10 Pokemon Gift Ideas for That Special Trainer in Your Life

Pokemon is just as popular today as it was in the 90s during the “Pokemania” craze. If you have a friend or family member who loves Pokemon, they would certainly love a gift related to the franchise.

If you’re feeling stuck about what to buy (maybe you don’t know much about Pokemon or they already have a lot of merchandise), we’re here to help you make that person smile. Here’s a list of 10 Pokemon gift ideas for that special trainer in your life.

Official Plushies

Everyone has a favorite Pokemon, so if you know one that the person who you’re buying a gift for likes, you could get them a plushie. There are tons of options available on the official Pokemon Center website.

In fact, there have several categories of plushies to choose from, such as Sitting Cuties (which currently has every Pokemon available from the first four generations of games), plush keychains, plush dolls, and jumbo plushies.

The great thing about plushies is that they can be cuddled or sit on a shelf as a nice display item, so it’s an ideal, inexpensive gift for just about anyone of any age.

Clothes and Apparel

The Pokemon Center website also has a wide variety of Pokemon-themed clothing items that you can buy for someone as a gift, from t-shirts and sweatshirts to socks and loungewear.

If you’re looking for something a bit more wintery, there are a bunch of adorable Pikachu sweaters and knitwear featuring lots of festive Pokemon designs.

If you’re looking for something a bit more casual, you can’t go wrong with a pair of socks featuring Pokemon that the person you’re buying the gift for likes.

If none of those are jumping out at you, you can search through the clothing portion of the website for tons of other options; it gets as specific as polos and neckties, so you’re bound to find something cool to buy as a gift.

TCG Packs

One of the cool things about Pokemon is that there are many ways to play and enjoy the franchise. One of those ways is through the trading card game, which, yes, is still going strong after all these years.

Whether the person you’re buying a gift for is already into the TCG or would just enjoy branching out to that part of the Pokemon franchise, it’s almost guaranteed that they will have fun opening up a pack of the cards to see what is inside.

There are booster packs of cards to help supplement existing decks, oversize card sets that include several booster packs and an oversize card, and elite trainer boxes that have a ton of collectibles inside. If you’re looking for a TCG-related gift besides cards, consider accessories like card mats or specially designed sleeves.

Home Decor Items

If you’re looking for something more decorative in nature to buy for someone, you can consider a home decor item featuring Pokemon the person likes. This could be a good way for them to show off their love of the franchise in ways they might not have before.

There are a lot of options, such as wall art, pillows and throw blankets, or kitchenware. These types of gifts are appreciated by fans of older ages and are often practical in nature.

Other fun gift items are figures that can be set on shelves to decorate a room, like these holiday and winter-themed Pokemon figures.

PowerA Switch Controllers

The Pokemon fan in your life probably already has a Nintendo Switch, so you could give them a special Pokemon-themed controller to use with it.

PowerA is a popular company that specializes in fun designs and color schemes for its products. They have several controller options for Pokemon fans, such as controllers featuring a Poke Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble, and even a golden Pikachu one.

These controllers are reputable and will surely get lots of use while playing Pokemon games on the Switch.

Nintendo Switch Accessories

There are lots of options for Nintendo Switch accessories with Pokemon designs besides controllers that make great gifts.

For example, this game case holder looks like a Pokedex from the series and fits 16 games inside. Alternatively, PowerA (the company we mentioned above that makes the controllers) also has protective Switch cases that feature Pokemon designs, such as this Snorlax and friends design; it fits a Nintendo Switch and 9 games.

A stocking stuffer gift idea could be Pokemon-themed thumb grips for Nintendo Switch analog sticks, like these ones that look like Poke Balls or these ones that look like Pikachu.

Pokemon Jewelry

Looking for something that’s more high-end to give as a gift? Jewelry is typically a safe option to get for many people; you probably already know if the Pokemon fan you’re buying a gift for wears a lot of jewelry or not. Luckily, the Pokemon Center website has lots of options through a collaboration with jewelry company RockLove.

You can view all of the options available to buy right here. There are necklaces, earrings, bracelets, charms, and more featuring lots of popular Pokemon designs. Some are a bit expensive, but that’s because they’re made of high-quality materials like sterling silver.

Custom Hand-Made Merch

If you want to buy something more personalized for the Pokemon fan in your life, look towards marketplaces that sell handmade crafts and merchandise. Etsy is one of the most popular online marketplaces for this. We’ve searched around their website for some of the coolest products.

For example, here is a seller that makes a personalized 3D-printed nameplate in the Pokemon font. You can enter the name you want, and they’ll send you the nameplate in that style.

Does the Pokemon fan you’re buying for have a pet that they love? This seller turns photos of pets into a Pokemon TCG card. You can customize lots of aspects, such as the moves, facts, type of card, and more.

A great gift for a significant other would be a customizable Pokemon diorama cube. This seller puts cutouts of two trainers in front of their favorite six Pokemon and personalizes it even more with a date of your choice. This is a great option if you are a Pokemon fan as well as your significant other and want to get something meaningful to your relationship.

Books

Books are great gifts for people of all ages, and luckily there are Pokemon-themed books available for all ages.

Younger children would enjoy books from the Pokemon Primer series that teach about the alphabet, numbers, opposites, and habitats. They might also like the Epic Sticker Collection which features over 1,000 stickers from the entire series.

Children between ages 7-10 would enjoy the Pokemon Super Special Chapter Book Collection to help them read longer books about the Pokemon world they are interested in. There is also a Pokemon Encyclopedia that is essential for any young fan.

For teenagers and adults, there is a Pokemon Cookbook with over 45 recipes inspired by Pikachu and friends.

Pokemon Games for the Nintendo Switch

Finally, if all else fails, make sure the Pokemon fan in your life has all of the Pokemon games that are available for the Nintendo Switch. Here is a list of all Pokemon games currently available for the console, in order from newest release to oldest:

• Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet (releases on November 18, 2022)
• Pokemon Legends: Arceus
• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl
• New Pokemon Snap
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
• Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield
• Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee!
• Pokken Tournament

There are also some free-to-play Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch that could be enhanced with in-game purchases:

• Pokemon Unite
• Pokemon Cafe ReMix
• Pokemon Quest

We recommend making sure the Pokemon fan you’re buying for has either Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet, the newest games in the franchise, and then working backward on the list.