LEGO Pokémon is coming soon, a new collaboration between two beloved brands that has the potential to delight fans – but could also be a disaster thanks to the way that collecting has tainted the card gaming hobby. Kat Rees-Jauke discusses the topic…
The LEGO Group recently announced that the brick giant is collaborating with Pokémon to create a brand new partnership between the two companies. A teaser image seemed to hint at Pikachu’s tail made from bricks, indicating which monsters may be included in the upcoming sets. But is this a collaboration a good idea? While Pokémon is an iconic brand with a long history in both trading cards and video games, it’s sadly fostered a competitive collecting environment.
Fans have been clamouring for Pokémon sets ever since it became apparent that the designers were being inspired by classic franchises like Mario Kart. While they’re most renowned for being trading cards, Pokémon has been a staple release on Nintendo consoles since the Game Boy and the latest release was Pokémon Scarlet & Violet for the Switch (which just got a massive update for the Switch 2). So it’s highly likely that any sets would be inspired by these video games rather than the cards themselves.
So what’s the problem exactly? The LEGO designers have proven that they can successfully translate video games into sets and there’s no shortage of iconic Pokémon characters. Well the potential problem has nothing to do with sets – it’s the fan base. The Pokémon community obviously has a passionate branch of collectors as well as many children who gotta catch ‘em all. But there’s a growing issue with scalpers. In fact it’s becoming so problematic that it’s even hitting mainstream news stories.
Scalpers are a type of reseller who will literally buy out a store of the latest release to then sell it at a huge increase on the aftermarket. There are so many Pokémon scalpers that availability of these products is a massive problem for everyday fans who just want to enjoy some Pokémon cards. These scalpers were out in full force for the highly anticipated Prismatic Evolutions Premium Collection last month. These colourful cards were all based around fan favourite Eevee, who is one of the cutest monsters around, and fans couldn’t find them anywhere. Scalpers were camping outside game stores days before the release so that they could score the full boxes to resell for ridiculous prices.
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And who could forget what happened at the Van Gogh Museum? That collaboration was supposed to introduce a new audience to the works of Van Gogh and had a selection of Pokémon merchandise with exclusive art based on the Dutch artist’s unique style. Scalpers bought it all out in less than two months and people were rioting to try and get the museum exclusive Pikachu card. That card was meant for children who had completed a treasure hunt in the museum. Instead scalpers were fighting over it. In short, that collaboration was a disaster.
Although the Pokémon Company has previously promised to do everything it can to try and produce more stock for cards, even after increasing production back in 2022 scalpers remain a supply and demand issue three years later. So this could be exactly what happens with LEGO Pokémon sets. If they become a hotly anticipated collectable then scalpers could set their sights onto these sets. And if there were any limited gift-with-purchases or LEGO Pokémon cards to celebrate the release of these sets, then that could go become an ugly situation on the aftermarket.
Scarcity is the scenario that scalpers feed off to make a profit. Exclusives or limited runs are exactly the type of things they want. Meanwhile this puts regular Pokémon fans – and children armed only with pocket money – at a huge disadvantage. No matter what shape this collaboration between the LEGO Group and Pokémon takes, they need to ensure that availability and desirability is managed correctly. LEGO Pokémon should be a place for kids and adults alike who enjoy collecting these monsters – while keeping scalpers as far away as possible.