The UK Has Finally Opened A Pokemon Shop
Who'd have ever thought you'd need a life-size Lucario or the ability to dress up as a giant Gengar. Well, it turns out, a lot of us. While a UK version of the beloved Pokemon Center popped up as a surprise last week, it's now official.
With the Pokemon name going stronger than ever in 2021, we've been celebrating 25 years since we first headed off into Kanto and made the achingly hard decision of whether we'd pick Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle.
Alongside the release of the remastered Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the confirmation of the Pokemon Multiverse, and an upcoming release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the official debut of the Pokemon Center UK is the icing on the cake.
What Is The Pokemon Center UK?
For too long now, fans around the globe have been waiting to pick up their official Pokemerch without being subjected to massive shipping fees or nightmarish Mimikyu's on Etsy. If you want to be the very best (like no one ever was), the Pokemon Center UK has finally opened its doors.
Last year, the shop mysteriously went online, with some of us being able to nab that sweet merch. Since then, it's sporadically appeared - with the team presumably working in the back. Now, Chansey is officially welcoming you in with open arms.
You can get everything from pins to trading cards, while unpopulated tabs for home and video game items apparel teased more to come. From t-shirts to Christmas jumpers, wreaths to plushies, it's all here. Be warned though, some items are already sold out online.
What Are The Highlights Of The Pokemon Center UK?
We already have some favourites. There's an adorable Piplup and Pikachu undersea holiday wreath for £17.99, an adult Lucario hoodie that turns you into that ass-kicking Mon for £49.99, or a tropical-themed shirt for £39.99 - featuring the likes of Vileplume and Slowpoke for your New Year's Eve party.
Of course, no Pokemon shop would be complete without a rotund Pikachu plush for £30.99. It all sounds great, but since being made official, the Pokemon Center UK has been inundated with traffic and is crashing once again. Sound like there's a Jigglypuff in there putting the developers to sleep.
The Pokemon Center has been open for years in the likes of Japan and America, with there also being in-person stores for wannabe trainers to step inside. Now that we've got an online store, will a physical one soon follow in its footsteps? If you manage to get onto the Pokemon Center UK site, can someone please pick us up a pair of Charizard gloves? We're freezing over here.