Electronic Pichu Plush! Finally got my hands on this thing!

My real Pichu (right) with my Pikachu!!!

Yes!

I first discovered this plush through Bulbapedia where they list every Hasbro Pokémon plush, including the talking/electronic ones.

So, before I finally got my hands on this plush, I sadly fell for a bootleg back in 2021. At the time, I thought I got a legit plush. Until I noticed that the plush was coming from China.

It made these awful, cursed Togepi noises (the same ones from the electronic Togepi plush but sped up and high pitched) when the hands were pressed and the cheeks barely lit up. I was upset.

I kept my eye on finding a real one until... May 23rd. I found it.

My anxiety and blood was rushing, so I quickly bought it on eBay before anyone else did. And the good thing? The was shipping was free. This time, it came from Japan.

And now, it's here, in my hands. A real, legit, electronic Pichu plush that I've been hunting for so long... and it's over.

The plush itself

The only disappointing things about this Pichu plush is that it only says 2 different variations of its name and doesn't let you know to play with it (instead, its cheeks light up for a split second to let you know it shut down if you don't play with it; the light sensor function is off until you press its hands, kinda like the talking Celebi I own where if it shuts down, the light sensor and noise detector is off until your press its hand). 

I do have so many positives!

The light sensor! It's similar to the Hasbro Electronic Pikachu, Mew, and Togepi plushies I own. 

It's super cute and HARD TO FIND! Also, I heard this plush got released in other countries... but the reasoning for this plush's obscurity is that it probably had a limited release, as shown on Bulbapedia (it had an April 2001 release). And it can be easily confused for some other TOMY Pichu plushies (notably, the talking one without the mechanics; I'll get to comparisons later). Someone on Reddit mentioned this plush and was thinking if it was official.

I remember seeing this plush in a box for the outside of Japan release (the colors are similar to the talking Marill's UK release (?)), but I can't find it anymore since it's been a while. However, I have seen this plush in a Japanese box which I will archive here. The way the box is shaped is similar to the box for the talking Pikachu, Mew, and Togepi plushies released by Hasbro.

Comparisons

If you're looking for an electronic Pichu yourself, I have made comparisons to save you time!

Tomy Talking Pichu vs. this Pichu

Tomy Talking Pichu (left); electronic (right)

The most obvious is the positioning of the cheeks and the black tuft near its face.

Tomy Talking Pichu:

-sometimes comes with pink bowtie depending on who's selling the plush

-no electronics; only voicebox

-the mouth is curved and is a bit up

-plush looks lighter color

-black tuft near face is bigger

-ears look separated

-plush is common to find (when I was hunting for an electronic Pichu, I kept seeing this plush and got tired of seeing it). In the box, it costs a lot.

Electronic Pichu:

-cheeks are closer

-mouth is straight, not curved

-does not come with bowtie (when I saw on WorthPoint of this plush, someone said it originally came with one but they are wrong; they thought it was the regular TOMY talking Pichu)

-has electronics (ears & mouth move, light up cheeks and sound)

-tuft near face is shorter

-fur is different (maybe darker material)

-ears look closer to each other; non-bendable

-rare to find; in the box will cost you a lot.

Real vs. Bootleg

real (left); bootleg (right)

I already made some comparisons on my Insta story about it, but just in case another bootleg of this plush shows up, I want to make a comparison.

Bootleg:

-dark cheeks

-material looks and feels like it's made out of carpet

-tail faced to the left (I said right, but I meant left)

-has odd Togepi noises (reused from electronic Togepi plush) if you press hands a certain way

-ears are bendable

-yes, Hasbro did officially release this electronic Pichu plush outside of Japan, but the tag is incorrect (it says Pokémon basic plush)

-the black tuft is loose (not glued/sewn in)

-cheeks barely light up (sometimes if you quickly turn it on and off, the mechanics move a bit but doesn't work)

-buttons on hands feel off

-light sensor doesn't work

-it feels like they used the same mechanics as this plush, but hacked it or something.

-fur is lighter

-looks a bit bigger than the real plush

-shape of bottom (where battery pack is at) is different (notably, the velcro)

-RED FLAG: COMES FROM CHINA. Check the country before buying.

If your Pichu has any of these things listed, it's most likely a bootleg. If it makes any other noises that isn't "Pichu" then it's a bootleg.

Avoid this seller: nicegustos (the one who sold me this bootleg)

Real:

-lighter cheeks

-soft material

-tail is faced to the right (not left as said in the image)

-black tuft is glued/sewn in

-ears aren't bendable (?)

-says "pichu!" 2 different ways

-has light sensor

-can have either the TOMY or Hasbro International tag (make sure it doesn't read "Pokémon Basic Plush"); Japan sellers will have the plush with the TOMY logo. Anyone else (except China) will probably have the Hasbro tag on there.

Good luck hunting and finding an electronic Pichu plush!

Update (6/5): Here's a French eBay seller who has this plush with the Hasbro tag.

https://linktr.ee/wimbearn