Ice cream chain famous for its 31 flavors celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise with temptingly tactile treats and a salute to every starter Pokémon.
As any etiquette expert knows, you can’t have a proper party without ice cream, can you? So with Pokémon celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Pikachu and friends will be stopping for supplies at Baskin-Robbins Japan.
With this year being a big milestone for the franchise, Baskin-Robbins is simultaneously getting nostalgic and giving us something new. When the 31 Poké Summer promotion kicks off next month it’ll be doing so with a brand-new flavor, Pikachu Volt Tackle.
This new flavor takes its name from the attack that was added to Pikachu’s repertoire in the third generation of Pokémon games in which Pikachu dashes towards his target while wrapped in crackling electricity. The yellow here is a sweet and tangy pineapple sorbet, and Baskin-Robbins says the white ribbons interlaced with it are “cider”-flavored, which in Japanese sweets jargon usually refers to a refreshing apple/citrus taste. Symbolizing both Pikachu’s cheeks and the high-voltage nature of the technique is an extra-large amount of popping candies. As a matter of fact, there are 31 percent more popping candies here than in Baskin-Robbins Japan’s eternally popular Popping Shower ice cream, so the Pikachu Voltage Tackle (priced at 420 yen [US$2.60] for a regular-size scoop) promises to be a very stimulating scoop.
Also getting a special salute is Ditto, who’s having a big year as the star of spinoff game Pokémon Pokopia.
Baskin-Robbins is giving Ditto some time off from building cities/rebuilding civilization and letting it get back to doing what it does best: transforming. The 760-yen Ditto Crush Soda is a carbonated crushed ice dessert drink with two different flavors, grape and pineapple, that come with their respective syrups only partially blended. After the drink is served, it’s up to you to use the included Ditto stirrer stick to mix everything up until the contents of the cup turn a Ditto-like purple, and there’s also a dollop of jiggly grape gelatin, so like with the Pikachu Volt Tackle, this treat not only looks like its inspiration, it feels like it too. Since this is an ice cream float, you also get your choice of ice cream flavor to add to the cup, with the Pikachu one being the obvious selection.
The Ditto cup isn’t the only special container that’s part of the 31 Poké Summer fun, though. If you’re in the mood to upgrade your ice cream to sundae status, you can do it with the Poké Ball Sundae, which gets you one scoop of your choice, a Pikachu chocolate whipped cream, and sprinkles on top, all served inside a Poké Ball for 820 yen. A special cup calls for a special spoon, so this sundae also randomly provides you with one featuring Pikachu and one of the three original starter Pokémon, Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle, plus a toothpick-like decorative character illustration.
Meanwhile, if you’re good without toppings but instead want more ice cream, the Pokémon Double Cup lets you choose two flavors (510 yen for small scoops or 760 for regular) and serves them in a cup decorated with cross-generational images of either Grass, Fire, or Water-type starters.
These also come with one of the three starter spoons, plus one of 30 stickers (featuring all nine generations of starters so far plus Pocket Monster all-stars Pikachu, Eevee, and Mew).
▼ The stickers seem to indicate each species’ favorite ice cream. It’s a little surprising Pikachu didn’t pick Voltage Tackle, but maybe the interviewers had some sort of rule preventing him from voting for his own flavor.
And if you want some Pokémon ice cream spoons that are even more special, Baskin-Robbins Japan has two stainless steel designs, with Pikachu and Eevee in alternating levels of prominence.
These are included in the Pokémon Summer Special Set, along with your choice of nine scoops of ice cream (3,520 yen for small or 4,100 yen for regular) in special paper cups, plus nine of the plastic starter Pokémon spoons.
And finally, during 31 Poké Summer, Baskin-Robbins Japan’s four, six, eight, or 12-scoop Variety Boxes will have a Pokémon visual theme going on.
31 Poké Summer as a whole is scheduled to run from August 1 to 31, but the Poké Ball Sundae will only be offered from August 1 to 9, and, as always with promotions like this, supplies are limited, so this is, once again, a reason to listen to your ice cream cravings as soon as possible. And if you’re a Pokémon fan who’s into not just sweets, but specifically cakes, a different sweets shop in Japan is ready to accommodate you too.
Source, images: PR Times
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