2021 marks the a year that many gaming franchises celebrate an anniversary. One of the most significant belongs to the Pokemon series which reaches 25 years since the release of the original Pokemon Game Boy titles in 1996. As with any big anniversary, it means publishers are taking advantage of the merchandising opportunities and The Pokemon Company is fully embracing Pokemon branding.
The most recent piece of Pokemon paraphernalia to grace Japanese audiences is focused on the would-be chefs who have a considerable fondness for the Kanto region. The Pokemon Company has revealed a new line of Pokemon themed aprons that will feature all 151 original Pokemon littered across the fabric. The aprons come in two styles with the first being a full body Halter cover with the other being a Cafe Apron that covers the lower body.
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The aprons come from regular Pokemon clothing manufacturer Original Stitch, a company often known for providing some great Pokemon clothing items like the recently released Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire shirts. Like with the company's previous releases, Original Stitch is a website that focuses on handmade custom items giving buyers to ability to choose what comes on their purchase. With 151 Pokemon to choose from, that means there are 151 apron designs that can be selected. Unfortunately, it seems some early buyers have already taken the more popular options as certain designs are marked as "Sold Out" on the Original Stitch website. Based on previous polling results for the most popular Pokemon, some of the top ranking ones were the first to go.
As with any Original Stitch product, fans can expect to pay a premium price for some Pokemon swag. The halter apron will cost a 7500 yen which translates to just under $60, while the cheaper Cafe Apron will cost 5000 yen or $46 at the time of writing. It is worth noting that buyers do get to choose two additional patterns for both the inner fabric and pockets. The choice of both does not come with additional costs, meaning that if available, it is possible to get an entire evolution chain to join in Pokemon curry cooking adventures.
Unfortunately for the home cooks excited about getting so show their Poke-fandom within the kitchen, it seems the aprons are Japanese exclusives. Those interested are still able to grab the cooking accessories, but they will have to shell out additional funds for international shipping. According to the official Original Stitch website, the cost of shipping outside of japan will be $25.
So for those willing to spend a lot of money to decide which Pokemon will join them in their cooking and gardening experiments, they best act fast to catch their favorite before they are gone. Based on previous polling results for the most popular Pokemon, some of the top ranking ones were the first to go so fans of some lesser appreciated gen 1 Pokemon may still be in luck.
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