Pokemon Histories #3: A Poncho Pikachu Retrospective Part 3- The Pikachu Mega Campaign Part 1

trainerjack
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 18:28:23 +0000
Articles

Prior 2 Parts:

Pokemon Histories #1: A Poncho Pikachu Retrospective Part 1- Mega Tokyo's Pikachu Articles

Pokémon History has always been something dear to me and I recently decided to throw my hat in the ring and start documenting some great moments from this amazing franchise as well! I would like to share my findings with you all when articles are done on a given topic, so I hope you enjoy this part 1 of a retrospective on the Poncho Pikachus! What were the Poncho Pikachus? Poncho Pikachus or as they are officially known as usually, Poncho-Wearing Pikachu ポンチョを着きたピカチュウ were as the name sugges…

Pokemon Histories #2: A Poncho Pikachu Retrospective Part 2- Pretend Magikarp & Pretend Gyarados Pikachu Articles

Part 1: Hi all, I really enjoyed putting together the first installment of Pokémon Histories and am happy to share with you all part 2 of the Poncho Retrospective discussing Pretend Magikarp and Gyarados Pikachu. I hope you enjoy. The Announcement of Pokémon Center Hiroshima Shortly after the opening of the Mega Tokyo Pokémon Center, in April of 2015 it was revealed that a new Pokémon Center would be opening up in Hiroshima on the 6th floor of the main building of the Sogo Hiroshima Store …

Welcome back to Pokémon Histories! Today is Part 3 of Poncho Pikachu Retrospective. Discussing the most poncho heavy event yet, the Pikachu Mega Campaign! I hope you enjoy.

The Pikachu Mega Campaign Announcement and New Poncho Designs

With the success of the Mega Tokyo and Pretend Gyarados/Magikarp Pikachu designs seen in the prior articles, Pokemon capitalized on the Poncho Pikachu design by announcing the Pikachu Mega Campaign Part 1( 強（つよ）★カワ ピカチュウのメガキャンペーン第1弾) on November 18th, 2015. The English translation is loosely Tsuyo Kawa Pikachu Mega Campaign 1st .Tsuyo means strong and Kawa, though it can mean river in some instances, is more likely than not an abbreviated version of kawaii or cute. This would make sense to reflect the cute yet strong appeal of these mega Pikachu. For this article I will be keeping things simple by calling it the Pikachu Mega Campaign Part 1/Part 2 respectively.

The announcement was made through the below youtube video and revealed a whopping 18 more Poncho Pikachu designs. The new designs can be seen in this picture and from left to right:

Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3
Mega Pinsir | Mega Latias | Mega Ampharos
Mega Scizor | Mega Gardevoir | Mega Sableye
Mega Mawile | Mega Gallade | Mega Charizard X
Mega Lucario | Mega Altaria | Mega Mewtwo Y
Mega Lopunny | Mega Diancie | Mega Rayquaza
Mega Latios | Mega Audino | Mega Slowbro

The Pokémon Company was clearly going all in on the Poncho Pikachu design not only through this reveal, but also the confirmation that a second part of this campaign was going to happen at a later date.

Announcement Video:

【公式】ポケモンセンターホットインフォメーション イベント盛りだくさん！「強（つよ）★カワ ピカチュウの メガキャンペーン第1弾」開催決定！

Details of the Campaign

The campaign was set to begin on December 12th, 2015 at all Pokemon Centers and would run through December 31st. Though this wasn’t an opening for a new Pokemon Center, like our priorly discussed campaigns, this campaign shares many parallels with them such as new merchandise and promo cards which will be detailed below.

The main focus of this campaign was to celebrate mega evolution and get people excited and buying products of the new Pikachu Designs! In this vein they went all in with the merchandise and promotions for this event. Though 18 new designs were revealed, this campaign focused on 7 in particular. The poncho versions of Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Mega Sableye, Mega Audino, Mega Lucario, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Altaria. These 7 are the faces of the merchandise of this campaign and for the most part are equally represented throughout it. If I had to speculate on why these 7 were chosen specifically I would wager to guess the Zards we’re chosen due to their popularity, Lucario and Sableye bring strong/cool mons into the frey, Altaria/Audino bring the cute side, While Slowbro is a mix of both. This fits the cute and strong name we discussed above. It’s a diverse cast where most fans will probably like one of the designs and if you did there was plenty of merchandise with them all over it. Including plushies, keychains, stickers, and more which will all be discussed below.

Diancie Distribution
In the games department, the main draw of this event was the giveaway of a shiny Diancie, holding its mega stone, into your Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games. You could receive this shiny Diancie from noon at the start of the event on 12/12 to 6pm on 12/31. Much like the 2 prior events I discussed going to the store would allow you to download the gift directly into your game. However, unlike the prior events you could only receive Diancie specifically through ORAS games, X and Y would not be able to receive the event. It is also worth noting that if your copy of ORAS already had Diancie’s mega stone on it, this event would not get you another. This distribution is notable as it is the only time Shiny Diancie was ever given out in Japan(and one of only 2 times ever). So a legit Japanese Shiny Diancie had to have originated from this event. The promotional announcement for this distribution also makes it clear that Pikachu is the true star of the event saying “Pikachu, who admires various Mega Evolution Pokémon, appears as merchandise in a poncho outfit! To commemorate this release, the coveted mythical Pokémon “Diancie” will be given to you in a different color for your “Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire” game!"

Mascot Costumes

Mascot Costumes return once again for this event, with a whopping 5 more set to be seen across the various Pokemon Centers around Japan. The 5 being Mega Lucario, Mega Rayquaza, Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Sableye. From the schedule seen below we can see that every mascot costume went to every pokemon center at one point or another in 2 or 3 days blocks, never having more than 1 mascots at a time with the exception of certain locations sometimes having Mega Charizard X and Y both present. With how the mascots are distributed most likely they had a set of costumes at each location ready to be used when it was that mascots time to appear, so we can estimate there are at least 9 of each costume. Interestingly when comparing the Mega Tokyo Pikachu Mascot costume with the Mega Charizard Y one used here we can see these are 2 different costumes. With the former legs looking much longer and being overall less chunky compared to the Mega Campaigns design. However, it does seem to line up with costume design of the Christmas Pikachu seen at the Mega Tokyo Center Pre-Opening Ceremony, so they may have used a standard costume type already in use as a base for these. Rayquaza may seem like an odd choice to have here as it is not one of the main 7 we see as the primary mascots for this campaign, but Mega Rayquaza Pikachu is a bit of an easter egg throughout this campaign which we will see when discussing merchandise.

Other than that not much more was related to this event compared to the other ponchos. This was a campaign mainly focused on the Pikachu designs and selling merchandise of them. With that in mind let’s finally discuss the products.

Mega Campaign Merchandise

As said the main objective of this campaign was the merchandise and this event gives us the most Poncho products thus far in this retrospective! As usual I will start with the promo card, Poncho Wearing Pikachu 203/XY-P!

Much like the Gyarados and Magikarp Rice Scoop Charms from the Hiroshima Pokémon Center Opening, this card was given out to any patron of the centers who spent more than 1,000 yen tax included(specifically on TCG products) from 12/12/15 onward while supplies lasted. These could also stack so if you spent 200 yen you would get 2 and so on. Back to a half art design for this card. But now boasting a star-like holofoil pattern, like seen on Pretend Magikarp and Gyarados Pikachu, and showcasing 3 poncho designs being 3 of the 7 main mascots for the campaign. This is also notably the first time the poncho design is called Poncho Wearing Pikachu, a naming convention we will see continued going forward.

From here through the product list below, and my own research I’ll give you a, to my understanding, complete or at least very close to complete list of purchasable merchandise released during the Mega Campaign Part 1 pertaining to the Poncho Pikachu designs. As well as, the price in yen/USD at the time of release if applicable.

Purchasable Merchandise List

Product List:

All products below were available at all Pokémon Centers and the prices are before tax is applied

Pikachu wearing Mega Charizard X Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Pikachu wearing Mega Charizard Y Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Pikachu wearing Mega Lucario Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Pikachu wearing Mega Sableye Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Pikachu wearing Mega Altaria Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Pikachu wearing Mega Audino Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Pikachu wearing Mega Slowbro Poncho Plush: 2,000 yen or around $16.52

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Charizard X Poncho Plush Keychain: 1,200 yen or around $9.91

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Charizard Y Poncho Plush Keychain:1,200 yen or around $9.91

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Lucario Poncho Plush Keychain: 1,200 yen or around $9.91

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Sableye Poncho Plush Keychain: 1,200 yen or around $9.91

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Altaria Poncho Plush Keychain: 1,200 yen or around $9.91

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Audino Poncho Plush Keychain: 1,200 yen or around $9.91

Mascot Pikachu wearing Mega Slowbro Poncho Plush Keychain: 1,200 yen or around $9.91

Hooded Poncho Mega Charizard X Version: 3,600 yen or around $29.73

Hooded Poncho Mega Charizard Y Version: 3,600 yen or around $29.73

A4 Clear File Set Pikachu Wearing Mega Poncho: 1,680 yen or around $13.87

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard X Poncho: 650 yen or around $5.37

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard Y Poncho 650 yen or around $5.37

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Lucario Poncho: 650 yen or around $5.37

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Sableye Poncho 650 yen or around $5.37

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Altaria Poncho: 650 yen or around $5.37

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Audino Poncho: 650 yen or around $5.37

Die-Cut Acrylic Charm Pikachu Wearing Mega Slowbro Poncho: 650 yen or around $5.37

Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard X Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard Y Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Lucario Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Sableye Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Altaria Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Audino Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Slowbro Poncho Sticker: 200 yen or around $1.65

Pikachu Wearing Mega Ponchos Stickers: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard X Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard Y Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Lucario Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Sableye Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Altaria Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Audino Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Slowbro Poncho Hand Towel: 500 yen or around $4.13

Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard X Poncho Pass Case: 930 yen or around $7.68

Pikachu Wearing Mega Charizard Y Poncho Pass Case: 930 yen or around $7.68

Pikachu Wearing Mega Ponchos Pouch: 1,500 yen or around $12.39

Die-cut masking tape Pikachu wearing Mega Charizard X poncho 800 yen or around $6.61

Die-cut masking tape Pikachu wearing Mega Charizard Y poncho 800 yen 0r around $6.61

Along with purchase promo discussed above, customers who spent over 2,000 yen(tax included) would receive 2 out of a possible 8 Poncho Pikachu business cards at all pokemon Centers and the Hokuriku Oyabe Pokemon Center Outlet. This is where Mega Rayquaza from above comes into play. 7 out of the 8 cards feature the primary 7 poncho designs seen throughout this event while the last one is that of Mega Rayquaza. If you were lucky enough to get a Mega Rayquaza card you would also receive a matching clear file for free.

As you can see as a whole there isn’t a huge amount of different merch types like we had seen at the Pokemon Center openings, but most of the products made have a variant for all 7 of the main designs so if you like one of them there is something to enjoy here. On top of that having a plethora of purchase bonuses, I think this campaign did a great job with its merchandise.

The Enteichu

Pokemon Center around 2015-2017(to my understanding) would release a new Pikachu Plush under a campaign called Monthly Pikachu. For the January 2016 plush it was this Pikachu here which I have dubbed the Enteichu. Pikachu is dressed like Entei here as he is pretending to do the Lion Dance. Believed to have originated from India before making its way from China to Japan, the Lion Dance is a performance that usually involves performing wearing lion shaped masks and lion patterned cloth on there bodies. The dance is widely performed for the new year in Japan so Pikachu is trying its luck at it here. He wears an Entei Poncho, Entei’s design takes loose inspiration from lions, and a cloak that’s design seems to resemble the silhouette of a Tangela along with fireworks/fans. The release date of the plush was the same day as the start of the Mega Campaign, December 12th and the would cost 1.600 yen or around $12.92 excluding tax. The poster below was put up on the December Monthly Pikachu release day, November 14h, 2015, in Pokemon Centers across Japan. This was apparently the norm for these releases. Below is a picture showing a shelf of the December plush with the poster on the wall behind along with the tag on the plush itself.

Conclusion

This campaign in my opinion was great for the identity of the Poncho Pikachu idea as a whole. So many mores designs were shown off and, though not all of them received products, this showed us that Pokémon was confident in the idea and putting their full effort into it. Here we saw a great collection of products to demonstrate that with, as I stated above, a well rounded cast of mega ponchos where you probably like at least one of them! With a Part 2 to this campaign already announced for 2016 at that time there was much to be excited about when it came to Poncho Pikachus!

Thank you for reading!
-Trainer Jack

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