"The very first design for Pokémon mascot Pikachu was a delightfully chubby little fellow. Chunkachu, as it's lovingly known, was Mitsuhiro Arita's original drawing for the 1996 Japanese Pokémon card, and it gave the yellow mouse a lot more to love than he has in most modern renditions. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pokémon this year, Takara Tomy is releasing a proper chungus of a plushie in that original design."
"It's going to be a very busy year for Pokémon. 2026 is the 30th anniversary of not only the release of the very first Pokémon games, Japan's Pocket Monsters Red and Green on February 27 of 1996, but also the very first Japanese Pokémon TCG cards with October 20, 1996's 1st Starter & Expansion Pack, meaning the celebrations are going to last the whole year."
"The new plush comes not from The Pokémon Company and isn't available on its various Pokémon Center stores, but rather is being sold by toy giant Takara Tomy, and currently only in Japan. The extremely cuddle-able stuffed toy is 7,480 yen, or about $47, which isn't too bad for a 40 cm tall cuddly. At the time of writing it's sold out on Tomy's site, though more expensive options for purchase still seem to pop up on Amazon's Japanese site."
Mitsuhiro Arita's original 1996 Pokémon card drawing depicted Pikachu as a notably chubby character nicknamed Chunkachu. Takara Tomy will release a 40 cm plush reproducing that original Chunkachu design for the 30th anniversary of Pokémon. 2026 marks 30 years since the February 27, 1996 release of Pocket Monsters Red and Green and the October 20, 1996 launch of the first Japanese Pokémon TCG cards. The plush retails for 7,480 yen (about $47) and is currently sold only in Japan, where Tomy's site shows it sold out. More expensive listings appear on Amazon Japan. Chunkachu has reappeared in VMAX and anniversary artwork; the slimmer Pikachu remains the franchise emblem.
Read at Kotaku
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