Gotta squish ’em all? The wait is nearly over! Like all things Pokémon, the new Squishmallow Pikachu and Gengar are hot commodities. Fans can’t wait to get their hands on the squeezable stuffies, which will go on sale at Target and Walmart stores in February 2023. A few lucky buyers managed to get the Pokémon Squishmallows early when Walmart stores accidently put them out on shelves. Based on the reviews from people who own the Squishmallows already, they’re the best friends and most squishable things they’ve ever had. Combined with their hard-to-get status and Walmart’s snafu, the Pokémallows are highly coveted. Plus, just look at those faces and round bodies. It’s the must-squeeze item of the season!
Gengar and Pikachu in Squishmallow form were first shown off at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022. But fans could only view them in glass cases, no hugging or squishing allowed. Not to mention bouncing. The TikTok below shows off just how delightfully they bounce. They finally went on sale in November with a limited run of the 12-inch version selling for $29.99 each. Predictably, those were gone almost instantly. But the good news, which we saw thanks to Polygon, is that more are coming. While details are sparse, there will be versions in various sizes from 3.5 to 24 inches tall. Eventually, more Squishmallow Pokémon characters will also be released. Fingers crossed for Charizard and Sylveon to make the cut.
Squishmallow has other huggable critters, including the very cute and squeezable kaiju like Godzilla and Mothra. If you’re not able to get your mitts on one of the Pokémon, there’s lots of other squishable versions. Cuddle up in a Snorlax or Ditto bean bag chair. Spoon your very own Pikachu body pillow. And don’t forget about this Gengar pillow, complete with tongue blanket. Thankfully, there’s lots of ways to cuddle Pokémon.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
