To celebrate 30 years of Pokémon, a special plush toy of the popular ‘fat Pikachu’ design is being released. Fans will be excited to see this beloved, chubby version of the electric Pokémon brought back!
Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Pokémon! The very first games, Pokémon Red and Green, were released for the original Game Boy on February 27, 1996.
With Pokémon’s 30th anniversary just over a month away, the popular franchise is celebrating by teaming up with Takara Tomy, a Japanese toy maker, to create exclusive plush toys and figures for fans.
Fat Pikachu returns for Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary
A large Pikachu plush is becoming incredibly popular online. Fans are especially excited about its round, chubby shape, which reminds them of Pikachu’s original design in the first Pokémon games.
The plush toy is officially called the ’30th Anniversary Okaeri Pikachu,’ and ‘Okaeri’ is a Japanese term that means ‘Welcome home’ or ‘Welcome back’.
Pikachu’s slightly rounder design is getting a lot of love online, and fans are hoping the new plush version will be available in the US, as one person posted on X.
“I want it omg,” another remarked, with another user calling the plush, “Absolutely PEAK.”
To celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, Takara Tomy is releasing a variety of items, including the hugely popular chubby Pikachu plush. They’re also offering a smaller, modern Pikachu plush that makes sounds and lights up, featuring a slimmer design.
Collectible figure sets featuring the first three Pokémon you choose in each game will also be sold, covering every Pokémon game released to date.
According to PokeJungle, these items will be available in Japan starting February 28, 2026. It’s currently unknown if they will be officially released in the US, but fans will likely be able to purchase them through third-party retailers who import goods from overseas to meet demand.
Pikachu’s appearance changed over time. Originally, it had a fluffier design, but this was simplified in Generation III to make it easier to animate and show its movements. More recently, the fluffier look returned with Pikachu’s Gigantamax form in the games, and fans loved its bigger, rounder appearance, affectionately calling it “chonky.”
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2026-01-15 22:20