Epic! I still need those Himeno Poker cards! Gyarados is from gashapon machines I’m not sure which set exactly though would need to dig a bit but these are from the 3rd release (1996) as an example:
5 Likes
Dude so great. Those figurines! Absolutely wonderful stuff!
Yet another gorgeous update 
1 Like
Never knew there are 4 versions of that figurine to the bottom right, very cool. The Stadium 2 poster is dope.
1 Like
So glad I was able to help you out with some excellent Gyarados additions. Those gold slide up cards looks beautiful in your display, especially with Lance in the background 
3 Likes
@qwachansey thank you! I’m excited to see what tidbits you get in the future. The lot I purchased also had a gold Chansey though it’s damaged. Let me know if you’re interested and just DM me on discord.
@shizzlemetimbers I knew you’d likely be the one to have an idea of where it’s from. Haha. Next time I see the Himeno Pokemon cards I’ll let you know! I’ve almost stopped doing searches on ebay so I was surprised to see someone was selling them on that platform. And those Gashapon figures are so cool! I knew they were likely early era since the copyright was still in Japanese. Love the metallic hue on the pods.
Appreciate it, @brendantheclayboy! This update was exhausting to write, honestly. There were so many things I forgot to put in my last update and so many great additions from trades, small purchases, and resources and I STILL have more stuff to update.
@c0ll3ct0r - Yeah, there’s a lot of versions including some English counterparts. I still would like to get the Red Gyarados just to have a matching pair but it’s pretty low on my priority list. Haha. I’m not ready to do a full reveal of my display (still doing some research and final touches on a few pieces) but I’m happy to showcase my first pride and joy that showcases the figures I do have:
The Mega Gyarados figure is my favorite. Despite it being my least favorite version of Gyarados, it comes from a Mega Gyarados Collection box I received one special Christmas from some E4 members following the loss of my job some years back. I’ll talk more about my display in the future and what each portion represents.
@thedude1990, it couldn’t have been more perfect! I had the Lance card in my bulk and always wondered if I could make use of it somehow, so when I got the cards, I almost considered attempting to resell the Dragonite. But as soon as I got it in hand, I knew exactly what to do with it. Thank you again, man. It felt like a true milestone.
10 Likes
Small update! But with a lot of history!
I won an early auction on this Gyarados lot from Blue Sky Stream and was able to get a buttload of the regular holo (which is my favorite version) with the full set. Now time to open some English packs of Evolving Skies just to have have fun and see if I can pull it myself.
The texture on 021/067 is gorgeous and takes away some of the sodium intake I was having regarding the lack of an alt-art damn you all to HELL you bastards!
Moving on!
2012 Pakapuka Shigeta Family Doujinshi May Carp Streamer Postcard:
So this was an interesting find. This hadn’t turned up in Gyarados searches and just on one of my random Pokemon searches. The postcard comes from an event in Japan called “Super Comic City” where amateur and original manga (Doujinshi) artists come together in a big convention. The event happens every May during the 3rd and 4th of the month. Admittedly I don’t know what the Pokemon Doujinshi is about, but I was able to find a couple of images online:
I fell in love with the use of Gyarados as a streamer though and had to put it side by side with the Anime Collection card that depicted Gyarados as a traditional Carp Streamer.
I’ll have to update my IG since I already shared this but I’ve since found more information on the significance of carp streamers.
So for those who don’t know, Carp Streamers are called Koinobori / 鯉のぼり in Japan that decorate Japan to symbolize the success of children - the carp being symbolic of future success by their ability to swim up waterfalls. Originally it was in celebration to the future success of young boys of a household during the Edo period (the event being called “The Boy’s Festival”) but has since been inclusive to all children on “Children’s Day”.
The celebration starts near the end of April but peaks on May 5th - the official date for Children’s Day.
The streamers themselves have some basic parts but there is always some deviation:
Yaguruma - think of this as a spinning wind vane or wind wheel.
Fukinagashi - the flying dragon streamer (coughcoughGyaradoscoughcough)
Koinobori - the carp streamers themselves.
Colors and placement usually have symbolic significance as well since the top one is black and typically depicts the father, red the second as the eldest son, and blue the third as the youngest son. But this has since been outdated as the red one can also now also represent the mother, and all children are celebrated with the use of varying colors - so you’ll see a lot of different representations for color and placement.
They even have a song for Children’s Day!
I did more research on this because the postcard made me want find more about Carp Streamers cultural significance. I’ve been seeking a lot more variety from my collection and in doing so, I’ve started to research the cross-cultural references that Pokemon items like this take into account. It’s been part of the fun for me this past year and something I’ll continue diving into in the future.
And for the Magikarp or Pikachu collectors - if you want even more Pokemon merch related to Carp Streamers, Pokemon made a Children’s Day plush on May of 2015:
If you want to know more about Koinobori, most of the information I was able to locate came from this website from sugoii-japan.com.
Thanks for reading, folks.
- Azul
11 Likes
wooooo! That Carp Streamer artwork :0 beautiful!!! And what an amazing metaphor!!!
1 Like
I love it. I’m thinking of rearranging some things just to make room for it in the display case.
1 Like
Amazing piece came in this week.
Am I A Magikarp Collector Now?
I have jokingly said in the past that every Gyarados collector wishes they could be a Magikarp collector as well. Alas, very few venture that full dream and less are likely to find a way to complete it considering the untold avenues one must consider (*coughcoughSnapMagikarpcoughcough*). But I’ve loved seeing the collections of some other members like Steph’s Legendary Magikarp Collection as well as @mrmagicarpe 's Magnificent Magikarps. Not forgetting the multiple conversations I’ve had with our own @papafrankgod regarding his love for both the carp and dragon.
The past few years I’ve thought of getting a few Magikarps that I really liked. Having enjoyed the Shiny Magikarp released from Toys’R’US years back, I had found myself wishing I had a Unikarp but knew it was out of my reach (read more about the Tamamushi University Magikarp here). However, I told myself that if I could find a Web Karp - the Poor Man’s Unikarp - for a decent price, I would buy one one day.
That day came last year with a very thankful auction.
HERGALOOLALGHBLALGH!
Fast forward to this year and I stumbled across Steven/@chopin 's [Instagram Post About the Unikarp ID Set.
](https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5M6vLlxOl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)Photo credit to @chopin
I hadn’t recalled ever seeing the Student ID card before. And upon neurotic close up of recognizing the tell tale signs of Gyarados patterns, I immediately recognized that the Tamamushi University had 2 Gyarados Statues!
Tamamushi University is also known as Celedon University and has apparently made a couple of appearances in the manga:
Taking a closer look at the card, I recognized something I had ALSO never noticed before. I’ve been familiar with the Tamamushi University pin and some related products over the years, but I never looked at the logo too closely - dismissing it as just some pattern and Japanese text. I now recognize my ignorance because the very base for which Magikarp is resting upon is a Gyarados!
Gyarados Ouroboros anyone? … Gyaraboros?
Photo credit to @chopin
Education is all about the struggle of advancing, learning, and growing, so the full cycle of Magikarp-to-Gyarados symbolism was not lost on me.
Least to say, I was blown away by this realization and immediately set off to find my own set.
However, the few auctions I located I continued to lose so instead I focused on saving and began reaching out to people to see if they had any leads. Luckily, some had, and one old school E4 member in particular was able to set something up for me - but that’s a story for next month.
In either case, up until this point, I still did not have a set in hand. And then I came across @nidokingdom 's IG story about @chopin selling that exact same set months later. And with @prochaos 's blessing (as he was the first to reach out to him - thanks again, man), we made a deal.
Welcome to what I like to call -
"The Hyper Beam Corner"
Forgive the shady toploader situation with my New Year Present card - that will be transferred soon to a better holder. And yes, I know Magikarp is using “Dragon Rage”.
It meant a lot to get this as I’ve been trying to focus my non-TCG stuff to exclusively rare and unique artwork. It meant more so since Steven’s post was the first time I recognized the Student ID Card. The booklet that the ID came with it’s own charm as well as it had come from an original owner and had drawings and writing inside:
Photo credit to @chopin
And the Surfing Pikachu Pop-Up Card in the corner was also a nice surprise gift from him! Thank you again, man. I absolutely love this and it makes that corner of my display feel complete. Having it side by side with the Web Karp makes me feel like I have a Unikarp in tow.
And to answer the question of whether or not I’m collecting Magikarp officially now… Well… No. I can’t say that I am truthfully.
But I’ll be eagerly happy to sprinkle them into the mix.
After all, they’ve been there since the beginning.
The struggle is real.
Thanks for reading, folks!
- Azul
24 Likes
Love the update! Thanks for sharing
2 Likes
Loved this update, so well written. I’m thrilled that I have been able to assist you get hold of these pieces, they look lovely in situ 
1 Like
Thanks you two! I think after this year, I might need a break. This year has been one of the most insane years for my collection. So we’ll see.
Congratulations @azulryu, you chose the best Magikarp to own just a copy, big brain move there and it looks absolutely amazing in that display. Wasn’t expecting that Tamamushi accesories flex, not an easy task to find all of those! (PapaSadGod)
1 Like
Go for being a Makikarp collector as well! You can get a ton of different artworks and variants for under $2 each on Troll and Toad. Then grab the ones you like the most that are over $2 from elsewhere. You won’t have much put into it and have probably over half of the Magikarps out there pretty quickly.
1 Like
I just read through this thread … what a hell of a journey. Your collection is honestly incredible. I love how there’ll always be more Gyarados to collect in sets that come out in the future, and it looks like there’s a crazy amount of non-TCG Gyarados memorabilia out there as well.
Can’t wait to see how the Magikarp collection pans out…
2 Likes
I told you I was going to go after it! 
And thanks for being an advisor of sorts on Magikarp stuff. Admittedly, I kind of want to go after all of the rest of the Unikarp stuff outside of the card, but I know that would only drive me up a wall to try to get the card. I already have one grail to worry about, not about to add another potentially impossible goal. XD
@eeveeteam … Why would you even tempt me like that? >_>;; Maybe if @mrmagicarpe wanted to combine collections. XD
Thank you! Honestly I like to look back at some of my earlier posts every once in a while - it’s interesting to see how my collection has changed so much since I became a part of E4. I had a lot of stuff as a kid, but since coming to know more veterans, I feel like it’s become a lot more specialized.
For example, my non-TCG goals were always relatively loose. I knew from the get-go I wouldn’t try to collect EVERYTHING Gyarados, but I had always been tempted to. Since I’ve always lived in small locations, I’ve avoided bulky items like plushies and toys for the most part. However now my non-TCG collection typically goes for unique depictions of Gyarados or ones that have cross-cultural significance. I’d like to have at least ONE unique official artwork of Gyarados that’s ever been done. It just gets messy when you consider the comics, books, etc.
1 Like
Shining Magicarp is absolutely amazing. I really want to get a Japanese 25th Shining Magicarp, the 25th stamp, unique holo foil pattern, and the gold borders…wow! One of my favorite “modern” cards I’ve seen in a while!
@tromboneguy360 I’ve played with the idea of owning a Shining Magikarp but never pulled the trigger - I’m definitely going to grab the Japanese version though. It’ll likely be my only purchase from Celebrations that stands outside the English/Japanese Dark Gyarados reprint.
Thank you! I edited it to include the Snap Gyarados but the main art was done as a commission ages ago by Monarobot. She was incredibly patient with me and did an incredible rendition. This was the original version before she accepted my feedback and made tweaks:
Afterwards she came up with the full and final version:
She’s also done a few different iterations of Gyarados since then for other commission requests:
I can be very particular about commission stuff but I’m hoping that one day Dalton Doodles opens up commissions as they’re my current favorite. Perhaps I’ll do a new avatar then. We’ll have to see.
11 Likes