We recently celebrated the extraordinary Pokémon TCG card art of Yuka Morii, and her immaculate clay models photographed in nature. But it would be remiss to stop there, and while pretty much every artist working on the cards deserves recognition, our attention is next drawn to Asako Ito and her 3D crochet Pokémon. Because they are stupendously adorable.
Over the last few years, Pokémon TCG has added all manner of embellishments, with ever-more special cards to pull featuring alt-art, full-art, Trainer Galleries, and the like. This has unquestionably made the cards so much more enticing to collect, with far more than a holo sheen to seek. However, it’s also had the side-effect of making the “regular” cards feel far more disposable. Sit through any YouTuber or real-life child opening packs and you’ll see them tossing such cards aside without even a glance, hoping to find that elusive rainbow rare Mewtwo or alt-art Aerodactyl at the end. And that’s a shame, when so many of those cards can be as beautiful as those made by Asako Ito.
Ito has made a total of 29 cards for the trading card game, starting with Sun & Moon’s base set, and then appearing regularly ever since. And since there are only 29 of them, let’s celebrate the whole lot! Using a technique known as Amigurumi (literally meaning crocheted or knitted stuffed toy), her Pokémon cards truly stand out from the rest.
Here is every single one of Asako Ito’s glorious hand-made Pokémon creations.