Pokémon Body Pillows

In the world of Japanese fandoms and particularly that of anime, there is one kind of "hot" merchandise. That kind of merchandise is called a dakimakura, which is a kind of pillow that is body-length (approximately) and resembles a kind of bolster pillow that one can hug while sleeping. I've described it in this exact way when I discussed Pokémon things that I can put on my bed in a post I made a long time ago. With that, they also go by another English name: body pillows. After bringing it up in discussion with a friend the other day, I thought I'd bring up the topic again, this time in a post of its own.

I actually didn't intend to bring up this topic in a post. However, the discussion got me to check body pillows again in a search on the Internet. Lo and behold, the very first related search keyword was Pokémon, and thus I decided to check it out. It turns out that there is a bewildering array of these body pillows, most of them custom merchandise. One of, if not the only official merchandise, is one that is shaped like a (male) Pikachu tail and is 110 cm long. It's also the only one that isn't as overtly "hot" as most of the other body pillows. In fact, it may be considered quite a welcome addition to any Pokémon fan's bed.

For the others, they may be considered to be a tough call, being that they embody the "hot" characteristic. As expected, many of these body pillows feature the body of a human character - and for those wondering, Ash and Serena are on the short list, and so are characters as old as James (of Team Rocket) and as new as Champion Leon. But of course, there are creature body pillows, and of the leading contenders, there are Lucario and Eevee (for furry fans or humanoid fans or whatever) as well as Snivy and Salazzle. The human ones are clearly the "hot" ones, while the creature ones may be just cute.

As for my stance on them, after three and a half years, my stance is still the same: they're fun, but I may or may not opt to get one. The one that features Ash is interesting, though I wouldn't put my money on one - though I'll accept one as a gift. The creature ones (especially the official Pikachu tail one) are neat and cute, and I'll take whatever seems the neatest or is available. Regardless of any one of these I eventually obtain, I'd rather keep them pristine and not sleep with them, but they can have space at the foot of my bed for decoration if nothing else, as an accent to a Pokémon-themed bed.

A dakimakura or a body pillow remains a "hot" item for fans of any (anime) fandom, and as I've inadvertently discovered, Pokémon is of no exception. In the case of Pokémon, they can be hot to trot with the human characters or the Pokémon creatures, fulfilling the intended purpose as the representation of someone or something that can be hugged while sleeping. While I may not be fond of fulfilling this purpose even with one of my own, I suppose they still make a fine addition to the bed of any Pokémon fan, even mine. They might prove to still be "hot" items regardless.

One year ago: Tournament: Raid Group Fusion Cup

Two years ago: Rivalries

Three years ago: (Almost) A Pokémon Party

Four years ago: Pokémon Art Academy - More Than Just Pokémon Art