The Pokémon Company’s Project Snorlax continues with new art and merchandise by Japanese-American artist CHRIS

The Pokémon Company has announced the latest addition to Project Snorlax (プロジェクトカビゴン), a year long celebration of the titular Pokémon through social media and product tie-ins. The Japanese-American pop artist known as CHRIS has debuted his version of Snorlax, with its eyes unusually open in his signature style, to be featured on products and art available online and at the Isetan Shinjuku department store in Tokyo, Japan. From January 17th until January 23rd, an art exhibition will be held on the #2 Stage inside the store's main building, featuring several of CHRIS’s Snorlax-themed art pieces, including a life-size (6’11”) Snorlax titled “The Snorlax in the Dream.”

Beyond the large-scale art, which are for sale via lottery, CHRIS’s Snorlax designs will be available as merchandise in collaboration with several Japanese street style labels, including Wind And Sea and Hollywood Ranch Market. T-shirts, sweatshirts, and stationary are planned for this collab, but also some unexpected pieces like a Snorlax throw rug and a Snorlax headband like the one CHRIS depicts himself wearing. Merchandise will be available inside Isetan Shinjuku during the exhibition period and online at mistore.jp, which only delivers to domestic addresses in Japan, beginning January 17th.

CHRIS describes himself as a big Pokémon fan and lists Snorlax as his favorite.

僕は作品を作る際に自分が今まで通ってきたカルチャーを掘り下げるのですが、ポケモンは『ポケットモンスター 赤・緑』からプレイしていましたし、僕の子どもたちを通して今でもポケモンには通じていますから、本当に愛してやまない作品です。

“When I'm creating a work, I dig into the culture that I have come from. I've been playing Pokémon since Pokémon Red and Green, and I'm still well informed about Pokémon through my children, it's something I'll always love.

While CHRIS’s wide-eyed style may at first seem to clash with Snorlax’s perpetual slumber, he actually leaned into the sleep theme with this project. He describes the idea he started with for the art:

一見、僕の作風と相性が悪いかなと思ったのですが、僕は以前からカビゴンが「こんなに寝ていて、どんな夢を見ているのだろう」「きっと夢の中では目がぱっちり開いて楽しく遊び回っているんじゃないか」と思い描いていたのです。

"At first look, I thought (Snorlax) wasn't very compatible with my style, but from before I've thought things like 'When he's sleeping like this, I wonder what sorts of dreams is he seeing?' and 'I'm sure that in his dreams his eyes are wide open and he's happily gallivanting around."

Isetan Shinjuku is holding several promotions during the art exhibition, including appearances from a Snorlax mascot on January 20th and 22nd at noon, 3PM, and 5PM each day. The first 1000 people who download the Mitsukoshi Isetan app, register as a member, and present the coupon screen in-store will receive a free CHRIS Snorlax sticker. The first 100 customers to open a Mitsukoshi Isetan credit card and spend ¥11,000 ($75.91 USD) at the art exhibition on the #2 Stage will receive a CHRIS Snorlax acrylic keychain.

Project Snorlax began on March 17th, 2023, which was World Sleep Day, a few months before it became the mascot of Pokémon Sleep, so Snorlax’s year will continue into 2024. The Leader of Project Snorlax at The Pokémon Company, Kaname Kosugi, says of that project that:

上半期はカビゴンの持っている魅力を発信したり再発見してもらったりということに注力してきたので、下半期は外に広げていく活動をしたいと思っています。

"In the first half of the year, we focused our efforts on on informing people about, and having them rediscover, the charm of Snorlax, so in the second half of the year, we'd like to expand our efforts to other activities."