As you know, we have that delightful link down at the bottom of these pages, directing you to Play-Asia, a fine website filled with many-a plush, game, and accessory to make your nerdy day brighter. To help you choose from the endless selection of options offered, a few members of the AO crew have volunteered to give a bit of an in-depth review of their offerings. So, I present:

Monthly Merch #1: Pokemon Plushes

By 1000Throws

 

I know that you don’t normally come to AO for in-depth reviews of the hottest Pokemon merchandise, but we could all use more cute stuff, right? I’ve recently been on the hunt for some Pokemon plushies to round out my collection, as I’m a big fan. Eventually, I picked up a few toys from Play-Asia, which I received in the mail only a few days ago. Three plushies overall: Pikachu in a Ditto suit, a Mew, and a Charmander.

Now, let’s be real here: despite what a plethora of YouTube unboxing videos might suggest, there’s not too much to say about plush toys (or toys in general, really). Are they cute? Check. Are they soft? Check. Can you display them in your room? Check. That’s about it, and I’m not going to try to artificially lengthen this review by getting into the nitty gritty of the stitching or squealing at you about how adorable the toys are. Well – not too much, anyway.

I’ll do my best to describe the plushes in some detail below, but the pictures should largely speak for themselves.

The three plushies shown here are actually quite tiny, as you can tell by the pillow in the background. They all fit comfortably in a small box, and were well-packed to avoid any damage on the trip over.

The largest plush is Pikachu, and even then, you can see it’s not that much taller than my water bottle. Pikachu is wearing a Ditto suit with a zipper, and the best part is…

…you can pull the hood back to reveal Pikachu’s ears! I didn’t realize you could do this at first. Silly me. It’s got a hanging cord on its head, too, which I assume is meant for hanging in retail stores, but in my opinion the plush is a little too unwieldy to hang comfortably from its cord that way.

Anything else super fun you can do with Pikachu, you ask? Well…aside from using him as a pillow, or putting him up as an overly cute (or morbid, depending on the way you hang him) Halloween decoration, I got nothin’.

Next is Mew, which also came with a hanging cord. I imagine this one would be a little easier to hang if you chose to do so, but it can stand just fine on its own. This particular plush is just one among a line of Mews in different poses, and is also the smallest plush of the bunch.

Mew was small enough that I could place him in the middle of my dining room table and surround him with Kirby figures positioned to look like they had just summoned him as part of some occult ritual. Be warned, though, as doing this might weird out your friends (or in my case, my fiancé.)

Last but not least is Charmander, probably the plush I like best. It’s plumper and “stubbier” than Charmander tends to look. The “mokomoko” style plushes are a distinct look, and he’s fluffy compared to the others.

My dog Faye was kind enough to help me show it off, even. If nothing else, Charmander is ideal for trying to train unruly dogs whose greatest desire is to tear apart your beloved plushes for their own amusement. It pains me to admit it, but I’m starting to understand you, cat people…

Now, after these absolutely exhilarating descriptions and fun ideas (I’ll wait for you to catch your breath), I know you’re wondering: Emily, where can I find these awesome toys? Unfortunately, these plushes are out of stock at the moment, but they have many other offerings right HERE! Just…stay away from the 18+ section.

In conclusion, Play Asia has come through for me in my quest for cute and cuddly creations, and I hope that you’ll seek these guys out if you also need some more plush in your life.

Pros:

• -Great for dog training, but doesn’t motivate cats.
• -The Kirbies also like playing poker with the Mew.

 

Cons:

• -Plushes must be washed of dog drool if training goes poorly.
• -Pikachu has trouble hearing thing if his zipper is all the way up.
• -Putting plushes in bed makes it hard to leave in the morning, due to cuteness.
• -Kirbies keep losing poker to the Mew.