Ah, summer. In Japan that means festivals, barbecuing on the beach, and smashing watermelons while blindfolded. It also means going on exciting camping trips in the wilderness with your friends… or maybe with Pokémon friends instead!
Camping with Pokémon is now totally possible, thanks to a new line of adorable sleeping bag plushies. Want to roast some marshmallows and tell ghost stories with Pikachu? Find out how after the jump!
For a limited time only starting on September 19, shoppers can purchase a lottery ticket for 620 yen (US$5.17) at any participating Pokémon Center, Tsutaya, or book store to be in with a chance at winning one of the handful of super cool Pokémon goods.
The good news is that everyone who purchases a ticket gets some kind of a prize, so even if you don’t win a sleeping bag Pikachu, the event shouldn’t end in tears like last year’s Mega Tokyo opening.
Here’s a rundown of the prizes, according to ticket letter:
1. Sets A, B, or C – Pikachu with Sleeping Bag Plushie
▼ Is that a sleeping bag, or is Pikachu just really happy about being eaten by Ekans?
Each of the plushies are a two-piece set of a Pikachu plushie and either a Charizard (A), Ekans (B), or Eevee (C) sleeping bag to dress it up in. The zippers on these 25cm (9.84 inches) plushies are real, so you can get that authentic feeling of tucking your best friend into bed for a good night’s sleep.
But wait, why does Pikachu have so many custom sleeping bags in the first place?
As the story behind the lottery goes, apparently Pikachu and friends were out sauntering in the woods and noticed a mountain climber camping in the wilderness. They decided to have a peek, popped into his tent, and were mesmerized by his comfy sleeping bag. The mountain climber, much warmer than his stone-cold Geodudes, decided to make them sleeping bags of their own, bringing us to today.
2. Sets D, E, or F – Bath towel, socks set, or palm-sized plushie set
▼ Wait, why don’t the socks match? ALL MY SOCKS NEED TO- oh. I get it! That’s pretty neat.
The bath towel (D) is a little small at 90cm (about 3 feet) long, but looks adorably absorbent. In the socks set (E), you get two pairs of pure cuteness to rock on your feet. The set of three little plushies (F) look really cool, but at only 8cm (3.14in ) tall, they’re probably only one-third the fun of the bigger ones.
3. Sets G, H, and LAST ONE! – Rubber mascot collection, hand towel collection, or special sleeping bag Pikachu
▼ Its… too… cute….
If you ask me, the rubber keychains (G) look really fun, and I’d want to attach them to everything I own with a loophole. The six-piece towel set (H) is perfect for those hot summer days, and now you’ll have enough to change them up for every beach visit. The “last chance” item is reserved for the very last ticket sold, meaning only one lucky entrant will be going home with the Pikachu who’s eternally dreaming of camping.
4. Double chance campaign!
▼ An excuse to buy even more tickets!
So what happens if you don’t win one of the plushies? Never fear! 100 lucky people will win a set of all three plushies in addition to the prizes they already won on their ticket!
Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like it’s possible to enter the lottery from outside Japan right now. If you’re in Japan, though, and lucky enough to live nearby a Pokémon Center or Tsutaya store, then you know what you must do. And if you live outside Japan but you’re lucky enough to have a Japanese friend who lives nearby a Pokémon Center or Tsutaya… then you know what you must do.
Source: Hachimakiko via Banpresto
Images: Banpresto