Refreshing the Pokémon Center to see what new items have been added each day has become something of an obsession for me. The site adds new stock so incredibly frequently as to be constantly astonishing, and today is no different. The latest arrivals on the store are a new collection of plushies that feature Ditto in 22 new disguises. And they are adorable.
Ditto is a Pokémon who is capable of taking on the size, shape and color of any other creature, and even mimicking its attacks. However, its weakness is faces, where it gives itself away with its two little round eyes and a curved-line smile. The result is the derpiest version of every Pokémon, and that gets even cuter when created in a cuddly form.
Before I started working with Kotaku, I knew almost nothing about Pokémon. Five years ago, I’d started playing Pokémon GO with my then-five-year-old, and was beginning to learn the names of a few of the monsters. Now, I sit in front of a shelving unit filled with Pokémon plushies, tins, collection boxes, and more plushies. Which is to say nothing of the far larger cuddly pocket monsters around the bedroom, and the Squishmallow Gengar and Snorlax that now live in our living room. Last week I couldn’t stop myself from buying the sleeping Snorlax with a sleeping Pikachu on its belly. Today a finger-puppet Munchlax arrived in the mail. I’m 47 years old.
I’m now staring at this wall of Ditto cuddlies, between 6 and 9 inches tall, and doing all in my power not to buy the lot. There’s a Snorlax one! There’s a Leafeon! Oh my goodness, there’s a Mimikyu. This isn’t fair. Let alone a Gengar and a Magikarp Ditto! And Dragonite! And Mew!
This isn’t the first time the site has sold Ditto plushies. Mimikyu and Mareep Ditto previously appeared in 2020, along with other forms that aren’t included in the new collection: Misdreavus, Furret, Poipole, Lapras and Morelull. All have been sold out for years, and sadly show no sign of being restocked. Which is to say, if one of these is something you really want, it’s generally a good idea not to wait—the Pokémon Center is as peculiar and mercurial as the whole company, and there’s a good chance it’ll sell this lot and then never make them again. These Ditto plushies are undoubtedly going to be on sale at future card shows for three times the price, and you’ll kick yourself.
Click on to have a look at all 22 of the new Ditto cuddlies, and be prepared to use up your entire week’s supply of “Awwww!”s.
