Do you have a plushie that’s very, very special to you? Perhaps one that was given to you as a gift, or one that you always sleep with. A plushie that you treasure and would never ever part with, no matter how old and soiled it might get.
Now PIKACHU, Pokémon’s plushie loved by fans of all ages the world over, is more likely than ever to become your all-time Number One. Why? Because with the new lineup of “My PIKACHU” plushies launched in April 2023, you can pick from a myriad of PIKACHU variations the exact one that catches your eye, and your heart. Every PIKACHU is different from the rest, so you’re sure to find the exact one to bring you maximum joy and pleasure.
“My PIKACHU” resulted from the meshing of ideas from the creative and marketing sides. On the creative side, hints were taken from the way customers typically choose a plushie. Even with plushies created to all look alike, on close inspection each has a slightly different expression: one may suggest a mischievous streak, another is bursting with energy, yet another projects a look of innocence that demands your love and affection. Our staff member in charge of product planning came up with the idea to make every PIKACHU just a little bit different. Choosing a PIKACHU altogether unique – and uniquely yours – would surely be extra-special to the person who selects it. And so the project seed was planted.
While Pokémon’s product planner was considering her options, simultaneously our staff member overseeing Pokémon Center operations was pondering how to attract more visitors to our stores. One plan she came up with was to focus on Pokémon’s individuality aspect. Why not offer buyers a chance to meet, and take home, a unique PIKACHU plushie they can really feel is theirs and theirs alone? Her idea meshed perfectly with the idea under consideration by the product planner, and so, without delay, a joint development project got underway.
The fundamental concept was to offer store visitors a once-in-a-lifetime chance to choose a PIKACHU – one among a myriad on display – that would be extra-special just to them. From the moment the visitor enters a store, they would be greeted by shelves and shelves filled with PIKACHU plushies galore. But when closely inspected, each PIKACHU would differ ever so subtly in facial expression and gestures. Immediately, the excitement would reach fever pitch: how to make a choice from among so many PIKACHU variations?? But as the eyes proceed from one PIKACHU to another, a moment comes when they settle on one PIKACHU among all the others – the one that gets picked out, picked up and taken home. “I choose you!”
To add further to this special relationship with a unique PIKACHU, the project team came up with the idea of offering shoppers optional tags that could be printed with a personalized message: maybe a special nickname for your PIKACHU, or a few words to define your PIKACHU’s personality, or perhaps the date of your fateful encounter.
Ahead of the opening day of the new lineup’s launch, everyone involved in the project was seized by a mixture of excited anticipation and nervous anxiety. How many visitors would come and select a PIKACHU from the kaleidoscopic choices on offer? But when the day arrived, worries were quickly dispelled. One of every two purchases made that day was a PIKACHU, something that rarely happens. Some stores even completely sold out their inventory within the first week!
Given this enthusiastic reception, the project team, not wanting to disappoint others who would surely love to have their own unique PIKACHU too, immediately decided to restock and launch a second time. This time, manufacturing plans and marketing methods were refined further to enable more and more one-of-a-kind PIKACHU plushies to find a new home with a very special person all their own.
And so, now PIKACHU lovers have a place where they can go and meet their own unique partner – and begin new and exciting Pokémon adventures together.
