(CNN) – It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a … Jigglypuff?
Some Pokémon-themed planes are starting to appear in Japan.
Solaseed Airlines, a local airline based on the Japanese island of Kyushu, debuted a Pokémon-painted plane on December 19th. His first flight was from Miyazaki City to Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
The plane is part of a tourism collaboration between The Pokémon Company (which owns and licenses the characters) and various regions in Japan. Miyazaki, on the east coast of Kyushu, is the eighth prefecture to join the partnership.
Exeggutor’s distinctive colors are part of the design on board.
Thanks to Solaseed Air
Each prefecture has its own Pokémon. Miyazaki’s is Exeggutor, chosen because he looks like the phoenix palm tree native to the area, while the northern island of Hokkaido has the Alolan Vulpix (suitable for cold weather, suitable for snow prefecture) and Fukushima is suggested by pink-colored Chansey, who has powers of healing.
And not just the outside of the plane contains Exeggutor. On board, the Exeggutor headrests have seats, and some passengers have been given special Exeggutor swag such as pins and stickers.
For people who have not planned their trip, there are also Exeggutor-themed buses in Miyazaki City, Miyakonojo and Nobeoka, all in Miyazaki Province. The special aircraft and buses will be in use by at least the end of 2021.
Liver painted with popular characters is a fun tradition in the aviation industry. Jake, Finn and Princess Bubblegum from the popular TV show “Adventure Time” appeared on Cartoon Network planes on Thai Smile, a regional carrier in Thailand.
CNN’s Junko Ogura reported.
