ShareThis
I had a heck of time trying to figure what the name of this toy is, because I threw the packaging away ages ago. After some digging, though, I came to find that this particular Pikachu is part of the Pokémon Sunshine Buddies line. Why sunshine, you might ask? Well, it’s because Pikachu here is solar powered! You can see the light-collecting cells in the base of the figure, which compel its head to sway gently from side to side. It’s… cute. Too cute, frankly, but such is the nature of everyone’s favorite electric mouse.
There are a number of these solar powered toys currently on the market, and for a variety of different characters and franchises. With Pokémon, there’s so much merchandise to choose from that it’s less a matter of willpower than financial restrictions that prevents me from buying everything I see, but this Sunshine Buddies Pikachu was special. I was drawn to it primarily because the figure is so faithful to the source material. It’s meticulously modeled and refined in the way that this Pikachu’s manufacturer Tomy is beloved and famous for. From the apples to the tips of Pikachu’s ears, it looks the way it should, and almost seems ready to spring into life.
That Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are so hotly anticipated is a real testament to how high quality the franchise tends to be across the board. From the card game to the toys, Pokémon rarely puts anything less than its best foot forward. Pokémon isn’t perfect, of course, but Game Freak and Nintendo do so much right with the games, merchandise, and TV show, that not many people try anymore to label it all a fluke like pundits did in the beginning.
I’m especially appreciative of toys like this Sunshine Buddies Pikachu because they’re so detailed and finely crafted that they’re great display pieces. If I could go out and order every single Nintendo First 4 Figures statue that exists, I would, but I’d be living in a hut made from the boxes the things would be shipped in, as a result. In a nutshell, it’s expensive to go for a lot of the higher end merchandise out there, but well-made toys and figurines offer a respectable tradeoff for those not able to take the financial plunge.
With that, dear readers, another Toy Box has come to a close. Before we leave you, though, I’d really like to know– what are you all thinking about this feature, so far? Are there any toys that you’d like to see covered in the future that haven’t been, yet? We’ve got a few of these pieces in circulation, but there’s always room for improvement! Until next time, folks!
