KelsiDavis

The Pokémon Company International’s collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has been plagued with issues since its debut on September 28th, mostly in regards to the limited edition “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo card. Originally available in-person at the Van Gogh Museum and free with online orders of Van Gogh-themed Pokémon merchandise through the Pokémon Center online, the card has become a rare find, as scalpers overran the museum and sold out the Pokémon Center’s merch almost immediately. The Van Gogh Museum will continue to offer its Pokémon-themed exhibits and activities until the promotion’s original end date, January 7th of 2024, despite being completely sold out of Pokémon merchandise and no longer offering the promo card.

Derrick Guerrero, 33, has been charged with manslaughter after shooting and killing a currently unnamed shoplifter who was in the process of stealing several Pokémon Trading Card Game boxes from the GameStop where Guerrero worked. The incident occurred the night of Tuesday, October 17th at the GameStop located in Pembroke Lakes Mall, in Pembroke Pines, a suburb of Miami, Florida. Guerrero is currently being held at Broward County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

“I don’t want to be his help,” said former Los Angeles Police Officer Louis Lozano in recently released dashcam footage, in regards to a request for backup from a Los Angeles Police Department captain. The captain was responding to a robbery inside the Crenshaw Mall which took place on April 15th, 2017, the department reports, during which time Lozano and fellow former Officer Eric Mitchell were parked in their squad car less than 200 yards away, playing Pokémon GO. Court documents reveal that the officers then drove away from the scene of the robbery in pursuit of Snorlax and Togetic.

A new menu inspired by Detective Pikachu Returns is coming to Italian-style Japanese coffee chain Pronto next week from October 12th, remaining available until December 10th. To celebrate the new game, Pronto has revealed a selection of three new drinks with Autumn flavors and four new set meals, as well a collection of original exclusive merchandise that will be available exclusively in-store at Pronto locations across Japan. In addition, the following five Pronto stores will be getting special decorations along with their new menu: New Chitose Airport Akihabara North Exit Ginza Corridor Umeda Rakutenchi Building Fukuoka Shintencho locations. Based on Pronto’s store makeovers for their 2022 collaboration with Netflix's Stranger Things, customers can expect the Detective Pikachu Returns theming of these stores to be quite extensive. Pikachu & Eevee's "Best Friends" Sweet Potato Chestnut Latte and Pikachu & Pawmi’s Orange Tea with Crackling Chocolate, both for ¥990 (~$6.67...

The largest primary-age school football cup in England is continuing into its second year as The Pokémon Company International and the English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) announce the 23/24 season. The Pokémon Primary Schools’ Cup, sponsored by both organizations, is a national competition for students aged 9 to 11, designed to promote ESFA’s “15 Benefits” of football, including principles like teaching respect, encouraging teamwork, and helping children to feel they are part of a team. The competition reaches more than 50,000 students in over 5,000 teams across England, who compete in mixed teams, girls’ teams, and small school teams categories. Peter Murphy - Senior Director of Marketing at The Pokémon Company International, said: “It was amazing to see so many talented teams from across the country take part in last season’s competition, truly demonstrating that teamwork, friendship and respect are equally important factors in a football competition. We look forward...

The 2023 Toy of the Year Awards, hosted by charitable organization The Toy Foundation, has announced their individual category winners for the year. Pokémon products were nominated in three categories in 2023; Collectable, Construction Toy, and Action Figure Toy of the Year. Pokémon Squishmallows took the crown for Collectable of the Year, beating out competitors such as LEGO Disney, Monster High, and Furby. The collection of plushies is manufactured by longtime partner of The Pokémon Company International, Jazwares. The 16” version of Squishmallows also won for 2023 Plush Toy of the Year, and even won in 2022 for Overall Toy of the Year, while the Pokémon brand itself won in 2022 for License of the Year. The Toy Foundation announced that approximately $800,000 USD was raised in cash donations during this year’s award season from sponsors such as Mattel, Spin Master, and The Pokémon Company International, which donated $90,000 in cash and $3.7 million worth of cards and other...

Following up on their mysterious teaser trailer from earlier this month, The Pokémon Company International and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are now showing off more details of their collaboration, which begins today, September 28th, and will run through until January 7th, 2024. The latest announcement shows off special artworks and events within the museum, merchandise coming to the Pokémon Center online, and an exclusive Pokémon Trading Card Game release featuring Pikachu in the style of a Van Gogh painting.

The Pokémon Company revealed earlier this month that its newest Pokémon Center will be coming to Taipei, Taiwan, the first in the country. The grand opening event in December is expected to include special events and commemorative products for sale to celebrate the new store. The exact location of the new Pokémon Center has now been revealed, along with its unique logo. The new store will be located on the third floor of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, a department store in the Xinyi District of Taipei. Pikachu and Dragonite serve as Pokémon Center Taipei’s mascots, making Dragonite the first Pseudo-legendary to hold the honor.

Millennium Print Group, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company International (TCPi), confirmed on Monday, September 25th that 800 temporary positions have been cut at their facility in Morrisville, North Carolina. This facility, which specializes in printing trading cards and associated materials, has been printing Pokémon cards for distribution worldwide (besides in Japan and Portugal), since partnering with TCPi in 2015. Millennium Print Group was then acquired by TCPi in April of last year for an undisclosed amount of money, with the intention to scale the company to become a larger trading card printer with a higher output capacity. An unnamed spokesperson for The Pokémon Company International assured local media outlets that there are no plans to include full-time workers in the layoffs.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) reported over the weekend that they have seized 1,465 products from a single traveler arriving from Thailand to the Perth International Airport, over concerns the products breach intellectual property rights laws. ABF officers conducted a baggage search after the traveler declared they were carrying commercial products. The holders of the intellectual property rights (namely, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company International) are being consulted by the ABF to investigate the items’ authenticity, and as of yet, no charges have been filed.

The Pokémon Company’s collaborative project with the airline industry, Pokémon Air Adventures (called Flying Pikachu Project in Japan), has been thinking up themed jets, in-game events, and exclusive merchandise since 2021. The newest addition to the project, the “Pokémon Welcome Wall,” will greet international travelers arriving at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. Passengers arriving on international flights to Terminal 2 of the airport will be welcomed in English and Japanese by the three Kanto starters, Pikachu, and Mew.

Fans in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada can welcome the official start of the Fall season with cozy new releases available now online at The Pokémon Center. A new selection of sock sets and fleece socks are new to the site, with the Pokéball-themed fleece socks retailing for $14.99 USD. The three-sock sets, which include Electric-type and Ground-type versions, cost $29.99 USD, and the three-sock box sets with special Pokémon Center packaging, which come as a Pokéball-themed set or a Legendary birds set, will be $49.99 USD.

Pokémon has been on a roll with interesting collaborations this year, lending their name to everything from skateboards to pop music, and even recently announcing a mysterious partnership with the Van Gogh Museum. This week, Japanese press releases have promoted two more unusual projects for highly limited merchandise available exclusively in Japan.

The Pokémon Company International has been collaborating with McDonald’s almost every year since 2011 to put toys or cards in Happy Meals, and this year’s set of 15 cards is now available in the U.S. This promotion has already been run in Germany, Austria, and the U.K. earlier this summer, and is currently also running in Australia, so a full list of cards, as well as which ones are available printed in the usual Happy Meal confetti holofoil, is already available. Just like the 2022 Happy Meal cards, this set is entirely comprised of reprints of cards from other available sets.

While The Pokémon Company International has kept the details sparse, a new promo on The Official Pokémon YouTube channel has given fans their first look at an upcoming collaboration between Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The video shows Pikachu and Eevee frolicking through the Dutch countryside surrounded by Vincent Van Gogh’s quintessential sunflowers - which then turn into Sunfloras.

Detective Pikachu Returns’ release date is just around the corner on October 6th, and a new range plushies, stationary, and more to go with it have been announced by Pokémon Center in Japan. The determined-looking detective will feature as a talking plushie for ¥3,960 (~$27.00 USD), as well as on mugs, document protectors, and a mousepad. A selection of t-shirts are also planned for release, though the designs for these have not yet been revealed.

Following the recent announcement of Halloween-themed apparel, Pokémon Center has debuted new home décor, tableware, and plushies for the spooky season, as well as this year’s Pokémon Haunted Village figures. These new additions to The Pokémon Company International’s Pokéween promotion are available now from Pokémon Center Online in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada.

The Pokémon Company International has announced their “Pokéween” promotion for this Fall season, bringing Halloween-themed apparel to the Pokémon Center. Two new lines, Cinema Scares and Marvelous Misfits, will be coming to the U.S, the U.K., and Canada in September as part of Pokéween.

The Pokémon Company International has announced plenty of merch collaborations for September, including with longtime partner Jazwares, jewelry designer Tom Wood, and California-based skate and apparel brand Santa Cruz Skateboards.

Scheduled for release on September 13th, a new collection of products including stickers, socks, and more will be coming to Pokémon Center stores in Japan, as well as the Pokémon Center Online. The new releases are themed after Part 1 of The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, The Teal Mask, which itself will be available for download also on September 13th. Paldean Pokémon like Maschiff and Tatsugiri, as well as new Pokémon from the DLC including Ogerpon, Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti, feature on hand towels, socks, and stationary as part of this collection, which also includes a mini shoulder bag adorned with the symbol that appears in the new DLC area, Kitakami.