Miniature version of the real-world Pikachu-shaped Pokémon bus is the newest Dream Tomica car

https://ift.tt/kgKn1Nf Casey Baseel

Takara Tomy dreams up something that exists in the real world, but in a form that non-show biz people can own.

Usually, toymaker Takara Tomy’s Tomica line of toy cars is all about recreating real-world automobiles in miniature form, basically Japan’s version of Hot Wheels. In recent months, though, we’ve seem Tomica drawing inspiration from the anime world for its Dream Tomics sub-line, bringing us Tomica versions of Studio Ghibli vehicles and characters such as My Neighbor Totoro’s Catbus, Spirited Away’s No Face, and Howl’s Moving Castle’s moving castle that belongs to Howl.

This month, though, Dream Tomica is dreaming of a beloved anime from outside the Ghibli catalog with a Pikachu car.

Believe it or not, this isn’t an entirely fictitious creation. There actually is a Pikachu-shaped bus that can be spotted on the streets of Japan, thought not in any regular dealerships. Dream Tomica No. 151, designated in English as the Pokédoko Dokokikocar, is a miniature version of the vehicle used to ferry the on-camera presenters of Pokémon to Doko Iku, a weekly live-action Pokémon-themed travel and variety show om TV Tokyo, the same channel that broadcast the Pokémon anime TV series.

▼ The bus, called the Dokoikocar, is a play on words with “Doko ikou ka?,” meaning “Where should we go?”

「ポケモンの家あつまる」、6年半で終了。ピカチュウ型の「どこいこっカー」で色んな世界に遊びに行く新番組「ポケモンとどこいく」、2022年4月スタート #ポケモン https://t.co/uVFNzTP9k3 pic.twitter.com/JmHXai4i3q

— ポケモンメモ (@pokemon_memo) February 17, 2022

▼ The Pokémon to Doko Iku logo prominently features the Dokokikocar.

Pokémon to Doko Iku has been airing new episodes since the spring of 2022, so there’s a lot of pent-up demand for a Tomica version of the Pikachu bus. Takara Tomy first announced that one was in the works last fall, and now it’s finally available, having gone on sale January 20. Measuring 7.8 centimeters (3.1 inches) in length, it’s priced at 880 yen (US$6.10) and can be purchased online through the Takara Tomy Mall e-shop here.

Source: Takara Tomy
Top image: Takara Tomy
Insert images: Takara Tomy (1, 2)
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