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Takara Tomy has revealed its plans to release Pokemon merchandise to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2026. One of the items in the list is the life-sized fat Pikachu plush that will make its return from 1997.
This plush was based on the fat Pikachu design that appeared in the inaugural 1996 Game Boy releases of Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue. The plush has the same height as Pikachu’s Pokedex entry at 0.4m / 1’04”, which is measured from its feet to the tips of its unbent ears.
The returning plush will be available on February 28, 2026, at ¥7,480 (~$47.30). Takara Tomy will also attach the same tag as the original 1997 releases, as seen in the sample images below:
Pre-orders for this plush opened on January 16, 2026. However, 4Gamer reported that many storefronts already had its stock sold out in just a few hours. People may have another chance to purchase the plush at the Takara Tomy Pokemon 30th Pop-Up Park, which will take place at the Tobu Department Store in Ikebukuro on March 5-11, 2026.
The fat Pikachu plush will not be the only item Takara Tomy will release for Pokemon‘s 30th anniversary. The company will also simultaneously release the palm-sized Pikachu plush based on the more modern design and MonColle figure sets based on the starter Pokemon in each of the nine mainline iterations released as of early 2026.
Takara Tomy will release the 30th Anniversary Welcome Back! Pikachu 1/1 Plush in Japan on February 28, 2026.
