For the past few days, Pokémon fans have been sharing photos of their tattered Pikachu plushies online. That is to say, I have been enjoying a lot of malformed Pikachu lately.
It all started when the Twitter account Out of Context Pokemon shared a screenshot of a post which was apparently a shop window made up entirely of strange Pikachu toys. Polygon could not find a source for the images, but regardless of whether it was a legitimate store, people embraced the plumes in the answers.
Any of these Pikachu’s will put Mimikyu to shame. Some, with their odd dimensions, look like results. Others look like the result of a horrible laboratory accident somewhere and whole body parts are missing. But many are just worn out and have put in their time as beloved stuffed animals! Regardless of the supposed “mistakes” of each, it makes me like to look up to and love everyone.
While the message itself is amazing, what makes it even better is that people in the responses started flooding the original tweet with photos of their own amazing little babies. It seems that abnormal Pikachu seems strange.
Perhaps the most frightening one I found was this Pikachu, whose head was completely turned around like an owl. It will haunt me in my dreams for years to come.
Some are just loved, as any Pikachu should be. I love this one because I swear he stares into infinity with his big black eyes.
Maybe this one was snatched up by a pet? I do not know, but the current state of affairs is strange once again.
This one looks like it’s going to sell you illegal goods.
After ignoring these artworks, I suddenly remember my own children’s toys. I asked my mom to send me pictures of my amazing gnomes. The big one pictured in the main image of this article is a permanent part of our basement and entrance, and greets every person who comes to my family’s home.
I have this other Pikachu which is orange that my mom ordered from a random Amazon seller. I’ve only had him four years, and he’s already stabbing a seam in his butt. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to lock him in a storage unit – on video calls with sources for stories, they would just too often want to talk about the giant Pikachu behind my head.
If I keep it aside, I appreciate my stuffed Pikachu and the responses from people online. No matter which side you cut it, Pikachu is the most famous mascot for one of the biggest media concessions since the turn of the millennium. We see Pikachu as the Pokémon Company wants us to see it. These stuffed animals are amazing because I love seeing their beloved symbol twisted and melted.
No matter what people say, I will always love these damn little Pika babies.