I like Pokemon plush. A lot. As in, I’ve either bought or imported official Pokemon Center stuffed animals of things like the Charmander Pikachu, Gyarados Pikachu, and Eevee dressed as a Pikachu. (I’ve even bought adjacent, not as high quality ones.) Cassette Beasts is a remarkable Pokemon like game, and now I’m especially pleased to see the Symbiote Studios plush of Bansheep and Pombomb are equally high quality stuffed animals.
So both the Bansheep and Pombomb are $24.99 plush toys. Each one is about the same size and come in at 12 inches long. (For a more direct comparison to these Cassette Beasts plush, a Pokemon Center 13 inch Ogrepon stuffed animal is $39.99 and a 13 and 3/4th inch Dudunspare is $24.99.) However, Pombomb does stand a bit taller, due to being able to actually stand. Because of Bansheep’s floaty nature in-game, it’s really the sort of plush you prop up on something. (Or, if you have the means to, would probably be a fun one to find a way to have “float” in your room via cords.)
They’re substantial animals, and I was impressed by how soft and well-made each one was after they arrived. There’s a lot of stitching work on both of them, as well as smaller parts like the “flames” around Pombomb’s chin. Bansheep is even remarkable in this case, because there’s so much extra detail here. There are the characters’ wings, the curl of hair on the forehead, and the legs have three different colors there.
I also really appreciate just how closely the Cassette Beasts plush resemble the Bansheep and Pombomb in-game. The colors are correct. The proportions are perfect. The material choice means that it perfectly matches the look of the designs. Everything really fits, as you can see from the screenshots compared to the photos below.
I also feel like the first choices for the stuffed toys were pretty solid. Even though Pombomb isn’t a “starter” Cassette Beast, it’s one of the more notable mascots. (Especially since it is Barkley’s signature partner.) I do feel like Bansheep was a better choice for the “starter” to include. While I picked Candevil, it’s a little more traditionally cute. The two feel like good picks for the start of a new line.
Both are really great stuffed animals, and I appreciate how it feels like Symbiote Studios put the same kind of care and consideration into the Cassette Beasts plush as the ones I’ve picked up at the PokemonCenter. They’re a great recreation of the characters. Even little details are handled. They’re a good size. In general, they’re a lot of fun and I hope this leads to more, like ones of Nevermort or Muskrateer.
Cassette Beasts is available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Bansheep and Pombomb plush are available now.
