pikachu-bank

The electric Pokémon has moved into a Pokébox and now he’s hungry for your coins!

The “Itazura Bank” (“Prank Bank”) is an adorable battery-operated money-saving box that started with a cute cat-in-the-box several years ago and has since expanded to include collaborations with Hello Kitty and even Godzilla. Now, the Japanese companies behind the product, Shine Inc. and Takara Tomy, have teamed up with another iconic local character for their latest release, and this time it’s the adorable red-cheeked Pikachu from the Pokémon franchise that’s here to teach us all about fiscal responsibility.

▼ The new money-box looks like a Pokéball, only this time it’s in the shape of a box!

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While the box is gorgeous enough on its own, what’s hiding inside is even more adorable. To open the lid, however, a coin needs to be placed on the yellow tab at the top of the box. While a 500 yen coin fits the slot perfectly, any type of coin will work to open the lid briefly, revealing the character’s face and paw, which reaches out, grabbing the coin and dropping it inside the box before quickly disappearing back underneath the lid.

▼ The box is big enough to save up to 40 of those gold-coloured 500 yen coins, meaning Pikachu gets to sit on a mound worth 20,000 yen (US$183.70)!

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▼ When every coin you save comes with the reward of a cute interaction with Pikachu, there’s no better incentive to save ’em all!

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The Pikachu Itazura Banks will go on sale from 18 November, a day after the new Pokémon Sun and Moon animated TV series broadcasts on Japanese television. Available from online retailers like Amazon Japan, and toy stores nationwide, the money-boxes will retail for 3,218 yen each.

Source, images: @Press