We’re back with another exciting Pokemon Center (and Its’Demo) Report

…Starting with Its’Demo!

With the release of the fire type / Christmas merch on November 21st, everyone was a little disappointed when there were no plush at all, aside from the face mascots which I’m still not sure count. Its’Demo has, since those very first Pikachu Pair mascot plush, always released some sort of pair mascot plush with their collaboration promos, and considering most of the merch was focused on the two Vulpix types, it was even more puzzling that there would be Pikachu but no Vulpix. But we all sort of shrugged and said that’s Its’Demo for you.

The following Tuesday night (November 28th) , I was eating dinner with my friend when I checked Twitter and saw someone mentioning these surprise mascot pair plush that had apparently come out that day. So I raced to Its’Demo the next morning (Wednesday the 29th) and lo and behold…

They were there! No Vulpx in sight but we had plush of some sort, and they were adorable, and more than just disembodied heads!

ItsDemo Mascot Plush Fire

Each mascot pair came with one fire type Pokemon (Cyndaquil, Flareon, or Ponyta) and one winking girl Pikachu with santa hat.

There was also a regular mascot Pikachu plush in a Christmas stocking.

By the end of Thursday, most of the mascot plush were gone from my nearest branch.

We were all happy for some sort of plush but also a little let down that there was no Vulpix, especially since the first release of this most recent line of Pokemon Love Its’Demo goods was mainly focused on Vulpix. But whatever, that’s Its’Demo, nothing they do ever makes sense.

I arrived at Sunshine relatively on time instead of early (because today’s Pokemon Center releases were pretty boring cough) but needed to pick up some gifts from Its’Demo so decided to swing by there first. What do I come face to face with but…

Bazinga! The magical Vulpix mascot pair plush!

Just release things randomly, Its’Demo! Without warning! It’s fine!

ItsDemo Vulpix Mascot

Here is a better shot of the Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix mascot plush.

Now…this is my personal opinion here. From the response I’ve gotten on Twitter, clearly there are a bunch of people who think these are cute, and I don’t want to negate their opinions. Taste is relative, of course, and I’m sure what I think is cute might not be someone else’s cup of tea or coffee. When I saw an image of these mascot plush the night before I accidentally found them at my store, I thought they were a fake, cobbled together from other plush like some Frankenstein’s Monster. And then I came to face the music: this is real. This is actually an official plush.

I’m happy that people are happy! I wish they were cuter because I was really excited about Vulpix mascot plush in the Its’Demo style. Maybe next time.

Before we move on, allow me a moment to complain about Its’Demo’s stock.

They definitely have gotten better since the original Pikachu Pair Mascot fiasco where they only had five or so of each pair per store, but stocking per store is still very erratic and like most things related to Its’Demo makes no sense. When I arrived early morning Wednesday, there was tons of mascot plush. By Thursday evening, almost all of them were gone except for the stocking Pikachu and Cyndaquil. Saturday morning, everything was back in stock again. Saturday evening, all the Vulpix were gone but everything else was still there. The Takadanobaba store still had their mascots Thursday evening and also still had Vulpix plush when I arrived, but only 4 pairs. Shibuya still had plenty of everything Saturday evening, including Vulpix. The Funabashi store location, on the other hand, had nothing even before the evening.

For those of you in Japan who are trying to find Its’Demo items: unless a week or so has passed, if the staff says that something is out of stock, believe them with a grain of salt. There is a good chance more will arrive the next day or the day after.

December Charm Figures

The main reason I even went to the Pokemon Center early Saturday was for the surprise un-announced keychain charms. This set included Alolan Vulpix, Mimikyu, Cosmog, Lunala, and Solgaleo. Each charm came paired with a tiny item significant to that Pokemon, with the most amusing being Lillie’s Bag for Cosmog.

It’s been a little while since the Pokemon Center released some sort of figure charm, and they’re one of my favorite Pokemon Center items! I got a Vulpix and Mimikyu for myself because I couldn’t resist.

This charm set was another unannounced surprise release for the day.

The actual announced release for the day was the addition of a new set of clothing for the dress-up Pikachu plush!

Dress Up Pikachu Fancy

The Fancy Dress-Up Clothing set comes with a selection of clothes suitable for some sort of a dinner party or date, including tiny shoes and a hat.

There was also an abundance of dress-up Pikachu plush (of course, the clothes and plush are sold separately) along with the previously released clothing sets.

That wraps up this exciting report on charms, Pikachu, and always mind-boggling Its’Demo.

Until next time~