Pokemon Go brought the world outside when it debuted several years back, and since then, the franchise has done its best to keep fans active. Now, it seems the company has a new initiative in mind for fans, and that is to bring them back to their childhood. After all, Pokemon is starting to make playgrounds of all things, and the jungle gyms are cuter than we could have ever imagined.
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In a surprise move, The Pokemon Company hit up a familiar market to launch these playgrounds, so kids in Japan can rejoice. A special all-pink playground has been built in Namie, a city within the Fukushima prefecture. The outdoor gym highlights some favorite pink Pokemon, but Chansey is the real star given the Pokemon‘s connection to the prefecture.
For those who don’t know, Chansey’s name in Japanese translates to luck and is said to bring happiness. The Fukushima prefecture decided to make Chansey is Pokemon Mascot as such given that ‘fuku’ in Japanese means luck. This partnership kicked off in 2019, so The Pokemon Company was game to build a playground dedicated to the mascot.
Over on Twitter, pictures of the Pokemon playground have gone viral, and Chansey is shown joined by others like Lickitung, Igglybuff, and more. The mascot’s first playground is opening in Namie, but more are on the docket. Cities like Toriyama, Yanaizu, and Showa are all expected to get similar playgrounds featuring Chansey in the new year.
Clearly, Pokemon is going all in with this adorable playground, and fans outside of Japan are vying for their own builds. The franchise has a global audience whose desire for more Pokemon is insatiable. A playground might tide fans over because this test park in Fukushima is something very special. So if The Pokemon Company wants to plan some parks stateside, fans would be happy to oblige.
What do you think of these new Pokemon playgrounds? Do you want these to make their way stateside or…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
