Van Gogh Collection // The Van Gogh Pikachu Promo Card // Can You Get the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online? // Exhibit Information // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise From The Pokémon Center // Every Item in the Collection // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise at the Museum // When Will the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Go Live?

Pokémon at the Van Gogh Museum’s Permanent Collection

A release from the Van Gogh Museum shares more about this gorgeous partnership. It notes, “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum, Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum have launched an official collaboration aimed at introducing new audiences to the work of Vincent van Gogh.” And that feels like a very worthy cause to us. If Pokémon can get more people into a museum and get them thinking about what art means, well, that’s excellent.

Click To View Gallery

The Van Gogh Museum has teased several pieces from its Pokémon art exhibit, but there will be a total of six. The museum notes, “Several of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous works from the permanent collection of the Van Gogh Museum served as inspiration for six paintings made by artists from The Pokémon Company.” Right now, we get to see “Pikachu in a work inspired by Self-portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887), the Pokémon Sunflora is hidden in a variant of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers (1889), and you can find Snorlax and Munchlax relaxing in a work inspired by The Bedroom (1888).” Additionally, Eevee features in another self-portrait-inspired work. And we think we spy some Honchkrow and Corviknight flapping around in a piece reminiscent of Wheatfield with Crows.

How to Get the New Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Promo Card

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pokémon event without a new card to take home. Initially, fans visiting the exhibit at the Van Gogh Museum could catch a new Pikachu TCG card inspired by the artist. But unfortunately, this promo Pokémon card is no longer available in person at the Van Gogh Museum.

The museum shares, “The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company International take the safety and security of visitors and staff very seriously. Recently, a small group of individuals has created an undesirable situation that has led us to take the difficult decision to remove the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card from the museum. In this way, visitors will be able to experience this special collection of Pokémon paintings and the rest of the museum in a safe and enjoyable manner.”

However, this doesn’t mean the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card is gone forever. The Van Gogh Museum further notes how you can get the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card. It offers, “Pokémon will also reintroduce the promo card in participating retailers in the Netherlands early next year. It will not be available via the Van Gogh Museum.”

Can You Buy the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online?

Of course, not everyone can visit the Netherlands. And this ultimately leaves fans with one important question, is the Van Gogh promo Pokémon card, “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat,” available online?

Yes, appears to be the answer; you can get “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” via online purchasing, making it more available to everyone. However, when fans will be able to get their hands on the promo Pikachu isn’t yet clear. The Van Gogh Museum reveals that “Fans shopping at Pokémon Center (United Kingdom, United States and Canada) will soon receive another opportunity to obtain the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card. Pokémon will give additional updates through its official email and social media channels.”

Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company itself has also given an update on the situation. The full text of its post reads, “Fans shopping at Pokémon Center will soon receive another opportunity to obtain the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo card. Trainers will receive one “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo card with a Pokémon Center order containing Pokémon Trading Card Game products, while supplies last (minimum purchase of $30 in qualifying Pokémon TCG items required, limited to one promo card per order).” Hopefully, allowing fans to receive a Van Gogh Pokémon card with any qualifying purchase will remove some of the pressure from the situation.

These updates come after The Pokémon Center almost immediately sold out of all of its Van Gogh-related merchandise at the time of their initial release. At that point, only a purchase of Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum merchandise came with the special Pikachu card. However, many were not able to get the Pokémon promo card because of the speedy sell-out.

Of note, merchandise purchased from The Van Gogh Museum’s online shop will not come with a promo Pikachu.

How Many Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Cards Can You Recieve Online?

Originally, each eligible Pokémon Center × Van Gogh Museum item purchased came with a Pikachu promo card. And that meant that if you bought two items from the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum collection, you would receive two promo cards as a gift.

However, although more items will now be eligible to get you a Van Gogh Pikachu card, fans can only receive one promo Pokémon card per order. If you’d like more than one Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat card then you’ll need to make separate orders totaling $30 and above.

When Will Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat Be Available Online?

All we know for now is that fans will get another opportunity to get the Van Gogh Pokémon card “soon.” There is no specific information on an exact release date for the promo card.

Jump to: The Permanent Pokémon x Van Gogh Collection // The Van Gogh Pikachu Promo Card // Can You Get the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online? // Exhibit Information // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise From The Pokémon Center // Every Item in the Collection // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Available at the Museum // When Will the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Go Live?

Other Exhibit Information: Timing and More

The Pokémon and Van Gogh Museum collaboration begins on September 28 and runs through January 7, 2024. In addition to the above, the museum will also have a ‘How to Draw Pikachu’ video-guided activity and online learning material.

What Van Gogh Pokémon Merchandise Was Available to Buy?

Of course, “The Van Gogh Museum Shop (inside the museum and online) and The Pokémon Centre online store featured an exclusive range of Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum merchandise featuring the art of the collaboration.” We expected nothing less.

Attendees of the Van Gogh Museum have shared some looks at what was initally available to purchase. However, as discussed above, it looks like items that went on sale via The Pokémon Center have sold out. We hope they will see a restock.

Here's an in-person look at the Van Gogh Pokemon merchandise including card sleeves, playmats, puzzles and more!

📸: @thewossy pic.twitter.com/BVwL2llHw2

— Pokemon TCG Restocks & News (@PokemonRestocks) September 27, 2023

A release from The Pokémon Company also noted, “The Pokémon Center online store will feature an exclusive range of ‘Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum’ merchandise featuring the art from the collaboration. Items available include a special Vincent Van Gogh inspired Pikachu Plush, Trading Card Game sleeves, Van Gogh-inspired figures of Pikachu and Eevee, Poster Prints, a Jigsaw Puzzle and more.”

But here’s a closer look at some of the items you can buy if The Pokémon Center restocks this line; we do hope we can catch ’em all!

Click To View Gallery

Every Item in The Pokémon Center’s Van Gogh Collection

A full listing of every Van Gogh Pokémon item you can buy, should they be restocked, is available here. You can also see the listing in the image below.

Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Available at the Museum

Additional exclusive merchandise will be available at The Van Gogh Museum’s online shop, but as noted above, buying Pokémon merchandise from this site will not come with a “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” card. The Van Gogh Museum notes it will allow one piece per product per customer; products are subject to availability.

At one point, a “Van Gogh Giclée, Pikachu”—a “high-resolution fine art reproduction” of Pikachu was available for purchase alongside high-end prints of the Van Gogh versions of Eevee, Smeargle, Sunflora, Snorlax & Munchlax, and Corviknight & Honchkrow. However, currently, the page for “Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum” is empty.

When Will the Pokémon Center × Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Be Available to Buy?

The first round of The Pokémon Center x Van Gogh merchandise went up on September 29. But it sold out almost immediately. As mentioned, hopefully, there will be a restock of items.

The Van Gogh Museum has not yet released timing for the online items it plans to sell.

Jump to: The Permanent Pokémon x Van Gogh Collection // The Van Gogh Pikachu Promo Card // Can You Get the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online? // Exhibit Information // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise From The Pokémon Center // Every Item in the Collection // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Available at the Museum // When Will the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Go Live?

More information and FAQ about this artistic meeting of the minds can be found here. We’ll see you in Amsterdam.

Originally published on September 27, 2023

The post POKÉMON Van Gogh Collaboration Reveals New Promo Card and Museum Adventures appeared first on Nerdist.

Pokémon came into our lives over 25 years ago, and in that time, it has become, in many ways, real. From video games to anime, from iconic trading cards to even VR options, the franchise has embedded itself deeply into many people’s lives. But all this raises the question, what if Pokémon were, in fact, real? It feels like the last horizon the series hasn’t conquered. And while we do feel glad about that, we do not need actual Pokémon running around in the world, it’s still fun to imagine what realistic Pokémon would actually look like. Happily, the incredibly talented Joshua Dunlop is ready to help us out with some unique visuals. Dunlop recently completed his collection of realistic Generation 1 Pokémon artworks and is now turning them into an art book via Kickstarter. Let’s take a look at the most unique Pokémon evolutions of all—the real-world-volutions.

Since 2016, Dunlop has challenged himself to create realistic artworks of all 151 Generation 1 Pokémon. This project is Pokémon Zoology. The pieces involved, he shares, aim to “evoke a sense of nostalgia and bring a new perspective to the Pokémon that started it all.” And they certainly do! With the 151 pieces of realistic Pokémon art now completed, Dunlop is ready to bring them all together and create an exciting offering for Pokémon fans everywhere. From Dragonair to Bulbasaur and everyone in between, you can see some of our favorite Pokémon below as they make the leap into the real world.

This Realistic Pokémon Art Brings Fantasy and Science Together

Click To View Gallery

Of course, these pieces of realistic Pokémon art do not just spring from Dunlop’s imagination. Dunlop notes that his work “encapsulates the spirit of the beloved Pokémon while grounding them in real-world biology. No detail has been overlooked in these intricate depictions, from feather textures to scale patterns. The accurate anatomy provides a fresh perspective on even the most familiar species like Pikachu and Charizard.” Ultimately, the project “bridges imagination and science in a visually striking package, perfect for Pokémon devotees, biology buffs, artists, and teachers!

The Pokémon Zoology Art Book Kickstarter

And that brings us to the Pokémon Zoology Art Book Kickstarter. To bring this book to life requires a group effort. But luckily, Pokémon Trainers are everywhere. Dunlop is hoping to raise $12,077 or £10,000 to give his realistic Pokémon the home they deserve. Happily, at the time of this writing, the Pokémon art book Kickstarter has been fully backed and has made over twice the amount it was looking to earn.

In exchange for pledging, backers will receive rewards digital and physical copies of the artbook, postcards, prints, and more. The Kickstarter will run until the 30th of October. You can keep up to date on Dunlop’s art and Kickstarter via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and ArtStation.

If you’re on the fence about pledging for this Pokémon book, just take a look into the eyes of Dunlop’s realistic Pikachu. How can you say no to that face?

Originally published on October 3, 2023.

The post Zoology Meets POKÉMON in This Beautiful Art Book appeared first on Nerdist.

The Pokémon franchise is all about catching them all. You can collect Pokémon by going along on the anime’s adventures, by playing Pokémon‘s numerous video games, and even by walking down your favorite street as you adventure with Pokémon Go. But, by far, one of the most adorable ways to amass many Pokémon is by collecting Pokémon Squishmallows. Pokémon Squishmallows evolve your favorite Pokémon into a cross between a stuffed animal and a pillow, which gives even the cutest Pokémon an extra edge of sweetness. Who doesn’t love a Pikachu you can cuddle?

Much like with Pokémon‘s games, though, new Pokémon Squishmallows are always being released into the wild. Unfortunately, they can be hard to catch because many Pokémon trainers are after them, so knowing which Pokémon Squishmallows are out there and will soon be released can be very helpful. And hey, no one ever said becoming a Pokémon master was easy. Here are all the Pokémon Squishmallows released or announced so far.

Every Pokémon Squishmallow You Can Catch

The Newest Pokémon Squishmallows: Clefairy and Teddiursa

Could there be a Pokémon better suited to become a Squishmallow than Teddiursa? That Pokémon is practically a stuffed animal already and is known to be one of the cutest Pokémon around. Clefairy, of course, is snuggly by design as well. We love these two new Pokémon Squishmallows.

When Will Clefairy and Teddiursa Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released and How Much Will They Cost?

There’s no word yet on when Clefairy and Teddiursa Squishmallows will be released, what sizes they’ll come in, or how much they’ll cost.

Holiday Pikachu Pokémon Squishmallow

Get festive this winter with Holiday Pikachu Squishmallow. Pokémon has developed a tradition of releasing Pikachus with headwear of various kinds, and this adorable creature continues that trend beautifully. Holiday Pikachu could be a Squishmallow worth throwing out a Great Ball for.

When Will the Holiday Pikachu Pokémon Squishmallow Be Released, and How Much Will It Cost?

The Holiday Pikachu Squishmallow releases in stores on November 5. It comes in a 14-inch version that costs $24.99. Unfortunately, online pre-orders have already sold out.

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows were announced together—and they make a good pair. Another Pikachu is always a welcome addition to any trainer’s collection. And Piplup is one popular penguin creature. We can’t wait to snuggle these plushes, but gently, of course.

When Will Winking Pikachu and Piplup Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released, and How Much Will They Cost?

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows have released online. A 14-inch version of these Squishmallows costs $44.99, while a 12-inch version of the plushes retails for $29.99. There is also a 10-inch version version that costs $14.97. It appears Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows have only recently appeared in stores as well, so keep your eyes out if you want to snag them!

Right now, it seems like these two Pokémon Squishmallows are freshly available at GameStop (Piplup, all sizes), The Pokémon Center, and other retailers such as Target (Winking Pikachu), but we suggest you act quickly if you wish to buy them.

Togepi and Snorlax Squishmallows

Togepi and Snorlax are among the most iconic Pokémon out there, so it makes a lot of sense they were in the second wave of Pokémon Squishmallows released. Snorlax, by nature, makes for a good soft pillow. And who can resist the charm of Togepi?

When Will Snorlax and Togepi Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released, and How Much Will They Cost?

Snorlax and Togepi have been around for a while. Although they’re sold out online and can be difficult to find in stores, they are periodically re-released and become available again. Keep your eyes out for them in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, and more.

The Snorlax and Togepi Squishmallows come in 10, 12, and 20-inch variations. These Squishmallows retail for $14.99, $29.99, and $44.99, respectively.

The Orignal Pokémon Squishmallows: Pikachu and Gengar

Of course, there’s nothing like an O.G. set of Squishmallows for your Pokémon Collection. Pikachu and Gengar started it all. While Pikachu is the most obvious choice for a collection, Gengar is a little bit more of a wild card. But hey, we love the ghostly guy.

When Will Pikachu and Gengar Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released, and How Much Will They Cost?

Like Snorlax and Togepi, Pikachu and Gengar are sold out online but tend to restock and then resurface in stores now and again. The vigilant trainer will likely be able to snag these squishy friends at some point.

The Pikachu and Gengar Squishmallows come in 10, 12, and 20-inch variations. These Squishmallows retail for $19.99, $29.99, and $44.99, respectively.

Future Pokémon Squishmallow Releases

Given the steady cadence of past releases, there will almost certainly be more of these Squishmallows in the future. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the next waves of these Pokémon collectibles to help you catch ’em all.

Originally published on September 8, 2023.

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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have had a bit of a rocky road since their release. But now there’s plenty for fans to get excited about. The Pokémon Company previously gave the games a major two-part expansion that gave fans a new area to explore and, of course, what every Pokémon fan wants most, new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon to catch. Now, Pokémon fans are getting to trek to an exciting new region this fall with The Teal Mask, the first of two expansions.

New Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Expansions and DLC Trailer

The trailer for Area Zero reveals more about what’s to come for trainers. It lets us know that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will receive two DLC expansions, which, of course, you’ll have to buy. Part 1, named The Teal Mask, will release on September 13. Part 2, named The Indigo Disk, will release in the winter of 2023. The two parts will come together to tell a linked story named “The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.” In addition to new gameplay, you’ll receive “a New Uniform Set, made up of new apparel items that you can use at once” across your games.

The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk

The official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet website reveals more about what we can expect from these new parts of the game. It notes:

Step out of the Paldea region as you take a school trip to the land of Kitakami. There, you’ll meet new people and Pokémon while unraveling the mysteries behind the area’s folk tales.

The story continues as you become an exchange student and visit Blueberry Academy. Most of this unusual school is located under the ocean, and its curriculum emphasizes Pokémon battling. The Indigo Disk is slated for release in winter 2023.

Catch all of the details that Pokémon announced during its presentation in August 2023.

New Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet Expansions and Base Game

Of course, these DLCs will also come with new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon. In all, five have been revealed, including two Legendary Pokémon. Part 1 of the Scarlet and Violet expansions will introduce Legendary Pokémon Ogerpon as well as Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. Part 2, meanwhile, will reveal the turtle-like Terapagos.

Click To View Gallery

In addition, “these expansions bring with them over 230 familiar Pokémon that had not appeared in Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet.” It looks like that will include Ninetails, Metagross, Dewgong, and more.

For those who just can’t wait for the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC expansions, fear not. Tera Raid Battles are happening in the base games in August and September. And it will bring with it Pokémon like Mewtwo.

Phew, that’s a lot for a Pokémon Master to take in. But we know you are up to the challenge.

Originally published on February 27, 2023.

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Pokémon Squishmallows always create quite the stir. In fact, they usually sell out in minutes flat, causing fans to go on real like Pokémon journeys in order to catch ’em all. So, if you’re a big fan of the Pokémon Squishmallows, we suggest you get your Poké Balls and coins in order because two new Pokémon Squishmallows are heading our way. Next in this soft collectible line-up, we’ll get a Holiday Pikachu (complete with Santa hat), a Piplup Squishmallow, and a Winking Pikachu Squishmallow.

Obviously, just one kind of Pikachu Squishmallow isn’t enough. We need at least three varieties of this squishy friend. And Piplup seems like a great choice to join the ranks of Pokémon Squishmallows. Just look at that face. Nothing says adorable like huge eyes and little wings. We’re ready to snuggle this one already. And it’s nice to have a different type of Pokémon in the mix.

Of course, nothing says festive like Pikachu. On Pokémon Go, Pikachu often dons many hats to celebrate different occasions, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring this Santa hat-clad holiday Pikachu Squishmallow into the fold.

Although Squishmallows is happy to tease us with these new Santa Pikachu, Piplup, and Winking Pikachu stuffed animals, they’re less forthcoming with when we should expect them to appear in stores. We suspect, though, we’ll find out more sometime soon. Holiday Pikachu will, of course, need to join us by December. Most likely pre-orders for this Pokémon Squishmallow will begin sometime in the fall. To date, Pokémon Squishmallows have come in 10-inch, 14-inch, and 20-inch varieties. The most expensive of the Squishmallows to date, 20-inch varieties of Pikachu and Gengar have cost $44.99. That’s not too bad for something so cute.

As we wait for new friends, hug the Pokémon Squishmallows you’re lucky enough to have caught already and get some room ready on the shelf.

Originally published on May 30, 2023.

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Feel old, yet? After a quarter-of-a-century journey to be the best like no one ever was, Ash and Pikachu will hang up their hats and lightning bolts as they leave the Pokémon anime behind. Unlike other similar anime series, which refresh their protagonists after a season or two, these two were lifers. It seemed like Ash and Pikachu would always remain on our screens. But all good things must come to end. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t feel sad about this change in the bedrock of our pop culture. Even though Ash and Pikachu will leave the Pokémon anime, they will not be forgotten.

A special Pokémon trailer highlights the coming changes to the franchise’s world. It reminds us of the journey that Ash and Pikachu have gone on. There is a lot to look back on. After all, Pokémon began to air in Japan in 1997. And it came shortly thereafter to the US in 1998. VCRs were in vogue, then! But, although becoming a Pokémon Master is a dream that never ends, Ash and Pikachu have arrived at their final chapter.

When Will Ash’s Final Pokémon Episodes Air in the United States?

Pokémon ended Ash’s story with 11 episodes that began airing in Japan on January 13, 2023. And these episodes marked the end of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. According to a release, they will also “provide a glimpse of what the future may hold for the world’s strongest Trainer. The forthcoming special episodes not only celebrate our hero’s monumental achievement but they also serve as an expression of gratitude from Pokémon to all the fans who have joined Ash and Pikachu along the way.”

At SDCC 2023, it was revealed that Ash and Pikachu’s final Pokémon episodes will release in the US on September 8, 2023. These last moments of the original Pokémon series will stream on Netflix. Pokémon released a teaser trailer for this concluding segment, also known as Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series Part 4. And it really is emotional.

A release shares, “Send Ash and Pikachu off in the final episodes of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, available 9/8 on Netflix! Join them after their World Coronation series win as they reunite with old friends in Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master, a collection of special episodes that concludes Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series.” In the meanwhile, Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series parts 1-3 is now streaming. There is no word yet on when Pokémon Horizons, the next chapter of the Pokémon saga, will arrive in the US. But we’re sure we’ll hear more about it soon.

If you don’t want to be spoiled for Ash’s final Pokémon episodes, look away now!

Old Friends Join Ash for His Final Episodes

Brock and Misty join Ash and Pikachu for their final episodes as Pokémon’s heroes. And, of course, Ash’s first rival makes a comeback just in time for Ash’s last stand. It’s a fitting way to go.

Crunchyroll shares that the second episode of Ash’s last stand, Pokémon: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master,  will bring Misty back into the fold. Snippets of her appearance are teased in the above trailer. Meanwhile, episode three of Ash’s swan song will reveal the return of Brock and Cilan. GameRant indicates Misty will also appear, marking the reunion of our favorite trio. The first clips of Misty’s return have begun to surface on the internet.

In addition, joining the trio and their Pokémon are also Team Rocket, the Squirtle Squad, and other old favs.

We’re not surprised Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and more will all come together to see out this chapter of the series, but we are emotional.

Ash’s Rival Gary Returns for Ash’s Very Last Episode

Sometimes in the world of anime, it’s not a hero’s friends who are their most powerful relationships, but their rivals. Ash and Gary started their Pokémon adventure on the very same day, and their relationship has woven through the series. And now, Gary will be back to help close Ash’s chapter on the show.

A synopsis from a Japanese TV guide for Ash’s last episode titled “Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!,” shared by Kotaku, notes:

When Ash and Pikachu return to Pallet Town, they reunite with Gary who asks Ash the question: How much closer to becoming the Pokémon Master are you now that you’ve become the Champion? Becoming a Pokémon Master has been Ash’s dream ever since he set off on his journey with Pikachu. Will Ash be able to find the answer to this question?

We bet we will see one final battle between Ash and Gary, but probably not an antagonistic one. No, we imagine this one will feel more bittersweet and poignant, capturing Ash’s growth on his long journey.

When Did Ash’s Last Pokémon Episodes Air in Japan?

In short, have your tissues and cuddly Pikachu pillows ready as we prepare to say goodbye to Ash and the rest of the Pokémon gang. Ash’s final episode aired in Japan on March 24. As mentioned, there is no date set yet for when Ash’s final Pokémon episodes will arrive on Netflix in the US. But we know this one will make us cry harder than when Ash let Butterfree stay behind without him. (Although we feel glad that the pair finally reunited.)

The Future of Pokémon: Pokémon Horizons

And now, a new dream begins. 25 years later, Pokémon will center on fresh heroes. We now know they are named Liko and Roy. The duo of protagonists will continue unraveling the mysteries of the Pokémon world in Pokémon Horizons. And the new series will feature more modern Pokémon, like those we met in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

We suppose Ash did finally become the world champion of the Pokémon world. And unless there was some kind of universal tournament for him to enter, that’s probably the pinnacle of achievement. So it makes sense to bring his story to a close. We guess the only way to properly say goodbye is to dig out our copies of Pokémon episode one.

Originally published on December 16, 2022.

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Hard-boiled noir fiction doesn’t get much softer or brighter than Nintendo’s Detective Pikachu, a game which saw a behatted, chatty Pikachu solve Pokemon mysteries in Ryme City with his trusty human sidekick, Tim Goodman. That game, a major departure from the regular “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” narrative, was popular enough to branch out into a feature film. Now, as part of this week’s Nintendo Direct, we know the adventures in the game world won’t end. Check out the trailer for the aptly named sequel Detective Pikachu Returns.

Pikachu, who makes sure to tell everyone he’s a great detective, finds himself on several new mysterious trails in the game. We don’t know exactly what, but we see tons of different Pokémon that could easily be in trouble and/or evil. Mewtwo also rears his purple head in the Detective Pikachu Returns trailer. If Mewtwo is around, trouble can’t be far behind. Luckily, Detective Pikachu has Tim again, in his “iconic red hoodie.” You didn’t know a hoodie could be iconic, eh? But it is.

Pokémon is one of the most recognizable and popular video game brands in the entire world, and I love that it isn’t content to stay in its one lane. The first Detective Pikachu offered fans a look into the world of the pocket monsters they’d never gotten before. This new game seems to be more of that, and that is definitely not a bad thing.

Detective Pikachu Returns will hit the Nintendo Switch on October 6, 2023.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, we learned that Pokémon all become teeny tiny before they go into a Poké Ball. But most of the time, these creatures come in all shapes, sizes, and heights. Of course, some Pokémon are always teeny tiny, but others are veritable monoliths towering over the world. But which Pokémon are the smallest of all? And which Pokémon are the tallest/biggest of them all? The latest entry from Global Data is here to put some of your favs into perspective. Check out the Pokémon size comparison video below.

So, who are some of the smallest Pokémon? Well, according to this size comparison video, Pokémon like Joltik, Caterpie, and Diglett are some of the most diminutive of the bunch. That makes sense because Joltik and Caterpie take their inspiration from real-life insects and bugs. Everyone’s favorite friend Pikachu is also pretty tiny; Pikachu comes in at just 1.3 feet tall. We are cooing over this fact. Imagine having a real-life Pikachu companion that’s only the size of a ruler. That’s too cute.

The size comparison video slips Ash in as a comparison point for the Pokémon here and there. And that does help to understand what exactly we’re looking at. The video also offers some unexpected insights. For instance, Charizard is actually under six feet tall. But we’d have guessed a much greater size for this ferocious creature. Meanwhile, the elegant Dragonair is over 13 feet long! It’d be scarier than we thought to meet this lengthy Pokémon in the wild.

On the tall end of the Pokémon spectrum are some truly towering giants. There’s the ferocious Gyarados, the grinning Steelix, and the massive Rayquaza. Wailord is listed here as the second biggest Pokémon. But the tallest Pokémon of all is Eternatus. This legendary Pokémon comes in at 65.6 feet tall. We’re honestly starting to think that Pokémon could give us a pretty good horror movie if it tried.

Of course, the world of Pokémon is always expanding. Soon there could be even smaller and even bigger Pokémon to explore. So we’ll just have to keep our Pokédex handy and hope that even the most giant of Pokémon can fit into our Poké Balls.

Feature Image: Global Data

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Pokémon HOME is getting an update soon that will please a lot of players. The ability to link HOME to Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet was a source of frustration for those who wanted to move Pokémon freely. Now, that will be a cool reality with some perks to boot. The company initially mistakenly said the HOME update would happen on May 23 but has now set a new date.

The Pokémon Company made the exciting announcement via Twitter, revealing that those who do link Pokémon HOME to Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will get a Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly with Hidden Abilities as Mystery Gifts.

The company also took to Twitter to reveal the real timing for this exciting update. The Pokémon HOME version 3.0.0 update will begin on May 29 and continue into May 30. And after that, players should hopefully be able to link Scarlet and Violet to their HOME and move their Pokémon with ease.

There’s only one catch to this Pokémon HOME linking update, and it is not really a catch honestly. A Pokémon can only be moved to a game that they appear in. Let the fun begin!

Originally published on May 18, 2023.

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Who can resist Pokémon Squishmallows? They are indeed hot commodities, with Pikachu and Gengar causing a purchasing frenzy. (Seriously, the bigger ones were gone in a flash online.) It totally makes sense to watch to catch ‘em because, well, they are cuddly and squishy. Now, more Pokémon Squishmallows have arrived, as we see in this IG video. Say hello to Snorlax and Togepi Squishmallows… And get those Poké Balls ready to snap them up. 

These new Pokémon Snorlax and Togepi Squishmallows have officially landed in stores. So we suggest you act fast because many trainers will surely wish to snag them. Who can resist those cute faces, honestly?

Jazwares shares the Togepi and Snorlax Squishmallows will arrive on “Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other major retailers.”

We assume these new Pokémon Squishmallows will come in both 10-inch and 20-inch sizes. And they will presumably be hard to find online and in stores, but we have to try, right? That’s what being a Pokémon master is all about. If we had to give a recommendation, finding these new plushes in a physical store will probably be simpler than tracking them down online. But that’s just our opinion.

More details should be coming soon but prepare your hearts (and space) for more cuddly friends.

Originally published on February 22, 2023.

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It will be some time yet before Ash’s final episode of Pokémon airs in the United States. But it almost doesn’t matter what happens in Ash’s last episode because it’s more the knowledge that this era of Pokémon has ended that makes us emotional. And, so, while we’re feeling nostalgic and tearful for the last 25 years of our lives and of Pokémon, why not watch Ash’s final scene as Pokémon‘s hero? As always, the internet has come through for us.

Ash’s last moments on Pokémon end as they begin—with the next horizon. The truth is for a Pokémon master, the journey is never truly done. Ash and Pikachu will have more adventures after his final scene on Pokémon. And Team Rocket will still chase them to the ends of the earth. We just won’t be there to see it. And that’s okay. Because we’ll always have the last quarter century of Pokémon to live and relive.

Still, we can’t help but feel those feelings as the triumphant sounds of Pokémon‘s familiar theme play in the air. In his final scene, Ash looks out at the road, and we don’t know where he’ll end up. But we do know that he, Pikachu, and all the fans around the world share a bond like no other. It’s the very best, like no bond ever was. Someone pass the tissues, please.

Even if Pokémon went on for another 25 years, though, it would always inevitably end like this. Pokémon‘s final scene could contain nothing else but Ash, ready for whatever comes next, and Pikachu, loyally by his side. And now, we’ll have a new beginning. Pokémon: Horizons is on the way. And its title is absolutely fitting. We can’t wait to see what Liko and Roy get up to in their Pokémon story. And there’s something absolutely beautiful, after all, about a brand new beginning.

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We suppose it wouldn’t make sense to have Team Rocket forge onward without Ash and Pikachu to chase. But for long-time fans, Team Rocket’s Pokémon goodbye makes the end of an era all the more real. As Pokémon prepares for its final episodes with Ash as its main character, it’s also closing the book on Jessie, James, and Meowth, a trio of maybe the most iconic villains in pop culture. And even worse, it seems like Pokémon has disbanded Team Rocket, but thankfully not for too long.

Ash’s swan song on Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series is marked by nostalgic visits from friends, Pokémon, and rivals. So, of course, Team Rocket had to play a part in the farewell. After all, they’ve been trying to get their hands on Pikachu for twenty-five years. In their seemingly final episode, Team Rocket made one last attempt to steal Pikachu from Ash and brought along many of their past Pokémon to the fight. (Though not all, as recognized in this tribute.)

Obviously, even with twenty-five years of experience, they did not succeed. Team Rocket blasted off for their seemingly final time on Pokémon. But in a truly shocking twist, the three decided that it was time to call it quits. We didn’t expect them to chase Pikachu forever into the sunset… But maybe we kind of did. It was sad to imagine that Team Rocket has disbanded.

But thankfully, in the final episode of Pokémon, Team Rocket got back together after all and gave one more chase for Pikachu. Being separated and working at the Team Rocket cafe was just not for them. And, of course, they understood they truly needed one another. We see them lurking on the horizon as Ash finishes the final steps of his journey. And that means, Team Rocket will forever live just out of sight, scheming their schemes. And though we won’t see them Ash and again in the same way, we can imagine their continuing adventures.

One thing is for sure, Pokémon is pulling no punches on its fans. The show knows the ending needs to count, and that means all of the feelings. But Team Rocket’s final bow also makes us wonder about the future. The trio of baddies could have served as a good thread from one chapter of Pokémon to the next. But it looks like Liko and Roy will face down a whole new threat. And whoever that next Pokémon villain is had better prepare for… a lot of hard work if they hope to live up to Team Rocket.

Originally published on March 15, 2023.

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Detective Pikachu might be back in the game. Fans have long awaited a sequel to the Pikachu-centric movie that won audience’s hearts. And finally, it seems like we see some movement on that front. A report from Deadline indicates that Portlandia‘s co-creator Jonathan Krisel might take up the helm of director for a Detective Pikachu sequel.

The publication does indicate that he is still in negotiations. But any news on the Detective Pikachu sequel is exciting news. Deadline also reports that Chris Galletta will write the script for the follow-up movie.

While we’re talking Detective Pikachu sequel, here at Nerdist, we feel that man of the moment, Pedro Pascal, should next voice the iconic Pikachu. And then Pikachu could adopt a child (Pichu), and Pascal can add “Poké-dad” to his resume. Ryan Reynolds originally voiced Detective Pikachu, of course, but with Deadpool joining the MCU, he’ll likely be a little busy.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see if our favorite Detective makes it back onto the screen. But a Detective Pikachu sequel sure would feel like a welcome addition to our lives… Especially as our beloved animated Pikachu leaves the anime behind.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

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Pokémon Sleep has napped for a while. We first heard about the Pokémon-themed mobile app designed to help you sleep better and track your sleep in 2019. But now, Pokémon Sleep is finally stirring again. As a new introduction video for the game reveals, in Pokémon Sleep, the more sleep you catch, the more Pokémon you catch too.

If we’re honest, a game you play while you sleep doesn’t sound all that restful. But getting good sleep can feel difficult, so maybe some encouragement from our favorite Pokémon can help us out. In Pokémon Sleep, Professor Neroli will help you research the sleeping habits of different Pokémon. When you sleep, your rest will get measured, recorded, and analyzed by the app. Pokémon Sleep will categorize your sleep into sleep types, most commonly dozing, snoozing, and slumbering. In the morning, you’ll have “caught” Pokémon that sleep like you do.

To win at this game, “all you have to do is get a good night’s sleep.” Because the more sleep you get, the more Pokémon you’ll discover, and the more likely you are to unlock rare sleep styles and Pokémon. We guess it does gamify sleep, maybe successfully.

The Pokémon Company also revealed a new gadget, Pokémon Go Plus Plus. This handy tool can be used to spin Poké-stops and throw Poké Balls (and now Great Balls and Ultra Balls) on Pokémon Go. But it also doubles as a sleep measuring tool on Pokémon Sleep.

Pokémon Sleep releases in summer 2023.

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All good things must come to an end. Sometimes, though, they evolve. Longtime Pokémon TV series stars Ash Ketchum and Pikachu are leaving the franchise with Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series after 25 seasons of adventures. A new Pokémon series is on the way with Liko and Roy leading the way. But can you have Pokémon without Pikachu? We don’t think so. Fortunately, the upcoming series will feature Captain Pikachu and his partner, Professor Friede. The Pokémon Company just revealed the characters. Look at Captain Pikachu’s hat.

Friede and Captain Pikachu will accompany the animated series’ protagonists, Liko and Roy, on their adventure. We have a feeling Captain Pikachu will be the star. I can already picture all the adorable plush toys.

In a statement, Taito Okiura, The Pokémon Company vice president of marketing said:

For 27 years, Pikachu has been synonymous with the Pokémon franchise, and we look forward to seeing this beloved Pokémon continue to have a significant presence in the animated series and remain an icon for the brand.

Pikachu is a powerhouse, regardless of whether he wears cute accessories. We look forward to learning more about the next chapter of Pokémon stories. It seems possible we could hear more on National Pokémon Day on Feburary 27.

Featured Image: The Pokémon Company

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Based on how often we hear about rare Pokémon cards selling for piles of money, they don’t feel that rare. In February 2022, one collector dropped $900,000 on a particular Pikachu-Holo Illustrator card. This time around a collector is selling a 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card PSA 8. The latter grade comes from the Professional Sports Authenticator company. The company rates cards on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best. So, this 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card ranks pretty high. Pokémon fan and eBay seller Tomoya Ohno is putting the starting bid for the card at $480,000.

While we perhaps use the term “rare” too often with Pokémon cards, it seems to apply here. A release calls this Pikachu card a “holy grail.” It was only given to 41 winners of the 1997 and 1998 Pokémon Illustrator contests. PSA has certified about 24 Pikachu Illustrator cards total, to date. So not too many of the cards have come across the grading company’s radar.

The 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card PSA 8 listing will go live on eBay on February 24 at 5:00 p.m. PT. It’s launching just ahead of National Pokémon Day. The auction will run for 10 days. We’re curious how much this rare Pokémon card will sell for.

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But can you really put a price on cuddles? Well, you can. And that price is $420, to be exact, if you want to pre-order this new Pokémon Wailord plush. To be fair, you do get a lot of Poké plush for your buck. This cuddly Wailord measures 57 ¾ inches (4 ¾ feet) long. It’s a tenth of the size of the actual Wailord Pokémon… But that’s probably for the best.

A release shares:

Strap in for adventure on the high seas—or in your living room—and have a whale of a time with this massively massive Wailord plush! Measuring about 57 ¾ inches long, or about 1/10th the size of an actual Wailord in the Pokémon video games and animation, it makes a huge impression no matter where it goes.

Just maybe don’t actually take it into the ocean. This Wailord Pokémon plush will ship around early November 2023. And you can officially pre-order it now. It’ll be the perfect thing to imagine holding as you cry bittersweet tears and say goodbye to Ash and Pikachu in their final episodes. Ahoy, cuddles ahead.

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It looks like Beyoncé tickets aren’t the only thing invading people’s checking and savings accounts. Pokémon fans are getting hit with a slate of ridiculously fly jackets. Like, they look so good that you’ll want to catch them all with your cart and check out. These new and exclusive Pokémon snap-down jackets feature seven different characters—Charizard, Gengar, Moltres, Articuno, Pikachu, Zapdos, and Rayquaza—emblazoned on the back. You can grab these colorful jackets for a mere $99.99 each at the Pokémon Center website. That’s really cheap compared to these pricey Sailor Moon boots.

Pokémon‘s official Twitter page dropped the news, and fans were either cheering or sad that their fave isn’t available yet. Maybe one day they will get the love that they deserve, right?

If you think you’ll be able to resist them, think again. Look at these photos of the Pokémon jackets. Now, look at them again.

Click To View Gallery

We can’t wait to see all your new IG looks soon.

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Remember when there were 150 Pokémon? That sure seemed like a lot when your first-grade self decided to try and memorize them all, so you were more than ready for some epic Pokérap battles. But now, over 25 years after the series began, that number seems paltry. Because Pokémon has officially crossed the 1,000 Pocket Monsters line. Yes, there are officially 1,008 Pokémon running wild in the world. Well, on our screens, anyway. So, if you want to catch them all, you’d better get started… Because it is going to take you a while.

Where did these 1,000-plus Pokémon come from? Well, since Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, the original Pokémon games, were first released, there have been 122 Pokémon games across nine generations and 18 different Pokémon types. That is an awful lot of Pokémon to go around.

If you don’t know each and every one of them, fear not. Pokémon has put together an official video to celebrate this monumental number. In it, each and every creature gets a moment in the spotlight. It’s not a Pokérap, thought it should be. But we dare every Pokémon Master out there to try their luck chanting all these Pokémon names out from memory. And, preferably, this Pokérap should happen in one breath. Kidding. Even showing all 1,000 Pokémon takes nearly 10 minutes.

Especially celebrated is Pokémon #1,000. While most of the creatures shown here aren’t in the order of their official number, this guy makes sure we know his importance. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet revealed many cool new Pokémon, but one of the most unique of all is Gholdengo. Of all the possibilities out there, Gholdengo was chosen to be the franchise’s official 1,000th Pokémon, as per our handy, dandy Pokédex. Gholdengo is a friendly, chill Pokémon, and he’s appropriately made out of 1,000 golden coins. We may have gone with something more sentimental than literal, but hey, that’s Pokémon for you.

So, get studying. We’re sure by the time you learn your first 1,008 Pokémon, there will be several hundred more new ones to meet.

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Poké Balls have always been one of the most iconic parts of the Pokémon franchise. They have represented Pokémon from its inception to the present day. One has to simply glimpse that red, white, and black ball, and they know the reference. Even if they’ve never played the games or watched the show. The Poké Ball is just that important in our pop-cultural world. So it’s no surprise real-life trainers want to own their own real-life Poké Balls. Thus, in 2020, The Pokémon Company teamed up with British prop makers The Wand Company to produce the first-ever die-cast Poké Ball replicas. And happily, we’ve been getting more and more new options every year.

2023’s New Poké Ball Replicas

New this year from The Wand Company will be replicas of Pokémon‘s Love Ball, Dive Ball, Net Ball, and the Luxury Ball. The first of these Poké Balls to release will be the Love Ball, first introduced in  Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver. You can take a look at this gorgeous collectible below. The other three Poké Balls will follow throughout the year.

The Love Ball will be available to order for one month through The Pokémon Center store and will then become available at other retailers.

More About These Official Real-Life Poké Balls

These offical Poké Ball replicas began with just the standard red and white ball, over the last few years, The Wand Company has made ten different types of Poké Ball models available for purchase, and counting.

And these replicas, which glow when near a person’s hand, do indeed look like a properly shiny curio. One that could catch everyone’s attention on your shelf. The case itself also glows. Lifting the lid of the case raises the ball up for display, which is a fun, active touch. Especially considering the fact that owners, sadly, should not actually throw this Poké Ball. It probably will also not work like on Pokémon if tossed at your cat. Your cat will not shrink, like Pokémon Legends: Arceus taught us all Pokémon are able to do to fit into their Poké Ball. Instead, it will just be very unhappy.

Available Types of Poké Ball Replicas

The Wand Company has been incredibly busy. Right now, you can buy many different varieties of these Poké Ball replicas, with more coming every year. On offer as of now are real-life versions of the Master Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Dusk Ball, Premier Ball, Heal Ball, Friend Ball, Quick Ball, and Cherish Ball.

Click To View Gallery

Of course, if you want to go old-school, a replica of the original Poké Ball is always available for you to buy.

All of the other accouterments common for collectibles also come with these Poké Balls. The balls each have a unique authentication hologram, for example. As well as a stainless steel display ring. The UK-based Wand Company is most famous for the electronic Harry Potter-like wand it produced in 2009. The Wand Company’s Pokémon products, while not as capable as its wand, still boast the ability to glow when in the presence of a hand. The glow—which emanates from the ball’s button—also strengthens when it’s actually held. Which makes it sort of like Sting from Lord of the Rings. Only instead of glowing around orcs, it does so when near humans. Useful, if you ask us.

These Poké Ball replicas can be purchased at select retailers. And typically they cost about $99.99. A hefty price, but if you love Pokémon, Koffing up the bucks feel worth it. Take a Chansey on it, we like to say.

Originally published on November 30, 2020. Additional reporting by Matthew Hart.

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Gotta squish ’em all? The wait is nearly over! Like all things Pokémon, the new Squishmallow Pikachu and Gengar are hot commodities. Fans can’t wait to get their hands on the squeezable stuffies, which will go on sale at Target and Walmart stores in February 2023. A few lucky buyers managed to get the Pokémon Squishmallows early when Walmart stores accidently put them out on shelves. Based on the reviews from people who own the Squishmallows already, they’re the best friends and most squishable things they’ve ever had. Combined with their hard-to-get status and Walmart’s snafu, the Pokémallows are highly coveted. Plus, just look at those faces and round bodies. It’s the must-squeeze item of the season!

Gengar and Pikachu in Squishmallow form were first shown off at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022. But fans could only view them in glass cases, no hugging or squishing allowed. Not to mention bouncing. The TikTok below shows off just how delightfully they bounce. They finally went on sale in November with a limited run of the 12-inch version selling for $29.99 each. Predictably, those were gone almost instantly. But the good news, which we saw thanks to Polygon, is that more are coming. While details are sparse, there will be versions in various sizes from 3.5 to 24 inches tall. Eventually, more Squishmallow Pokémon characters will also be released. Fingers crossed for Charizard and Sylveon to make the cut.

Squishmallow has other huggable critters, including the very cute and squeezable kaiju like Godzilla and Mothra. If you’re not able to get your mitts on one of the Pokémon, there’s lots of other squishable versions. Cuddle up in a Snorlax or Ditto bean bag chair. Spoon your very own Pikachu body pillow. And don’t forget about this Gengar pillow, complete with tongue blanket. Thankfully, there’s lots of ways to cuddle Pokémon.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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Pokémon fan art is nothing new, but TikTok user kumattaojisan has really upped the game. Their channel has dozens of videos showing off the intricate and colorful characters they made out of Q-tips, or cotton swabs. They dye each Pokémon cotton swab and assemble and glue together the many pieces. And it all started with Pikachu, of course. Check out some of the amazing creations below. They’ve got a ways to go if they’re going to make ’em all, but your favorite may already be there. 

Each video is a montage of the artistic process. Though the TikToks are only about 30 seconds long, we imagine it must take hours to build each Pokémon. The colors, shapes, and details are simply stunning. Who knew cotton swabs could be turned into something so beautiful? The massive Milotic (below) is particularly impressive.

Click To View Gallery

There’s also a cute Quagsire, made even more impressive because it’s reversible. The artist dyed one end of the swab blue and the other purple so you can choose which side to display. Speaking of showing these off, how would one display dozens of cotton swab creations? Hopefully the artist has a lot of shelf space, or friends and family to give them away to. Or maybe they sell them and try and recoup some of their extensive Q-tip budget.

There’s so much great Pokémon fan art out there. Someone even created a video game mod that inserts Pikachu into Sonic Frontiers. Some of our favorite examples imagine what popular Pokémon would look like in real life. There’s sculptures that show off Pikachu’s creepy side, a museum exhibit of Pokémon fossils, and a whole anatomy textbook called PokéNatomy. You can also use an artificial intelligence program to turn anything into a Pokémon.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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There’s nothing better than meeting up with thousands of people who love the same things as you do and celebrating your fandom together. Pokémon enthusiasts in Singapore recently got to do just. A light show made up of hundreds of drones lit up the night sky with Pikachu, Corsola, and others. The video below starts off with a Poké Ball and covers a bunch of cute Pikachu images. It all takes place high above the already stunning downtown Singapore.

Unlike a firework show, drone light shows don’t come with booms. This one doesn’t seem to have any music so the only noise is that coming from the appreciate crowd. The gasps and cheers are taking place atop the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel. Also known as the super swanky rooftop bar seen at the end of Crazy Rich Asians. It’s a breathtaking view even on a bad day. It’s definitely the perfect spot to overlook the drone show twinkling above the beautiful Marina Bay and city lights.  

The show was made up of a reported 500 drones and was part of a Pikachu Week celebration in Singapore. It also marked the sixth anniversary of the popular game Pokémon GO. It’s not the first Pokémon drone light show we’ve seen. The emerging tech also led to a Pikachu versus Charizard battle over Dallas earlier this year.  

Beloved Pokémon characters aren’t the only ones getting the drone light show treatment. A baseball game in Oakland, California hosted a Star Wars one featuring R2-D2, dueling lightsabers, and more, all set to music from the franchise. Paramount put a show on in Sydney, Australia featuring images from Star Trek, Top Gun, Paw Patrol, and more. We’ve even heard about personal shows people put on, like this Halloween one featuring Ghostbusters and Stranger Things. 

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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The video game Sonic Frontiers has only been out a few days, but there’s already mods to change up gameplay. Why play the latest Sonic game as, you know, Sonic the Hedgehog when you can be Pikachu instead? Instead of a spiky blue hedgehog, complete those missions as an electric yellow rat. YouTuber Peter Knetter tries out the mod in the video below and keeps up an amusing running commentary about the game as he casually drowns, presses the wrong button, and kicks the stone children following him around. Whether or not it sells you on playing the actual game is debatable, but it is still a fun watch. 

The game is Sonic’s first foray into open world design. Without the story’s context, the action and quests in this video all seem somewhat confusing. Pikachu races around collecting rings and punching things. His children, which just keep multiplying, look like stones with tiny legs and silly headwear. The look of Pikachu himself varies widely from moment to moment. As Knetter points out, he’s quite thicc when he runs, that yellow behind bouncing wildly. And then there are glitchy moments where his dimensions are all wrong.

Knetter didn’t build this mod but does share a lot of video game content on his YouTube channel. He clearly has a preference for Sonic and Pikachu, but this is the first crossover we’ve seen. He also modifies game controllers, including a cardboard version of a Gameboy that still plays and a GameCube controller that is also a sandwich. 

There’s been a lot of other cool video game mods recently, including the ability to play Stray as Garfield the cat and a 2D version of The Simpsons: Hit & Run that looks more like the actual show. The wildest may just be a fighting Baby Yoda in Star Wars Battlefront II.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.

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Get ready to once again catch ’em all. Catch all the Pokémon? Kind of. It’s actually time to catch all the Pokémon sneakers, so you can be the best, and most stylish, trainer there ever was. Because, for the first time, PUMA is teaming up with The Pokémon Company to bring trainers everywhere a fashionable and comfortable collection of Pokémon sneakers. This new PUMA x Pokémon collection, which focuses mostly on shoes, but also has other apparel, will celebrate the O.G. Kanto region. From iconic Pikachu to fan-favorite ghostly Gengar, these new Pokémon sneakers have something for everyone.

Let’s take a closer look at these new Pokémon shoes:

Click To View Gallery

A release from PUMA shares, “PUMA takes inspiration from fan-favorite Pokémon – including Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Gengar – for the new collection featuring iconic graphics and playful attention to detail.”

The great thing about this PUMA x Pokémon collection is their naunce. While these sneakers appear very subtle at first look, they actually have many great Pokémon details for fans to uncover as they continue to look at the shoe.

PUMA notes, “Through the footwear range, Pokémon fans will find hidden details on the tongue label, insole, and heel.”

And they give us a peek at some of these fun Easter eggs which take the sneakers from just sneakers into something a trainer would gladly strap on as they start their Pokémon adventure.

In our opinion, the likenesses of the Pokémon themselves hidden in the PUMA collection really bring everything together and make the collection pop.

In addition to shoes, there’s other apperal fans can purchase. This includes the standard clothing offerings like hoodies and sweatpants. But you can also snag some PUMA x Pokémon beanies and even a messanger bag to complete your Poké-look.

For those ready to collect all the pieces of this collection, “the PUMA x Pokémon collection will be available worldwide from PUMA stores, PUMA.com, Foot Locker, and select retailers starting November 12th.” The collection will range in price from $30 to $130. Happy catching!

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What would Pikachu, the most recognizable Pokémon, look like if he was a real animal? That’s the thought experiment behind the latest sculpture from North of the Border. In the video below, he works aluminum foil, clay, and something called static grass into what he describes as an “electric banana rat.” It’s not as creepy as some of his other creations, but the snarl and lightning bolts would certainly be disconcerting in real life.  

The creator considered other additions needed to make Pikachu realistic, like how chunky he should be to help protect him from the electricity he produces. Some led to cute additions, like what kind of paws and toe beans Pikachu would have. But he did decide a snarl was necessary since he’s mid-strike. The sculptor wasn’t able to find helpful pictures of angry-looking gerbils and hamsters online, it still sounds like it was time well spent. The addition of yellow static grass certainly looks easier than the alternative of adding fake fur. And it means that all those details in the clay still show through.

This isn’t the only realistic Pokémon creation we’ve come across recently. The book Pokénatomy reveals their anatomy and other artists have speculated about how evolutionary forces would change them over time. There’s even an entire museum exhibit dedicated to comparing Pokémon to their real life influences.

There are some other realistic sculptures on the North of the Border YouTube channel, including what a LEGO minifig would look like. There’s also some wild mashups that usually turn pretty creepy, like these zombie Minions and a version of Yoda mixed with the Hulk. 

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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If you enjoy using artificial intelligence programs like DALL-E, Craiyon, or Midjourney to generate images but want more Pokémon in your life, I’ve got good news for you. Text to Pokémon is a new artificial intelligence program trained to turn any text prompt into a Pokémon character. The developer, Justin Pinkney, shared it for free so you can get started in just a few steps. Now there’s Hello Kitty, Totoro, and Peppa Pig Pokémon! But it doesn’t have to be an animated character. Other examples from Pinkney include politicians and even Poké-art like Girl With a Pearl Earring.

Pinkney shares some user-generated Pokémon on his Twitter feed and in a blog post. These include concepts like “the city of Chicago” and “Lunchables.” Understandably, the results are sometimes confusing. Try the Text to Pokémon generator out for yourself. You’ll need a GitHub login but then the possibilities are endless.

Pinkney is also the co-creator of Toonify, a program that turns photos of people into cartoons in multiple different styles. Clearly, eye-catching uses of artificial intelligence are a specialty. He shares some of the behind the scenes process that went in to training the AI, including dozens of images showing how the model learns and fine tunes itself when given a prompt. Yoda turning into a Pokémon and then back into the Yoda we know and love is an especially interesting transition.

Whether you’re a Pokémon Master or just love text prompt AI generators, there’s something fascinating about letting artificial intelligence create new characters. While we don’t expect to see any of these in the trading card game anytime soon, it opens up a whole new world of crossover potential.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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Pokémon is the world’s most popular trading card game, inspiring fanatics around the world. A video showing the making of the cards is a rare look at the process from start to finish. Who knew so many people and steps are involved? It starts with spreadsheets, artwork, and editors making sure everything is correct. Then there’s designing the packaging, the logo, and the naming. The printing process requires color checks, foil lamination, and cutting. And people have to sign off on things at every step along the way. It’s a lot of work for small pieces of paper, but Pokémon fans have long known that the cards are much more than that.

We learned about the video on Kotaku. Apparently it was intended as an internal video for employees of The Pokémon Company and the printing shop. Luckily they knew better than to include any proprietary information in it that could help forgers make better cards. Highlights from the assembly line video include seeing discarded names for the “Ultra Prism” set. It could have been “Prismatic Parallels” or “Prism Prison,” among many other options.

The massive printing press can make 26.62 million cards per day. The video ends with a shot of the warehouse, stacked deep with those millions of Pokémon cards ready for shipping. It gives real arc of the covenant vibes from Indiana Jones. Indeed, something valuable is hiding among all those boxes.

Millions of people around the world covet Pokémon cards. When McDonalds included them in Happy Meals, things quickly got out of hand. A rare Pikachu card recently sold at auction for $900,000.

Featured Image: PokeBeach

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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Pokémon grabbed a hold of the imaginations of an entire generation of kids in the ’90s and 2000s. And as those kids became adults, they began to show their love Pikachu and his “gotta catch ’em all” cohorts in lots of different ways. We’ve seen Pokémon inspire everything, from jewelry to food to body pillows. And now, Pokémon lovers can add “automobile” to that list of Pokémon-inspired product they simply must own. Just announced at Gamescom, BMW has united with The Pokémon Company and created the MINI Aceman concept car. They made the big reveal at Gamescom opening night in Germany. You watch the announcement (via The Game Awards) right here:

The Pikachu-themed MINI Aceman car is fully electric, just like its Pokémon companion. Drivers can actually hook their gaming console up directly to the car. This will create a new ( and hopefully safe) combination of gaming and driving. As soon as the car is turned on, the driver will see Pikachu jump out of a Poke Ball on the console navigation screen. (Yeah, that doesn’t sound super creepy at all). But we know many, many Pokémon fans out there who would love it.

Even wilder is the fact that the car will come with a projector built right into it. This would allow anyone behind the wheel to project movies or gaming videos out from the car. All to act as a portable TV screen. This is sounding less like Pokémon and more like Blade Runner already to us. Right now, this Pokémon car is only a concept. But it is entirely within the realm of possibility that the MINI x Pokémon collaboration could result in a real line of cars fans can own. We know there are plenty of Pokémon fans out there who would put down cash for one of these babies.

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Pokémon evolve, but we had never seen a caterpillar/Pikachu hybrid before now. AliExpress sells stuffed animals (or are they pillows?) of the popular character. Instead of making large proportional Pikachus to snuggle with, they just added more and more body segments. Still smiling at the front and lightning-tailed at the back, the caterpillar pillows are at the same time both comforting and off-putting. Sizes range from 30 inches to five and a half feet, so could be used as anything from a neck pillow to a body pillow.  

We saw this cozy Pokémon (cozy-mon?) on Kotaku. But honestly it’s not even the weirdest thing we’ve seen offered in the large Pokémon pillow category. That title goes to the long-tongued Gengar pillow/blanket combo that comes with some of the strangest marketing photos we’ve ever seen. There’s also a Metapod sack you can lose yourself in. Or cozy Snorlax or Ditto bean bag chairs to pass out in.

There is clearly no shortage of ways to show your love for Pikachu. You can wear Pokémon Converse while walking the streets playing Pokémon Go. Or drop $26,000 on a crystal Pikachu statue. Sing to him like Katy Perry did in her music video for “Electric.” Or fly on a Pikachu-themed airplane.

As for the Pikachu caterpillar pillows (caterpillows?), you either buy them pre-stuffed or as just the unfilled shell. Perhaps this saves on shipping and other costs, but we imagine it raises the horror factor a little bit though. Imagine cramming fluff down Pikachu’s throat and then sewing it closed. All while he looks at you with that cute face. We’ll pay extra to skip that part of the experience.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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The Pokémon universe encompasses games, anime, movies, and much more. Now it’s even a museum exhibit. The Pokémon Fossil Museum connects Pokémon to real-life animals. It includes fossils of dinosaurs and other extinct critters as well as representations of what Pokémon would look like in the fossil record. You can now take a virtual tour of the exhibit, no traveling or museum entrance fee required. 

The adorable Pikachu takes you through the displays. Excavator Pikachu is dressed a lot like Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park and it’s nothing short of adorable. The exhibit is traveling to museums in Japan. The displays are in Japanese. However, they include enough pictures and obvious comparisons between the real-life animals and Pokémon to make it universally interesting. 

Looking around the museums, it’s striking how many similarities there are between science and Pokémon. The creators clearly studied names and adaptations from Earth when developing new characters. On the list of extinct critters, there’s the ammonite-like Omanyte and Tyrannosaurus-like Tyrantrum. There’s even some that are found as fossils but are also still alive today, like horseshoe crabs (Kabuto) and coelacanths (Relicanth).

We learned about the Pokémon Fossil Museum from IGN. There’s no shortage of other great ways to learn real-life science using the Pokémon catalog. There’s the Pokénatomy books that show anatomy, the Scientific Pokédex explaining their powers, and character evolution artwork based on adaptations here on Earth.

There are also plenty of un-scientific ways to include more Pokémon in your life. Like themed engagement rings and weddings. Or drone shows and playgrounds. And don’t forget about the two new games coming up soon: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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For those Pokémon fans who wonder just how Pikachu conducts electricity or Bulbasaur sprouts, artist Christopher Stoll has (unofficial) answers for you. The biologist and illustrator is working on volume two of his guide to Pokémon anatomy, also known as PokéNatomy. His new illustrations reveal fresh insights about characters not included in volume one.

For instance, Smeargle’s anal glands are at the tip of its tail, implying those secretions are used as paint. Girafarig’s two heads share a stomach and digestive system. And Wobbuffet’s skull is actually in its tail, leaving only muscles inside its head.

We learned about the new round of artwork thanks to GameSpot. They referred to it as nightmare fuel but I think this content is super cool. And so educational! Stoll says his drawings are used in hundreds of classrooms to help teach anatomy. He raised nearly $35,000 on Kickstarter for the first book, which can be purchased on Amazon. No specific news about the sequel yet, other than the new artwork Stoll released on social media. 

Looks like other characters coming to PokéNatomy Volume II include Steelix, Tyrano, Donphan, Espeon, Bellossom, and Togepi. There’s nearly 1,000 total, enough to fill many more volumes. Here’s hoping Stoll keeps up the good work and makes the comprehensive set.

There’s so much potential for educational Poké content. Another artist, RJ Palmer, draws realistic Pokémon and even recently created new Pokémon based on evolution. There’s also Squirdle, a Pokémon Wordle variant. If you’re really looking for disturbing, there’s also videos on how to cook Pokémon.

Now that we know how Poké Balls work, it may be hard not to consider these anatomical insights next time you’re playing Pokémon GO.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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Is your sweetheart a great catch? Now you can propose to them with a diamond cut to look like a Poké Ball. The 143 facets on this 0.3 carat gem line up to showcase all the iconic details. Made by U-Treasure, the diamond will set you back $2,300. The company’s website also showcases a selection of Pokémon-themed engagement rings that include Pikachu, Eevee, Umbreon, Espeon, and Mew as part of the gold detailing. It’s the perfect accessory for anyone who’s gotta catch ‘em all.

We saw these eye-catching designs thanks to ComicBook. The Pokémon Company previously partnered with jewelry designer Ginza Tanaka on Pikachu-inspired engagement rings. But these are a step up, with even the diamond on theme.

There’s no shortage of ways to incorporate Pokémon into your life. Even your love life. Once your sweetie says yes, you can plan a Pokémon-themed wedding! Center pieces could include these $26,000 Pikachu crystal sculptures. Give out limited edition Mew Oreos as wedding favors!

The website doesn’t show the ring box, but we’re hoping it’s shaped like the ball too. Imagine getting down on one knee in front of your favorite fellow Pokémon fan with a Poké Ball that hold a ring with their favorite character on the band and a glinting diamond Poké Ball at its center. We definitely don’t recommend throwing this one!

Want to show your love for Pokémon but don’t have a rare card to auction off to cover the expenses of some of these more extravagant options? There’s always the themed Converse sneakers or these artistic keycaps.  

Assuming this Poké Ball-shaped diamond is an ice stone, or one of the other evolution stones, what would happen if you gave it to a Pokémon?

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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Artist RJ Palmer designed Pokémon based on our real-life understanding of evolution. The three new creatures are based on an artistic prompt of speculative evolution. These so-called Fakémon are descendants of current Pokémon, adapted over the years into new forms and abilities.

Palmer was as a concept artist on the delightful Detective Pikachu movie. He is also a paleoartist, bringing prehistoric animals to life though illustration. He even published a book of his drawings of realistic Pokémon. 

When given the opportunity to do a spec evo Pokemon, I was absolutely going to do my favorite Pokemon. I thought it would be fun to play on the common misconception that chickens are descended directly from T. rex. Additionally I wanted to use dong tao chickens in a design. pic.twitter.com/Wvvbdxvkma

— RJ Palmer (@arvalis) May 15, 2022

The inspiration for each new creature is clear in each design. No matter how much he changed, Palmer kept the eyes and basic color scheme the same. Palmer’s Emperooster is a descendant of Tyrantrum, the way birds descended from dinosaurs. In his viral Twitter thread, the artist also shares the real-life animals he mixed in with his Pokémon inspiration. In this case, the hefty Dong Tao chicken.  

Next up is Cetaceon, a descendant of Vaporeon. On Earth, land mammals evolved into whales, growing larger in their ocean environment. The fox/dolphin-like Vapereron is a perfect candidate to become this future Pokémon orca.

Palmer’s third design is Garbooster, a descendant of Garchomp. He notes many dragon Pokemon already look very plane-like. This is the inevitable result of those adaptations. We saw these amazing illustrations thanks to ComicBook. 

A lot of dragon Pokemon keep convergently evolving into plane-like forms. That seemed to be starting to develop in Garchomp so I pushed it to the logical conclusion. I also wanted to mix in a nod to Macross because Pokemon loves sneaking in Japanese pop culture references. pic.twitter.com/PmYTHkcoxV

— RJ Palmer (@arvalis) May 15, 2022

In the video below from Truegreen7, Palmer shares his design process. Three other artists also created new Pokémon based on the same evolutionary prompt.

There’s no shortage of ways to include Pokémon in your life, including themed weddings. There’s also a live-action series coming to Netflix. Gotta catch ’em all!

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

The post These Gorgeous POKÉMON Illustrations Are Based on Evolution   appeared first on Nerdist.

We hate to say it. But it feels like a true fact that if Pokémon existed in any kind of realistic world, eventually people would want to know what they tasted like. Unless they cleverly evolve to become very poisonous, in which case, kudos to them. But, we do have to concede that some Pokémon have literal plants attached to them, or take the forms of other edible things such as fish and ice cream. We don’t necessarily condone the thought of eating and cooking Pokémon, but we can kind of see how people arrive at the idea. And one TikTok creator took the thought of cooking and consuming Pokémon to the next level. @fab_50_ has created a series of truly visceral “How to Cook Pokémon” animated videos which are not for the faint of heart. 

Look away now if you don’t wish to see Pokémon getting sliced and diced.

We don’t know if the TikTokker will make any more videos. But for now “How to Cook Pokémon” features videos detailing how to prepare our favorite starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.

We do have to say, although there’s something absolutely twisted about watching these Pokémon get butchered, the final products do somehow look delicious. And it does raise some interesting questions about Pokémon anatomy. Is Bulbasuar’s blub technically a plant? Is it meat? Should we even ask these questions at all? It’s hard to say.

We do cringe watching these Pokémon cooking tutorial videos. And yet can’t look away. We feel ashamed but roast Bulbasaur with rice and Squirtle soup does sound… kind of good.

If you’re hungry for more than just starters, we’ve also taken a deep dive into which Pokémon would be the best to eat, overall. Hopefully, the most delicious of them will get their own how-to video very soon.

Now that we’ve profaned ourselves in such a way, we have to make it up to our favorite Pokémon somehow. We solemnly swear we wouldn’t actually cook Pokémon if we could. If you need us, we’ll be cleansing our eyes by gazing upon this delightful Pokémon playground.

The post ‘How to Cook POKÉMON’ Videos Are Disturbingly Delicious appeared first on Nerdist.

Okay, so it’s not exactly a club Pikachu dances in, but what looks like a convenience store. (Although it is dimly lit and full of haze from a smoke machine.) And Pikachu isn’t dancing an already established TikTok dance so much as introducing the idea of one. But this video, which we first saw on Polygon, certainly has the potential to go viral. Pikachu doesn’t perform willy nilly every day. Especially not with a dance crew of Pokémon consisting of Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Clefairy, and Cubone. Even Snorlax gets in on the fun. No one, we note, invited Jigglypuff to this dance-off, though. A smart move.

According to its description, this video celebrates Pokémon’s 25th anniversary. The song Pikachu and its merry band of Pokémon dance to is Yaffle’s Reconnect (feat. Daichi Yamamoto & AAAMYYY). And this song features on Pokémon 25: The Album. This album “commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the Pokémon series and features artists from all over the world, including Yaffle from Japan.” We hope Pikachu had a personal hand in picking the tracks.

Pikachu certainly seems like it’s having fun, doing a dance in the candy aisle with all its friends. And the song really is incredibly catchy. It must feel nice for Pokémon to stretch their limbs after spending all day miniaturized in a Poké Ball. And honestly, we feel glad they can enjoy themselves with things like group dancing. Battling every day seems like it can get exhausting. We might even feel the urge to try the Poké-TikTok dance for ourselves.

We could never match Pikachu’s energy, though. Pikachu absolutely owns the convenience store/club as it does his dance. The Pokémon even nails a sassy smirk. At some point, it brings out glow sticks. Charizard even makes a cameo appearance. Will the fun ever end? Hopefully, soon we can see Pikachu joined by its new friends from the recently announced Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games. We feel like Scarlet and Violet’s new starters could make the perfect additions to the Pokémon dance crew. Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly look like they know how to get down.

Punch down, punch down, jump, jump. Cheers to you Pikachu, dance champion of the Pokémon candy aisle.

The post Pikachu and Other Pokémon Hit the Club to Perform a TikTok Dance appeared first on Nerdist.

It isn’t every day the internet gets to celebrate new Pokémon starters. And in all honesty, no one could have expected to celebrate them so soon. With the fairly recent release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus fans didn’t think they’d get a new Pokémon game anytime in the near future. Then again, Pokémon Legends: Arceus featured three starter Pokémon that were already familiar to trainers. So maybe this was the only fair course of action. Either way, during a recent Pokémon Presents, The Pokémon Company announced two new open-world games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. And, finally, fans got to meet Gen 9’s new starter Pokémon: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. The internet, of course, went wild.

And honestly, how could the internet not fall in love with these three new Pokémon? One of them is an earnest duck with a cap on its head. That’s a recipe for true love if there ever was one. Plus, no matter which Pokémon is your favorite, if you play the games, you’ll have a special place in your heart for starters. Starter Pokémon are the first Pokémon you meet in the game. And they stick by you for the whole duration. In most cases, starter Pokémon come in grass, fire, and water varieties. Some trainers always gravitate toward one type of Pokémon starter, while others like to mix it up. Let’s see how fans reacted to this latest batch.

To make their Quaxly love clear, one fan used just the right amount of emojis. We have a feeling this Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet is in for a lot of affection.

LOVE U pic.twitter.com/N8iKhcvEke

— ＣＹＮＤＡＱＵＩＬＩＳ Ｍ (@Cyndaquilism) February 27, 2022

Meanwhile, a different trainer pledged themselves to the “Grass Cat Pokémon Sprigatito.” Let’s just hope this earthy cat doesn’t knock over all your Poké Balls.

pic.twitter.com/i0VivjbZ9P

— riot kitty (@riotkitty1) February 27, 2022

Fuecoco, the new Fire Croc starter Pokémon, got to join in the fun as well.

Another fan perfectly captured the reaction of every artist in the fandom to these Gen 9 starter Pokémon.

And they are absolutely right in their assessment.

We especially love this Kingdom Hearts and Pokémon crossover. Inspired no doubt, by a certain duck.

We also adore this clever Among Us homage. Poor Fuecoco. We don’t think he’s sus. But look can be deceiving…

How these Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet starter Pokémon evolutions might look was on everyone’s mind. As was hinted above, everyone thinks water starter Quaxly could be a relative of Donald Duck. We can’t say if we hope so or not.

Just wait until it evolves 👀 pic.twitter.com/5G0R6XsPJ9

— Stitchu27 (@stitchu27) February 27, 2022

Final form leaked pic.twitter.com/MIUYe8GZW3

— ayano aishi🐞🍒🌸🍰 (@Irene799619191) February 27, 2022

One thing is for sure. These new starter Pokémon have caused quite a stir.

We can’t wait to see how much harder they go when Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet release in late 2022.

The post The Internet Reacts to New POKÉMON SCARLET and VIOLET Starters appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s a day that ends in “y.” That means another Pokémon fan has spent a whole lot of money on a small piece of cardboard. Or, as they probably prefer to call it, a rare (and expensive) Pokémon card. And once again they’ve set a record with their purchase. There’s now a new champion in the battle arena for the world’s most expensive Pokémon card. A hard-to-find Pikachu Illustrator card smashed the previous record. It went in auction for an Eternatus-sized $900,000.

The trading card seller Goldin auctioned off a rare, highly graded 1998 Pocket Monsters Japanese Promo “Illustrator” Pikachu hologram card. The sale (which we first heard about at ComicBook.com) netted the seller nearly a million dollars. That’s almost double the previous amount for a single Pokémon card.

It’s easy to see why collectors covet this specific rare Pokémon card. Goldin describes it as “one of the most elusive and significant Pokémon cards” ever released. From the official auction listing:

The card was originally distributed through a series of illustration contests hosted by Coro Coro Magazine in 1997 and 1998. It is the only card to display the “ILLUSTRATOR” heading and is the lone Pokémon card to feature the unique “pen” logo on the bottom right-hand corner of the item. This stunning card boasts artwork by Atsuko Nishida featuring an exuberant Pikachu. Japanese text adorns the card’s front, with the text in English reading, “We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illust Contest. Therefore, we state that you are an Officially Authorized Pokémon Card Illustrator and admire your skill.”

The Professional Sports Authenticator company has only logged 24 (out of around 40) of these cards. And this specific one, graded with a near mint score of 7 by the PSA, is just one of two to be in such good condition. That grade is a big reason for this sale price. A lower scored version sold for $250,000 previously. Meanwhile, the other highly scored version is in even better shape. So yeah, we know what can topple this sale eventually.

Another card will break this record. Probably sooner than later, too. Any day that ends in a “y” is day when a Pokémon fan might spend a whole lot of money to catch ’em all.

The post Rare POKÉMON Card Sells for Record-Breaking $900,000 appeared first on Nerdist.

With the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, there’s plenty of Pokémon buzz around. And now we can add more good news to that pile. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have created an online game music library you can freely use. The music library contains songs from Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl. In addition, this musical Pokémon collection doubles as a streaming platform.

Pokémon has many iconic parts, from Poké Balls to Eeveelutions. But its sounds definitely rank. Anyone who loves the franchise can instantly pick out its familiar themes. And this new free-to-use music library wants you to catch all the sounds. The Pokémon DP Sound Library, as it’s called, actually has many layers to it.

The official website shares:

Pokémon DP Sound Library is a place to both listen and download the music and sound effects from the 2006 Nintendo DS™ games, Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version. Explore the world of incredible sounds for Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version, which serves as the roots for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Pokémon Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus games.

And additionally:

[The] “MUSIC BOX” section allows you to stream 149 tracks of music and sound effects in Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version for free. You can also select your top 6 favorite songs and create your very own “Party Track”. Dig in the “PLAYLISTS” section curated and arranged by themes.

And, of course, you can download the sounds and songs to your heart’s desire.

In the “Music Box” section itself, the Pokémon music and sounds get divided into very specific sections. These include Events, Routes, Towns, Facilities, Iconic Locations, Battles, Villainous Teams, and Characters. Literally, you can download everything from “Trainers’ Eyes Meet” to “Ending Theme.” Now that’s getting granular.

In an age where YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and more are wildly popular, it’s nice to have this gaming resource. We hope many companies and games follow suit. For now, we’re off to catch Pokémon. And we’ll listen to the “Adventurous” playlist, of course. We just hope Jigglypuff doesn’t get too jealous of the new Pokémon music library.

The post POKÉMON Releases DIAMOND and PEARL Free-to-Use Music Library appeared first on Nerdist.

Sky Elements Drone Shows partnered with Pokémon Master Leonhart for a massive performance. They used 250 custom-built drones to bring two beloved characters to life above the Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas, Texas. With an homage that even paid tribute to the act of opening up a pack.

The show began with Pokémon packs turning into two cards, which then transformed into Pikachu and Charizard. After powering up the two iconic characters went to battle with the night sky as their arena. With a fight that measured a whopping 600 feet wide and 300 feet high.

Thanks to the drone’s super bright LED lights the show was visible from several miles away. It was also able to overcome some less than ideal weather. Winds gusts measured 20 miles-per-hour during the show. But Sky Elements says that wasn’t a problem because every single drone has a GPS accuracy of less than ten centimeters.

If you knew this four-minute show was happening it must have been amazing sight to see. If you had no idea it was happening, though, it must have been slightly disorienting at first. Sure, you might be used to seeing Pokémon on screens and tabletops. But that doesn’t mean you expect to see them fighting in the sky.

And if you had no idea who or what Pikachu and Charizard are don’t worry. We promise the 300-foot dragon and electric yellow squirrel aren’t real. At least they aren’t every other night.

The post Pikachu Battles Charizard in Giant POKÉMON Drone Light Show appeared first on Nerdist.

Fresh Pokémon are very often the highlight of new games and regions. (After all, “Catch ’em all” is the catchphrase of the series!) And Pokémon Legends: Arceus is no different in this respect. Players are itching to meet these creatures, whether they come as regional variants or newly discovered Pokémon. Especially now that the Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available has officially released.

Here’s everything we know about new Arceus Pokémon, including the most recent updates about Arceus’ Noble Pokémon, possible Arceus starter Pokémon, and the Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus new Pokémon:

• New Arceus Regional Variants: Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode // Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark // Hisuian Braviary  // Hisuian Growlithe and Hisuian Arcanine
• Arceus’ Noble Pokémon: Kleavor
• New Arceus Pokémon Evolutions: Wyrdeer (New Pokémon Legends: Arceus evolution of Stantler) // Basculegion (New Pokémon Legends: Arceus evolution of the Hisuian Basculin)
• Other Pokémon Appearing in Arceus: Starter Pokémon, Mythical/Legendary Pokémon, and Every Pokémon Revealed After Arceus’ Release

New Arceus Regional Variants

Regional forms are forms of Pokémon that adapt to a specific region. These new Pokémon Legends: Arceus regional forms provide excellent spins on some of your favorite Pokémon. In total, Arceus’ Hisui region has four new regional variants… so far. They are the Hisuian Zorua, the Hisuian Zoroark, the Hisuian Braviary, and the Hisuian Growlithe.

Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode

The Hisuian Voltorb joins the ranks of new Pokémon Legends: Arceus regional variants. This Pokémon still resembles a Pokéball, as Voltorb traditionally do. However, during the time of Arceus, Pokéballs were made of wood. So it makes sense Voltorb too has a wooden makeover. The official website shares: “It looks very similar to the Poké Balls of the Hisui region, what with the wood-grain-like makeup of its body’s surface and the hole on the top of its head.​”

Additionally, “there seem to be countless seeds packed inside Hisuian Voltorb. Occasionally, it spouts these seeds out of the hole in its head.” No one knows how exactly the Voltorb looks on the inside, because it’s pitch dark in there and impossible to see anything. It’s a little rude to try to see inside a Pokémon anyway if you ask us.

This new Voltorb regional variant is also very friendly. Its got very high spirits. However, when it gets too excited it can accidentally let out a shock of stored electricity. Frequently, it shocks humans and Pokémon around it. “Even the slightest provocation can set off such a discharge, so in human settlements, Hisuian Voltorb is considered a nuisance.” This feels very unfortunate because it really is a friendly creature. Sadly, “tales of people temporarily plugging the hole on Hisuian Voltorb’s head and kicking it out of settlements are not entirely uncommon.​”

The Hisuian Voltorb is a part of the ‘Sphere Pokémon’ category of Pokémon and is an Electric/Grass-type. Its height is 1’8″ and it usually weighs about 28.7bs.  Someone protect the Voltorb!

Hisuian Electrode

Though other Pokémon become more intimidating when they evolve, Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ new form of Electrode remains just as adorable. In fact, this Hisuian Electrode looks a little frightened. Maybe a friendly Voltorb can cheer it up.

Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark

The Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark are some of the latest additions to Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ regional forms. The official description of these Pokémon offers, “Hisuian Zoroark seems scary…but it also appears to be protective of Hisuian Zorua.” This new form of Zorua, of course, is super adorable. It seems that both these new Pokémon are Normal/Ghost types in their regional forms.

Hisuian Zorua

Zorua is fox-like Pokémon that can change its physical appearance at will. However, these changes are only illusions because its primary skillsets and powers don’t change.

Zorua can act timid in nature, hence its reliance on illusions. It keeps its form secret to stay safe. Sometimes, it will appear as a child in the hopes of finding food. Sometimes, it even replaces children, especially talkative ones. In its child form, it often stays silent. However, if anyone touches its tail, it will revert to its Zorua form. Though shy, this Pokémon tends towards mischief.

These Hisuian Zorua came to the Hisui region after “being driven from other lands by humans, who shunned the Pokémon for manifesting uncanny illusions.” But these Zorua actually perished, because they could not survive the harsh Hisuian land and conflict with other Pokémon. Their souls were reborn in this Ghost-type form, powered by their malice.

Like other Zorua the Hisuian Zorua can mimic appearances. But unlike their other forms, “these ghostly mimicries are created using spiteful power emitted from the long fur on Hisuian Zorua’s head, around its neck, and on its tail.” The Hisuian Zorua absorbs and draws strength from the terror of those they scare.

Hisuian Zoroark

Zoroark, of course, is Zorua’s evolution. Zoroark is also fox-like but bi-pedal. In addition, it has a voluminous mane that almost looks like a ponytail. The Hisuian Zoroark shares these characteristics.

Zoroark’s chief power lies in its incredibly realistic illusions. It uses these to hide itself and protect its den. Like Zorua, Zoroark does not actually change itself but merely creates illusions. However, these are incredibly powerful. When it becomes a human, it can even speak. Its attack illusions can even fool cameras, as demonstrated by the Hisuian Zoroark.

The Hisuian Zoroark projects these terrifying illusions using its spiteful power. And this form of Zororark can actually inflict damage with its illusions, harming its foes both inside and out. Its illusions wear”expressions of such utter malice toward every last thing upon this world that those who see them are said to be driven mad by the terror.”

Though the Hisuian Zoroark is incredibly aggressive towards people and Pokémon, it appears very protective of those it loves and always seeks to protect them. It may even hold grudges against if anyone harms its chosen brood. A word of warning to trainers, legend has it that “Zoroark punishes those who attempt to catch it by trapping them in an illusion.” But those who win its trust gain a powerful ally.

Hisuian Braviary

The Hisuian form of Braviary is a majestic one. When Rufflet is able to survive in the tough conditions of the Hisuian region, they transform into this creature with great wings.

The Hisuian Braviary visits Hisui in the winter from somewhere farther north. Unlike previous Braviary forms, it forgoes a flock to live a solitary life. It is also larger than some of its counterparts.

Hisuian Braviary’s screeches are sometimes embued with psychic powers. And its eerie calls can even generate shockwaves. Once it weakens its prey, it uses sharp talons to tear it apart.

The Hisuian Braviary is a part of the ‘Battle Cry’ category of Pokémon and is a Psychic/Flying-type. Its height is 5’7,” and it usually weighs about 95.7lbs. For now, it seems like this Arceus regional form of Braviary will evolve from a regular Rufflet.

Rumor has it this Pokémon can also “use its psychic power to sharpen its sixth sense and enter a trance that boosts its physical abilities.”

Hisuian Growlithe & Hisuian Arcanine

The Hisuian form of Growlithe is one adorable pup. Though cute, this creature can be very territorial. It always works with a partner to guard its land, but it is not accustomed to being around people.

Hisuian Growlithe has incredibly soft fur, softer than previous forms of the Pokémon. This fur is a great advantage because it’s an excellent insulator. This adaptation allows it to stay lively even in the region’s chilly weather.

The horn on this Growlithe’s head is rock but is also very fragile. So the Hisuian Growlithe only uses it sparingly when it will have the best effect.

The Hisuian Growlithe is a part of the ‘Scout’ category of Pokémon and is a Fire/Rock-type. Its height is 2’7,” and it usually weighs about 50lbs.  While building trust with a Hisuian Growlithe takes time, we imagine their loyalty is unparalleled once gained.

The Hisuian Arcanine

Of course, the Hisuian Arcanine is much less cuddly than its new Pokémon Legends Arceus starter form.  This majestic beast has a glorious black mane and a firey roar to rival it. Unlike its normal form, the new Hisuian Arcanine is a Fire/Rock-type Pokémon. We wouldn’t want to meet this Pokémon in battle if it wasn’t feeling friendly.

Arceus’ Noble Pokémon 

Pokémon Legends: Arceus has introduced players to the concept of “Noble Pokémon.”

Who Are Noble Pokémon In Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Arceus‘ Noble Pokémon are Hisuian Pokémon who have been “blessed with a mysterious power.” A new trailer introduced players to the Hisui region wardens who protect special Pokémon. While some Pokémon assist the people of the region, other Pokémon known as nobles are particularly powerful.

Noble Pokémon appear to be the most special Arceus Pokémon of all. The wardens honor them, keep them safe, and leave them offerings. But in Pokémon Legends: Arceus something has begun to negatively affect even these special Pokémon.

Kleavor (New Pokémon Legends: Arceus Noble Pokémon)

Arceus’ Kleavor is a new evolution of Scyther. Special minerals found in Hisui region cause Scyther to evolve into this regional variant. Parts of this Pokémon’s body have actually turned into stone. When Kleavor fights some of the stone gets chipped away. However, this chipping actually makes the Pokémon more deadly because it increases their slicing power.  The people who live in the region of Hisui “once used pieces of stone that had fallen from Kleavor to craft tools.”

Kleavor attacks with its arms. These are arms are axe-like and deadly. They deal massive damage even to tough foes. Kleavor also marks its territory with its arms. It slashes symbols into tree trunks to claim its land. Sometimes, it even chops down trees to make its mark.

Kleavor is a part of the ‘Axe’ category of Pokémon and is a Bug/Rock-type. Its height is 5’11,” and it usually weighs about 196.2lbs. For now, it seems as far as evolution goes, Kleavor will evolve from a regular Scyther.

In Arceus, players will meet Kleavor as one of the Noble Pokémon of the region.

New Arceus Pokémon Evolutions

Two new Pokémon discovered in the Hisuian region were introduced during the panel. These Pokémon are Wyrdeer and Basculegion.

Wyrdeer (New Pokémon Legends: Arceus evolution of Stantler)

Arceus’ Wyrdeer evolves from a Stantler who has survived in the harsh environment of the Hisui region. The Wyrdeer has strong ties with the people of the land, and it has always been treated with great respect. Cloth made with any fur it sheds from its beard, tail, and legs is highly prized. It is used especially to create warm winter clothing.

In a fight, Wyrdeer releases psychic energy from the black orbs at the base of its antlers. The powerful energy can distort space. Wyrdeer also uses its antlers defensively, searching out safe paths and keeping young Stantler safe.

Wyrdeer is a part of the ‘Big Horn’ category of Pokémon and is a Normal/Psychic-type. Its height is 5’11,” and it usually weighs about 209.7lbs. For now, it seems as far as evolution goes, Wyrdeer will evolve from a regular Stantler.

Truly, a most noble creature.

Basculegion (New Pokémon Legends: Arceus evolution of the Hisuian Basculin)

Basculin that live in the Hisui region can become Basculegion… If other Basculin that died in their school during the journey upstream were to possess them. (What can we say, Pokémon can be dark!)

Basculegion gains power from these souls, allowing it to swim for great distances and with much power. These souls will fight with Basculegion if attacked; however, they seem to have wills of their own. When Basculegion enters into a battle, it becomes enraged. It then attacks non-stop until it emerges the victor.

Basculegion is a part of the ‘Big Fish’ category of Pokémon and is a Water/Ghost-type. Its height is 9’10,” and it usually weighs about 242.5lbs. As far as evolution goes, at least, when it comes to gameplay, it seems like Basculegion will evolve from a normal Basculin. There are currently two types of Basculin, however. There is a red-striped form and blue-striped form. Both red and green Basculegion can be evolved from a Hisuian Basculin.

We wouldn’t want to make this fish mad.

Other Pokémon Appearing in Arceus: Starter Pokémon Evolutions and More Hisuian Forms 

Not every Pokémon set to appear in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a new Pokémon. Some old favorites have also been announced to join the game.

So far, these include Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott, which look like they may serve as Arceus’ starter Pokémon. But now that Arceus has been released and is available for gameplay, we know that Arceus features Hisuian final evolutions for its three starter Pokémon. These include the Hisuian Decidueye, the Hisuian Typhlosion, and the Hisuian Samurott.

The Hisuian Typhlosion is a Fire/Ghost-type Pokémon. Meanwhile, the Hisuian Decidueye is a Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon. Finally, the Hisuian Samurott is a Water/Dark-type Pokémon.

Joining these new forms are the Hisuian Qwilfish who evolves into a new Arceus Pokémon, Overqwil, both are Dark/Poison-type Pokémon. Additionally, Arceus features the Hisuian Sneasel, who evolves into a new Arceus Pokémon, the Sneasler. The two are Fighting/Poison-type Pokémon. The Hisui-region Lilligant also arrives in the game. And it is not to be underestimated, despite its beautiful pink flowers. The Hisuian Lilligant is a Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon.

Another new Arceus Pokémon is the Ursaluna, a Normal/Ground-type Pokémon. Players can evolve Ursaring into this new form by using a Peat Block on Ursaring during a full moon.

Players can also look for the Hisuian Avalugg (Ice/Rock), the Hisuian Sliggoo (Dragon/Steel), and the Hisuian Goodra (Dragon/Steel).

Additionally, the “Gratitude Pokémon” Shaymin will appear in its Land Forme. Shaymin is a mythical Pokémon. And, of course, the mythical Pokémon Arceus, whom we have previously met in the franchise, will appear in the game.

As far as legendary Pokémon go, Arceus features Dialga (Steel/Dragon) and Palkia (Water/Dragon) and Enamorus in two forms. Additional legendary and mythical Pokémon may include:

• Azelf
• Mesprit
• Uxie
• Heatran
• Cresselia
• Giratina
• Regigigas
• Tornadus
• Landorus
• Thundurus
• Enamorus

Additional mythical Pokémon may include:

• Manaphy
• Phione
• Darkrai

Arceus’ New Pokémon & Game Release Information 

With so many new Pokémon to look forward to, players should be very excited to play Pokémon Legends: Arceus  which released on January 28, 2022. You can order the game now. And who knows, there may even be more new Arceus Pokémon to discover!

Originally published on August 18, 2021

The post Meet All of ARCEUS’ New Pokémon Evolutions and Regional Forms appeared first on Nerdist.

Although Poké Balls are some of Pokémon‘s most ubiquitous items, they have also been some of the most mysterious. Poké Balls have existed in basically every iteration of the Pokémon world. They have appeared in countless games, across the anime, and in the franchise’s films. These days we have Poké Balls and Great Balls, Ultra Balls and Premier Balls, Timer Balls and more. But Pokémon trainers still didn’t have the answer to one key question. How do Poké Balls work? Is it magic? Science? Or some strange combination of both that allows Poké Balls to snag unsuspecting wild Pokémon into their grasp? Players and characters alike seemed not to know. But now the long-awaited Pokémon Legends: Arceus has finally been released. And in addition to a slew of fun new regional forms, Arceus brings with it some new insight on how exactly a Poké Ball functions.

Fans have had many theories about how Poké Balls work over the years. Some have thought that the Pokémon simply becomes matter. Others have imagined the Poké Ball as something like the TARDIS, bigger on the inside. But, in its introduction, Pokémon Legends: Arceus shares some new insights on this fascinating item. We know that Arceus takes place in the franchise’s past. We are returning to the days before trainers really cemented themselves. And we get to see how things like the Poké Ball were invented by the Hisuian people.

As players begin the game, they meet Professor Laventon. The Professor explains more about the world of Hisui. He also introduces Arceus‘ starter Pokémon. In the midst of this explanation, Laventon remembers to explain the Poké Ball. At first, he merely hands over a Poké Ball and says, “Throw these at Pokémon to catch them.” Which, of course, is our standard explanation. But Professor Laventon seems to realize what we already know, which is that this explanation actually explains nothing, so he elaborates.

Here’s what he has to say:

Now, I’ve mentioned already that Pokémon are strange, marvelous creatures. What’s so strange about them you ask? Well, each and every Pokémon is able to shrink itself into a miniscule size! And that’s where Poké Balls come in! Poké Balls. Poké Balls are a recent invention, you see. Throw one of them at a Pokémon, and, why, the Pokémon will shrink down and fit inside the ball, comfy as can be.

We admit, that still leaves some questions about the Poké Ball and how it works. For instance, why does it trigger the Pokémon’s ability to become small? Is it a trait every Pokémon in the (scientifically-speaking) Kingdom of Pokémon shares? Why don’t Pokémon use this ability in other instances? And once inside the ball, even if a Pokémon is small, what does it do in there?

While we’re waiting for these answers, you can enjoy a video about how the science behind shrinking a Pokémon might work. Of course, this video considers more about how a ball might emit a ray to shrink a Pokémon than how a Pokémon might shrink itself. But the science behind how an object might shrink remains the same. Perhaps the Pokémon employs the technique on itself.

More insight into the Poké Ball is definitely still needed. But at least the game has let us know a little bit more. We’d love to see the tiny, tiny versions of Pokémon one day. Maybe if the Pokémon franchise ever visits the future.

The post POKÉMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS Finally Explains How Poké Balls Work appeared first on Nerdist.

The best creations come with hidden surprises inside. And, we all know, Pokémon are full of surprises. Just look at what was hiding inside Pikachu despite his shocking first impression. Now YouTuber Clay Yoshirin is bringing this element of Pokémon to life in their art. On the surface, they simply make incredibly life-like Pokémon sculptures. But if you look deeper, each of these amazing works of Pokémon art contains something more. And we don’t just mean the power of friendship. Each of these Pokémon sculptures possesses a hidden power.

But what secrets do these sculptures hold? Well, these artworks actually have a lot of utility. A special attack, so to speak, that matches the kind of Pokémon they are.

Pichu and Dedenne actually hold phone chargers inside of them. They will give your phone the electric jolt it needs to keep going. If trainers needed to charge their phones, it would certainly be handy for electric Pokémon to have the ability to help out. Maybe something for the anime to consider as it continues to evolve.

Here’s a closer look at the process:

Meanwhile, Loudred swoops in to pump up the volume. According to its official description, “Loudred’s ears serve as speakers, and they can put out sound waves powerful enough to blow away a house.” Well, hopefully, this Pokémon sculpture won’t bring the walls down. But it does give Loudred its special attacks. Clay Yoshirin turns this Loudred’s ears into actual speakers.

Our final fav? A Chinchou who will fight the darkness. Chinchou’s glowing orbs are its most powerful tools. And here, they come to life with the help of two lightbulbs. We all need a Chinchou desk lamp in our lives.

Of course, the fun doesn’t stop there, with many other Pokémon sculptures reimagined for the real world. You can explore Clay Yoshirin’s Twitter and Instagram for more unexpected delights.

We’ll leave you with an Exeggutor planter vibing in the wind and this happy planted Oddish. Let’s all take these Pokémon’s moods into the week.

The post These Lifelike POKÉMON Sculptures Contain Hidden Powers appeared first on Nerdist.

Regular trainers keep their Pokémon in Poké Balls. But why be regular when you can be masterful? A true Pokémon trainer knows the best place for your Pokémon is right at your fingertips. And right at your fingertips is exactly where they’ll live with these incredible Pokémon keyboard keycaps by Hirosart.

In all honesty, to call these merely keycaps feels like an insult. Because these Pokémon keycaps definitely deserve the moniker of “art.” The artistry in them feels nothing short of Poké-masterful. From the adorable creatures to the jaw-dropping backgrounds, we have nothing but praise for these keys. In the above starter space bar, the waves Squirtle surfs look like they will break at any minute. And Charmander’s fire seems to really burn. A good set of keycaps will make all the difference in your work. And, seriously, these do not disappoint.

Here’s what Hirosart has to say about their work:

We always produce the keycap characters by casting them through shaped molds. We do not have them easily printed in 3D and just like that, the keycap details come straight out of a machine. Everything is done by the hands of our artisans, preparing the molds, pouring resin, and coloring the details… This will obviously add some more inspiration to your work corner and keep you more creative to do what you love and love what you do.

Ultimately, this painting step is hands down one of the hardest things we faced during the production of Hirosart. Pokémon molds in the collection are very small, so it’s very challenging to paint the Pokémon and keep them spirited as much as possible. We had to apply 3 – 5 layers of paint for each keycap so the colors can have a certain thickness and be clearer to our eyes.

It is incredible to imagine each one of these tiny creations being painted by hand. But as Hirosart suggests, that attention to detail is what makes them feel exceptional. Just looking at the pieces, you can tell these Pokémon keyboard keycaps were made with care.

The best part? Hirosart shares the creators are open to requests. So if you don’t see your favorite Pokémon, just ask.

Here are some of our other favorite designs:

The Pokémon keyboard keycaps ultimately run around $50 per key. Spacebars cost somewhere from $150-$180. The shop also sells other varieties of keycaps for your enjoyment. We need 151, stat.

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Let’s face it, Pokémon trainers probably have to walk, a lot. Pokémon Go trainers have to do their fair share of walking too. So why not do it in style? To celebrate Pokémon’s 25th anniversary, Converse and The Pokémon Company have teamed up to create some super cool Pokémon shoes and sneakers.

Trainers, young and old, can choose from two Chuck Taylor All Star designs: Poké Ball and First Partners. The “Poké Ball” Pokémon sneakers feature a graphic black Poké-print on a white shoe. We spy Charmander, Pikachu, Meowth, Jigglypuff, and more, out to say hello. These Pokémon Converse shoes also replace one of the brand’s traditional ankle patches with a… you guessed it. Poké Ball. Intrepid trainers may also spy the traditional red and white ball lurking elsewhere.

The “First Partners” Poké-sneaker features many of the same Pokémon. But the title of the shoe brings us to a more emotional place. The official description for the Pokémon shoe shares, “With a digital powder print on all-black, a cast of first partner Pokémon take over the classic canvas.” Technically, we aren’t sure that Jigglypuff counts as a starter Pokémon. Though we guess we can define these as a collection of Pokémon we met early.

Either way, we feel pleased to see Meowth included in the bunch. At least spiritually, he absolutely was Team Rocket’s starter Pokémon, and he deserves some respect. Although… he is exiled to the other side of the shoe, away from the other Pokémon. But life is rough out there for a member of Team Rocket.

Converse offers even more Pokémon shoe options for the littlest trainers among us. Kids have all the luck. These Chuck Taylor All Star Easy-On for toddlers come in Pikachu and Jigglypuff options. The Pickachu sneakers showcase the adorable Pokémon’s face on the toe. And the Jigglypuff sneakers come decorated with tiny musical notes. So cute, we can’t stand it. And also we demand them in adult sizes, stat. So we can all play in Poké-style.

The Pokémon x Converse collaboration shoes go on sale on January 7 at 10 am ET. Also included in the collection are shirts, hats, backpacks, and more. Good luck catching them all.

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Who among us doesn’t love a playground? Swing sets, slides, and jungle gyms come together to bring back all the fun of childhood. But now, this Pokémon playground in Japan seriously challenges all other playgrounds to do better. Some might say it’s the best playground… Like no other playground ever was.

This Pokémon playground is located in Namie Town, Fukushima. The name of the park translates to “Lucky Park.” However, in Japanese, Chansey is called ラッキー or “Lucky.” So we suspect the playground is actually titled “Chansey Park.” Named for its towering Chansey jungle gym. The Chansey stands at six meters tall. We hope that Chansey is extremely lucky. And we hope it shares some of its good fortune and happiness. Chanseys can do that, you know.

The playground’s description shares that alongside Chansey, the playground features other Pokémon that are pink and cute. We spy, Happiny, Cleffa, Igglybuff, and Lickitung. Of course, everyone’s favorite Pokémon Pikachu also makes an electrifying appearance. We’d miss him if he didn’t. Plus, Pikachu has a high adorable factor of his own. We can’t exactly say the same for the Wingulls that also feature in the park. But hey, maybe their fellow birds will enjoy them.

Our favorite thing in the Pokémon playground? It has to be the exceptional Lickitung slide. That thing really just begs a photo op. Who hasn’t dreamed of sliding down a Lickitung’s tongue? And this park wants to make your dreams come true. The Licki-tongue beckons.

Additionally, it sounds like more Pokémon playgrounds will open around Japan soon. And their swings will have different designs. We look forward to seeing which Pokémon get featured there. Crossing our fingers for some Eevee. An Eeveelution park sounds amazing to us. We’ll arrive first in line… after we jump off the Chansey swings that is.

The post This POKÉMON Playground Invites You to Live Your Best Life appeared first on Nerdist.

There is no amount of money a Pokémon fan could spend that would surprise me. Not after I’ve seen how much rare cards go for. Plus I know the most ardent enthusiasts are willing to spend actual cash on used popsicle sticks. Besides, how could anything about the fandom shock when the mere chance at getting a hard-to-find collectible can cause mass chaos at a Target? That doesn’t mean you won’t be taken aback by the price tag on the newest Pokémon item. Because you really have to love the franchise to spend $26,000 on a crystal Pikachu.

The Pokémon Store has teamed with the French jeweler Baccarat for a new line of crystals. The most expensive, by far, is the limited-edition Pikachu Fragment. Japanese artist Hiroshi Fujiwara created the piece (which we first saw at GameSpot). It measures 11.8-inches tall, 5.7-inches wide, and 8.7-inches in length. And it measures 18.3-pounds. Here’s the official description from Baccarat:

“As cute as it is formidable, Pikachu shocks its opponents with its lightning fast moves. Revisited by Japanese artist Hiroshi Fujiwara for Baccarat, Pikachu has been transformed into an exceptional object for collectors. With its imposing dimensions, Pikachu Fragment symbolizes the unique know-how of Baccarat artisans. Multi-faceted and engraved with the ‘Electric’ logo, Pikachu radiates more than ever to salute this very special year with brilliance.”

It’s also an exclusive item, limited to just 25 pieces total. Each one comes officially numbered. If you want to collect them all it will cost you $650,000. Plus all the money you’ll need to spend traveling to the Baccarat stores where it’s available. That list includes Tokyo, Paris New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

If you’re looking to spend slightly less, Baccarat also has a smaller crystal Pikachu figurine for $440. (Though it’s currently sold out.) As well as a crystal Poké Ball for $410.

We know that will sell out too. Just like the $26,000 limited-edition piece will. It doesn’t matter how much something costs. Pokémon fans will happily pay for it.

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