Weâve known for a while that Build-A-Bear were planning to release an official Pikachu into their stores. We had thought itâd be in early 2016, but apparently theyâve bumped the release date forward to late December, probably to take advantage of the Christmas season and the unrelenting Pokemon fans like myself who are constantly seeking new merch.
Thereâs no exact date in December been announced for when Pikachu is finally unleashed, but if you head to the Build-A-Bear website, you can pre-order Pikachu now. Youâve got two options to choose from: the standard Pikachu who you can pick up in store with a gift voucher when he arrives, getting an exclusive Trading Card with him for ÂŁ21.
Or you can go for the online special edition which costs ÂŁ45. The special edition Pikachu looks and feels the same as the standard version, standing at 15 inches tall and coming with the exclusive Trading Card. The difference is that he comes with a special Charizard hoodie, and a 6-in-1 Pikachu sound that will be exclusive to this set, as well as a Pokeball hoodie, which will also be available to buy separately in store.
You can visit the Build-A-Bear website if you want to pre-choose your Pikachu. Itâd be great if this was the start of a few more Pokemon plushies becoming available through the retailer, Iâd love to get my hands on some more. At the very least weâd like to see the release of a human-sized Charizard hoodie, because that thing looks cool.
Main Image via Build-A-Bear