Premier Ball Hanging Ornament

Over a year ago, I detailed about some well-known Poké Ball ornaments and a particular one that I had gotten at that time. Those are great ornaments to be sure, and I even used the Poké Ball version in my cosplay. The maker of these ornaments seem to think so as well, which must be why the maker decided to expand the set and include one more: the Premier Ball, as evident from the title of this post. I obtained this one as part of yesterday's theme event festivities, as noted by Ash and with his aid, and I have to say that it is great as well.

The ball is made up of similar materials as the other members of the hanging ornament: felt for the midsection of the ball, fabric for the outside of the ball (and obviously stuffing for the inside of the ball), a little thread for its upper hook, and the chain for it to be able to be hanged. Evidently, a Premier Ball is simple in its appearance - perhaps even simpler than an ordinary Poké Ball - so it would not take a lot more to craft this ball, only two white halves and extra red felt for the midsection. Thus, existing materials can be cleverly used for making this with only a little extra effort.

This Premier Ball is a relatively recent introduction. Those who are not exposed too deeply into Pokémon would probably not quite recognize this particular kind of Poké Ball. However, if they play Pokémon Go, then they would likely recognize it, as this is the kind of Poké Ball that are given in raids to capture the raid boss (and most recently, Team GO Rocket invasions for their Shadow Pokémon) instead of the other kinds of Poké Balls. I would think the maker was informed of this Poké Ball by a player or by playing the game itself, making it possible to craft one.

The maker seems to have gotten fame for this and the other kinds of Poké Balls. They're of exceptional quality and look simply neat, as I can attest with my usage of it in my cosplay. To that end, this kind of Poké Ball has a tag attached to it indicating the maker's name and origin. There wasn't time to check the other displayed types of balls, but I would think that by now this would be true for the rest of the balls, so that the recognition is maintained. It is, in any case, a good move to make, similar in vein to what I do with cosplay cards. The attribution makes perfect sense.

This expansion to the lineup of hanging ball ornaments is indeed rather neat. It shows that the maker has a grasp on the situation and their perceived quality, leading to the creation of this expansion. While it may still be reserved to fans who are more aware of Pokémon things in and out, it's still neat to be able to cater for those fans, especially if it can be accomplished with what is already present and not much more effort, and leads to further recognition. That's win-win for everyone.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day + Local EX Raid, 1/13/2019
Two years ago: My Pokémon Show
Three years ago: Pokémon and Cosplay