A Lotte Koala-Tea Time with Pikachu! – By Loretta
It’s nearly time to spring forward and what better way than having a tea party with Pikachu with lots of kawaii snacks! Recently upon my trips to my local Japanese import grocer, I found two newer varieties of Lotte Koala’s March cookies, Chocolate Banana and Latte. Unofficial Team Komala loves these crème filled cookies not only for the adorable little koalas printed on them, but because purchase of these cookies supports The Australian Koala Foundation www.savethekoala.com and you’ll find the AKF logo on every pack! You can buy these cookies at many Asian groceries, but US grocers such as Meijer also carry them in their Asian foods section (how pleasant to discover the Green Tea variety at Meijer, though mine is currently out of stock where the shelf tag is holding the space-that’s an unexpectedly fun flavor and definitely a tea party must-have!). I didn’t realize I was being set up to hold a tea party until I stumbled across this lone Banpresto/CraneKing Pokémon Tea Party Pikachu plush at the adjacent local Japanese import gift shop, J Avenue this past weekend. Pikachu is cuddle size in oh-so-soft velvety plush similar to the plush used by Pokémon Center and is holding a much too cute to eat Pikachu shaped party treat. Do they play cards at tea parties? I found this box of General Mills Fruit Roll-Ups at Meijer shortly thereafter and it includes 3 free Pokémon TCG trading cards. Just some months ago I was bugging Pojo to check his grocery for the General Mills cereals that had promo TCG packs inside, but I had not seen the fruit snack promos until this past weekend. Nostalgically, I’d love to see Heinz do another Pokémon ketchup promo, especially after watching the “I Choose You” Pokémon movie DVD released by Viz within the last couple weeks, but perhaps ketchup is better suited for a Pika-nic. Piii…
Before we sign off to start the party, Buneary wants me to remind everyone that spring isn’t always a good time for bunnies, so please consider chocolate or plush instead for Easter gifts. If, however, you are serious about making a 10+ year commitment to adopt, please visit The Houserabbit Society www.rabbit.org first to learn about the responsibilities of pet ownership. Rabbits are fragile, easily frightened creatures who can bite and scratch when they are mishandled, require specialized and often expensive (think puppy, vet cost-wise, the ASPCA echoes Houserabbit in this regard) “exotics” vet care and often end up discarded or at a shelter because most folks don’t realize what’s involved (especially after a young child loses interest—a responsible adult should always be the primary care giver for a pet). A plush Pikachu is a great Easter basket stuffer and I still think Pikachu looks more like a bunny than a mouse—I think anyone who’s watched the anime can figure Buneary thinks so, too! Pika!
Snack time! Pika-pi!!!
Loretta
P.S. I hit up GameStop Sunday after I’d already typed up this report and discovered a new wave of Tomy merchandise had arrived! Most notably, I’ve snared Bounsweet vs. an absolutely adorable Pikachu–who happens to be snoozing under Ash’s cap! Perhaps Samson Oak’s Komala hit ‘im with Nap Time? Pi-ka-zzzZZZZ…
