Pokémon SM KFC Toys: The Rest, Part 1

When I talked with Ash and Pikachu about things to "fill in" on Saturday, I noted that I received something to that effect on that very day. I also noted (hinted) their relationships to Poké Balls, Alola, and things that Pokémon can do. Those three hints make sense, because they neatly describe the Pokémon fast food toys that I obtained earlier this year on a couple of occasions, though I only obtained one each time. On that day, however, I managed to obtain the rest of them through a friend and a good stroke of luck. Since there are eight toys, that means I obtained the other six toys. Discussing them will take a bit of time and space, so I've decided to do that in two parts, and today is Part 1.

For this part, I want to discuss the toys representing some of the more common kinds of Poké Balls. Pikachu & Poké Ball represents the de facto mascot and the most common ball for this series. The toy is a trap-style toy: one rolls back the lower white portion of the ball and clicks it in place against a trigger to set the trap. Something - most likely the mini figure of Pikachu that comes with it - is then dropped on the trigger, unseating the lower portion and closing up the ball, as the axle is spring-loaded. The execution is neat, but one may have to be careful with it, and I'm certainly loath to drop the mini figure even with that being the intent; by experience, the extraction could be difficult as well since whatever is captured might get wedged between the trigger and the ball. The concept is nice but seems problematic as well.

Next on the list is Eevee & Great Ball, the complement of Pikachu with the second most common ball. The design of this toy is actually pretty much equivalent to Mimikyu & Ultra Ball that I first obtained, and thus it is a "spinning toy" as well. The way it's supposed to work is that the bottom of the ball is attached to the ball, then the figure on the ball is spun to build up momentum before ejecting the bottom by pressing, spinning it. As noted previously, even though I've followed the instructions, I can't seem to get the bottom to spin - what more likely seems to happen is that the bottom falls out before it can even spin. But with the figure being able to sit nicely in the middle of the ball, that's pretty much the only concern I have. Eventually, I might figure out how the toy is supposed to spin (or not), but for now things are fine with this and Mimikyu from earlier.

The last one for this post is Togedemaru & Quick Ball, which not only rounds out the common ball selections that I haven't gotten, but also the list of ones that I desired way back when I covered Mimikyu. This one is a "rolling toy": when attached and the ball is rolled forward (there are coasters on the bottom), the Pokémon is supposed to move back and forth. Yet, I've found that it only moves to one side, and then the back wheels - the ones that also drives the Pokémon - lock up and I can only move it backwards to reset. At the least, the function is partially fulfilled as it is intended, and the entire thing looks cute and appropriate enough.

Evidently, even some of the other toys in the series have their own functional issues, but appearance-wise, they seem to be fine enough. The issues could perhaps be construed as yet something else to "fill in" - as in, whether I can eventually get them to work as intended, or that they remain a pretty face, which they already are without major complaints. With the above, it's also clear that I still need to cover the remaining three toys, which means that Part 2 will be coming soon enough, just as soon as I've been able to complete the series.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/24/2020

Two years ago: T-Shirts in Distress

Three years ago: Trading Items?

Four years ago: Retro Rendezvous