It’s a-me, Pikachu!
Nintendo doesn’t own Pokémon outright. The monster-catching-and-rearing franchise is actually the property of The Pokémon Company, which has arguably the coolest name of any business organization on the planet.
That said, Nintendo not only has a major ownership stake in The Pokémon Company, its performance as publisher for the mainline Pokémon video games has been so wildly successful that it’s hard to imagine the series ever switching teams and appearing on another company’s consoles or handheld systems. So really, Pikachu has become arguably as much a Nintendo team player as Mario and Luigi, and so it only makes sense for the most famous Pocket Monster to do a little cosplay as the world’s most famous plumbers.
▼ Raise your hand if you never noticed that Mario and Luigi have differently shaped mustaches.
Going on sale later this month at Pokémon Center superstores around Japan, as well as through the Pokémon Center Online net shop, is a line of Mario Pikachu merchandise (sorry, Luigi, Nintendo apparently doesn’t love you enough to find space for your name in there). The above-pictured Mario Pikachu and Luigi Pikachu plushies, the most adorable items, are priced as 2,200 yen (US$21) each. There’s also a New Nintendo 3DS LL cover (2,000 yen) that takes the box art from the old-school Famicom Super Mario Bros. but replaces the original’s Mario franchise characters and enemies with various Pokémon species.
▼ Squirtle and Blastoise standing in for the Koopa Troopa and Bowser are clever choices.
Also available are Mario and Luigi Pikachu versions of the Pokémon XY Break card game (1,500 yen each), a card case (1,200 yen), and a set of Japanese hanafuda playing cards (2,500 yen).
In addition, the Kyoto Pokémon Center (located in Nintendo’s home town) and the Pokémon Center Online will be offering a handful of items that you can’t get anywhere else.
▼ Adult-size T-shirts (3,000 yen)
▼ Kid-size T-shirts (2,500 yen)
▼ Plushie straps (1,200 yen each)
▼ Double-ring notebook (750 yen)
▼ Plastic “clear files” (set of three for 660 yen)
▼ Western-style playing cards (1,250 yen)
The Mario Pikachu line goes on sale October 29.
Related: Pokémon Center location list, Pokémon Center Online
Source: The Pokémon Company
Images: The Pokémon Company (edited by RocketNews24)
Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’d be happy with Pikachu crossing over into just about any Nintendo franchise.
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