Two New Pokémon Center Merchandise Lines

I subscribe to the online Pokémon newsletters that are delivered to my e-mail, so I'm somewhat in the know about more recent happenings, which may be useful for this blog as well. One of those newsletters is the Pokémon Center newsletter, which has some information on the latest Pokémon merchandise. Recently, two new lines had just appeared, and they're fairly eye-catching to me, so I can't help but discuss them.

The first new line has actually been out for a bit of time, and I was thinking of discussing it on its own, but I didn't feel like I could discuss it enough, until now. That new line is the Destination Pokémon line, and this represents a neat blend of classic art and Pokémon sensibility. The line is based on "suitcase stickers", the ones that people stick on their suitcases to show where they've been; in the case of this line, they would be all the regions of the main series games. What is the neatest part of the line is the art, because they all have a retro Art Deco style, even though Pokémon wasn't around when Art Deco was in vogue. It seems anachronistic, but it also works excellently. Everything emblazoned with the art specific to this line seems to make fans get up and go somewhere... or at least revisit and replay the games with certain regions. This line certainly deserves appreciation.

The second new line has just been out, and this one is a little bit (or a whole lot) louder in terms of style - literally. The line is the Electric Rock line, which as can be guessed, is based on rock music in combination with Electric-type Pokémon; even the promotion logo for this evokes a certain classic rock 'n roll band (hint: its name is tied to electric currents - as if the symbolism couldn't get any more deeper). This line also has a base art involving, yes, all the Electric-type "mascots" of all seven generations of Pokémon (Pikachu, Pichu, Plusle/Minun, Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne, and Togedemaru) with a few sound-related Pokémon (Zubat, Woobat, Loudred, and Audino) and "metal" ones (Litwick, Magnemite, and *drumroll* Roggenrola) thrown in. It's hardcore, eclectic, cute, and loud all at the same time, which just might be enjoyable to a number of people.

These two lines are cleverly and creatively designed, bringing together pop culture and Pokémon. No wonder I'm attracted to them, as might be the case for a number of Pokémon fans and even those that like things like these but not necessarily Pokémon. I owe thanks to the Pokémon Center newsletter for informing about these merchandise lines, because I might have not known about them otherwise. They're certainly won't be the last ones that will capture my fascination, as long as I'm informed about them.

One year ago: Supporting Doujin and Indie Stuff