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All veteran PokéMerch collectors have heard of the merchandise that was sold at the Pokémon Center NY. Here are some of the most sought-after goods sold at the store!
Pokédolls were sold at the Pokémon Center, but there is something unique about the ones sold at the early PCNY– these 2001 and 2002 release Pokédolls had single, paper tush tags, with the paper hang tag being attached directly to the plush. Regular Pokédolls have a silk loop to which the hang tag attaches. The two most elusive Pokédolls are the Clefairy Pokédoll and the Meowth Pokédoll, both never sold in Japan other than their PlushPlush versions (PlushPlush dolls were never sold at PCNY! They were exclusive to Japan).
Meowth and Clefairy are two of the extremely few 2001 release Pokédolls sold at the Center. Very few Pokédoll collectors in the PokéMerch community have a Meowth Pokédoll. Clefairy is slightly more common, but still remains a major grail to many Pokédoll collectors. Get ready to hand over a pretty penny to own such a historic plush. To the left, you can see them circled on the shelf— Clefairy being on top and Meowth right below. The rest of the known 2001 and 2002 paper tag dolls are as follows (*indicates 2001 dolls):
Pikachu, Pichu*, Gengar, Cyndaquil, Corsola, Phanpy, Wobbuffet*, Totodile, Celebi.
Adding some photo credit to @dollpoke, who has a wonderful collection of PCNY PokéDolls!
In 2004, Pokédoll charms were introduced into Pokémon Center New York. These charms are crazy hard to come by and came in Pokémon that were never even made into Pokédoll Plush form. Information on these charms are limites, so check out godudette’s site for more information on Pokédoll charms!
Yes, the holy grail of all grails in the Pokémon plush collector community. These plushies were marketed as “Giant” plush versions of several significant Pokémon characters from Pokémon movies 2, 3, 4, and 5. These TOMY plushies were sold for approx. $140 retail at the Pokémon Center NY store, but now hold a value of $3,000 – $5,000 depending on the character and the condition. The “Giants” were also available for sale on the US Pokémon Center website (except for Raikou, who was never available online). In Japan, these giants were sold at the original Pokémon Center Tokyo location and through the Japanese Pokémon Center Online store. The Japanese versions have different tags.
Sadly, the giant plushies were discontinued in 2003, and because of the low number of each character made, they are very, very hard to find today. However, despite being formally discontinued, the “Giants” were still sold at the Pokémon Center NY store until mid-2003/early-2004. In fact, in 2006, in Japan, there was even an online lottery where 10 winners could receive a Tyranitar giant plush!
Generally, collectors consider the “giant” plushies to, specifically, be the large fuzzy TOMY plush dolls of Lugia, Raikou, Suicune, Entei, Latios, Latias, Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Lapras. According to Wayback Machine findings, these were the original retail costs:
- Lugia: $139.95
- Entei: $139.95
- Tyranitar: $129.95
It’s technically unknown what the other “Giants” cost at the Pokémon Center NY store. All “Giants” are assumed to have been the same cost in-store as they were online.
Fun fact: the US version of the Tyranitar “Giant” has its eyes sewn on upside down!
Below are some scans of the Pokémon Center NY (US Version) Suicune “Giant” tag:
