Pokémon
Pokémon ages with you. Not in some creaky childhood memory holding way. Literally. In the sense that there are adults in their twenties and thirties who still buy cards, still debate what starters are best, still care about a franchise that began in 1996 and hasn’t let go since. If you want to buy a gift for that person, or a child experiencing it for the first time, it can feel like your options number infinity.
We wanted to change that. Not by cataloguing every Pokémon item under the sun but sifting through to find the things that are actually worth buying. Trust us, it makes a difference. So much stuff cashes in on the IP, dresses up a normal merchandise item in Pikachu pajamas and tries to call it a day. We cared about that. We wanted stuff that would make someone pause and actually appreciate it, whether they’ve been playing since ’96 or hit Pokemon Go one summer and unexpectedly got hooked.
Inside you’ll find stuff for a variety of people and budgets because Pokémon fans come in many varieties. Some of you want deluxe statues you’re not afraid to display. Some of you want trading card goodies that sync up with the game you play every Sunday with your local nerd group. Some of you want merch you can wear that says ‘Pokemon’ without roared champion style yelling it at you. We tried to account for everyone instead of leaning on the basic stuff.
We also considered age old wise. Some kids on this list are for people experiencing Pokémon for the very first time. Some are for adults who know what they want and would be patronized by anything meant for “kids”. We recognise this divide and took it into account.
Last but not least every item on this list had to pass one question. Would I actually give this to someone? Not does this look Pokemon enough that I can fool them into thinking I’ve spent time on a gift, but would I feel good about handing this to a loved one. You’ll notice a lot of Pokémon merch didn’t make that cut. What you’re left with is our short list of trusted gifts.