Set: Pocket Monster Collection / MonCollé / MonCollé-Ex
Company: Tomy / Takara Tomy / T-Arts / Auldey
Year: 2006+
Size: +/- 5 cm
Main distribution: Worldwide
The Pocket Monster Collection, MonCollé, MonCollé-Ex or simply Tomy figures are small figures that are highly collectable. The series has been running from the 90s and is still running now. They have been distributed worldwide and have seen various releases and re-releases in various packs. They come often in “toy sets” and are therefor generally found in generic toy stores and supermarkets instead of the more niche geek shops. In Japan these figures come also in stand alone packs.
In this blog post you’ll find all the Gen IV / Sinnoh region Pokémon I own. As my favourite are from Gen I, with a couple of Gen II, you won’t find many here. But some are cute and were acquired due to it being in a multipack, and I love these figures, so I’ve decided to keep them for now.
The Tomy figures of Pokémon are my favourite. I’m still trying to catch them all of Gen I, and some of my favourites of Gen II that I have a soft spot for. I don’t have anything with Gen IV, but have acquired them over the years due to them being in multipacks with Gen I Pokémon or they came in lots.
The figures I currently own are below. All photo’s are my own of my own figures and no stock photos were used. They are shot in natural light, mostly right after sunrise and right before sunset or on a cloudy day, to avoid harsh light and shadows.
#491 Darkrai
This Darkrai came in a Versus toy pack and included Pikachu from the Pokémon X&Y series which I purchased around 2015 in the UK. It is a matt figure.
The branding is on the top of his bottom part in raised font and says: ©Nintendo / Pokémon TOMY CHINA.
Quick Ball – Clip ‘N Carry
This Quick Ball was released in 2017 and came in a Clip ‘N Carry toy pack that included Machop from the Pokémon Sun & Moon series which I purchased in 2019 in the UK.
It’s a nice ball that opens like a real Pokéball by gently pushing the button at the front which holds the halves together.
On the back is a clip to attach it to your belt. This is why they were called “Clip ‘n Carry”, as you could ‘clip’ it on your belt and ‘carry’ your Pokémon figures with you. They are also popular amongst cosplayers as you carry the ball on your belt like the Pokémon trainers in the anime do.
There are 2 holes in the top and bottom halve, probably to prevent chocking.
The branding is on the bottom. It reads in printed text: EX2 5AZ, UK T19139 H2417HM00. Around it is in raised font: ©2017 The Pokémon Company International / Nintendo TOMY CHINA EX2 5AZ, UK.
The Tomy figures were one of the first Pokémon merchandise I could get my hands on as a kid. There wasn’t much in my home town and I was too young to travel to bigger cities. The Internet was also not really a thing yet, and definitely not at my home. I bought all I could find and tried to get them all, which till this day I have unsucceeded in. I then tried to focus on getting all the Pikachu.
I do find the first release from the 90s still the best. They look so unique with their airbrushed look and high gloss. It gave it more of a watercolour look which is closer to Ken Sugimori’s art. Over time, the Pokémon started to look more like their animated counterpart rather than the game, and the game itself started to look more like the animation as well. The figures lost their nice gloss, and feel cheaper because of it. I even feel their paint jobs are getting worse. Still, I love them, but it made me feel less in love with the later Generations.
Because Pikachu is often paired with other Pokémon, I end up with Pokémon from different Generations that I care less for. However, I end up keeping them anyway as I like the Tomy figures. It’s hard to part with these, so I’ve decided to keep them for now.
Got any more details / information you think I should add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own any of these figures? Which one is your fav? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!