We need to talk about Kids

And by Kids I mean Pokémon Kids by Bandai!

I started this blog talking about Topps candy figures, but just because they are available doesn't mean they are my favorites. I know many people, including my SO, regard that the Monster Collection by Takara Tomy is the set to collect when it comes to pokéfigures, but even so my heart beats for Kids.

Unlike Topps, PokéKids come in hundreds. I kid you not, my personal checklist consists of 1823 different figures (excluding the clear Kids!) and I'm pretty sure my list is not absolute. So if you knew nothing about these fine artifacts before, now you know at least this: there are plenty.

pic from here

Pokémon Kids have been around for 20 years now. Bandai started making them when Pokémon became a thing in 1996 and haven't stopped since. To my knowledge, Kids haven't ever been sold as surprise figures but come individually in boxes or in sets of varying sizes. There has even been a number of special promotional figures that could be obtained from special events, places or through campaigns.

Kid figures are remarkably easy to identify from other figures out there since they are basically finger puppets. They are hollow, ~5 cm (1.5-2 inches) tall, made of semi-hard plastic and have a distinct hole in the bottom.

pic from here

I really enjoy the plump, even chibi-ish look that PokéKids have. There are plenty of funky and creative releases out there. There is also absolutely nothing to complain about the quality of the figures. Their encounter rate in second hand places is nice: they are not everywhere like Topps are but are somewhere unlike Tomys. Indeed, the trouble that I have with Kids has nothing to do with post-purchase business and everything to do with the pre-hunt. In English: I can't decide what to collect!

Essentially, there are endless possibilities for a Kids collector. You could focus on a single Pokémon or an evolution line (there are for example at least 54 different Pikachus), you could try to collect complete release sets or rustle up specialties. Majority of the Kids figures have rarer clear versions and some even have shinies (see picture below). There is even a line of larger "DX-Kids" that I personally am not interested in.

pic from here (cropped + added text)

However, I am super duper interested in the Kids from the various Attack, or Kimezawa, sets. There's something about the dynamic poses and the added flames, vines, shadow balls, you name it, that make the attack figures really special in comparison to other (plainer) figures. It feels like not only collecting the Pokémon themselves but the different attacks too!

Attack Kids from 2014, pics from Ebay

I have bumped into a few attack kids whilst thrifting so they are somewhat accessible whereas the adorable Anime Kids are quite possibly completely out of my reach. As the name has it, Anime Kids represent the very specific Pokémon individuals from the famous anime series. Who could not fall in love with the Squirtle from the Squirtle Squad, the Mankey that stole Ash's cap or the mailman Dragonite? These are pure nostalgia and childhood if you ask me.

pics from here

As I mentioned I'm still struggling with the decision on where to focus on these Kiddies. I really like the clear Kids, I'm toying with the idea of collecting a whole generation of Pokémon, all starters or all legendaries could be cool, owning all figures of a single Pokémon sounds exciting... The possibilities truly are endless. I guess buying these second hand from thrift stores makes things easier since I most often have to stick to the figures that I can find, regardless of what they are. Even so, I like to have a collection waiting to be completed and there is no way I'm collecting every single Kid. So for now, I am trying to get a Kid of each of my 25 favorite Pokémon. So far I have three ❤❤❤

My favorite Pokémon. From left to right: Bulbasaur, Sandshrew, Clefairy, Vileplume, Dewgong, Gengar, Vaporeon, Dragonair, Chikorita, Ampharos, Jumpluff, Corsola, Phanpy, Suicune, Skitty, Altaria, Milotic, Combee, Pachirisu, Cherubi, Buneary, Glaceon, Leafeon, Shaymin and Sylveon
pics from Bulbapedia

Any guesses what they are? I have quite a few Kids to show in my next part of thrifted treasures and I might introduce the top25 trio then as well. Is anyone interested in me going through the different releases of PokéKids from the basic sets to the movie specials and reprints? Or wanting to see my best picks, highest wants and coolest individual figures? I would also really want to know yours ●ᴥ●

Laters! 

✿Tuuli