Of everything at this year’s Pokémon Center pop-up, the toughest item to land is a Pikachu plush that no one can simply pick up off a shelf and pay for.
The item in question is the Steiff 2026 Pokémon World Championships Exclusive Pikachu, available only through a voucher. Steiff — the firm credited with inventing the teddy bear — has taken on Pikachu twice before, first in 2015 and then this past July for the franchise’s 30th Anniversary. What sets this release apart is that it’s the first accessorized version.
Neither the materials nor the price have been confirmed yet. As a reference point, the previous Steiff Pikachu were crafted from premium natural mohair and carried a price tag of roughly $400 USD.
“As one of the standout items for this year, fans can only receive it via voucher – meaning, those booking a store reservation can opt in to enter the selection process to purchase fan favorite items,” said Cindy Ruppenthal, senior director of Pokémon Center and e-commerce.
Three lines, one very busy weekend
San Francisco, CA. hosts the 2026 Pokémon World Championships from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30, and for the first time the event shares a venue with PokémonXP, the debut official Pokémon fan-convention. Factor in the 30th Anniversary and the result is a merchandise rollout with far more components than a typical year.
“To celebrate this year’s San Francisco location, Pokémon Center will be releasing three product lines – the PokémonXP Line, the 2026 Pokémon World Championships Line, and the San Francisco Line,” Ruppenthal said. It mirrors the three-line setup used for last year’s Worlds in Anaheim, CA.
PokémonXP went to space
Blue tones and outer space dominate the PokémonXP line. The female Pikachu decked out in full star-exploring astronaut gear has already made the rounds (that heart-shaped tail is the giveaway that she’s female). Alongside her is a Charizard sporting goggles and a jetpack, who shows up in his own figure, wall art and more.
Personally, I’d go with the dark Charizard shirt. That said, my money is on the pastel blue bomber jacket loaded with on-theme patches and the baseball jersey vanishing first. The Rocket backpack deserves attention too — it ranks among the stranger and better reveals so far.
Why space, though? According to Ruppenthal, the team designed both the products and the experiences around an “Out of This World” concept, aiming to hand fans a weekend that transports them “somewhere truly out of this world.”
The first glow-in-the-dark collection, somehow
Fronted by Umbreon and Elgyem, a run of glow-in-the-dark pieces would have fit right in beside the plastic stars stuck to my bedroom ceiling as a kid. Sunlight, an LED flashlight or a UV blacklight will charge them up.
And here’s the detail that strains belief given decades’ worth of merchandise: Ruppenthal said this marks Pokémon Center’s first-ever glow-in-the-dark collection.
Ruppenthal pointed to a second first this year as well — the lava flow glitter pin, which contains real liquid inside to create a sense of depth. The collection’s Charizard pin appears to be one of these.
A Pikachu in a crown, and Greninja everywhere
Over in the Worlds line, a male Pikachu plush wears a champion’s cape, and that same look carries onto shirts, bags, hats, TCG accessories and more. Greninja claims plenty of space as well: he appears alongside kingly Pikachu on the double deck box and also lands his own collectible pin, light-up display and hat.
The entire line is threaded with orange-red and marked with both the classic Pokémon World Championships logo and the 2026 San Francisco logo.
San Francisco, redrawn with Poké Balls
Rather than mascots, the San Francisco line goes for colorful, eclectic line drawings. Top billing goes to the playmat, dense with tiny details you’ll continue spotting over time. The cream ringer tee makes for a welcome change of pace from a standard t-shirt, and the matching Krabby hat rounds it out.
“The San Francisco Line reimagines the city through a Pokémon lens, blending the PokémonXP ‘Out of This World’ design theme with iconic San Francisco architecture transformed by Pokémon-inspired elements,” Ruppenthal said. “Some fun artwork fans can look for include Poké Ball details on the Painted Ladies, a Gigantamax Duraludon-inspired variation of the Transamerica Pyramid, Poké Ball-inspired cable cars, and a Technical Machine (TM).”
“Fans can also discover Pokémon woven through the playmat design, including Pikachu, Vileplume, Krabby, Ditto, Umbreon, Espeon, Latias, Latios, Jirachi, and many more – adding even more Pokémon-inspired details for fans to discover,” Ruppenthal said.
The crossover stuff for the indecisive
“Inspired by the bright and vibrant spirit of the city, each unique line captures the energy and character of San Francisco while bringing a distinctly Pokémon twist,” Ruppenthal said. “And because this is a milestone year, fans may even spot exclusive items featuring a mix of both the PokémonXP Line and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships Line…”
Those crossover pieces don’t amount to a fourth line — they’re simply products that honor both events and the host city simultaneously. Think bold PokémonXP blues, fiery Worlds reds and San Francisco design cues. Charms for all three line logos plus both mascot Pikachu hang from the keychain, while the pin set brings together the two mascot Pikachu with the cable car and the Pokémon-ified Painted Ladies.
There’s also a collectible coins set running nine coins deep, with a different Pokémon from this year’s merch on each one.
What else you’ll be fighting over
Reyn Spooner is back for what has become an annual fixture since it began at the 2024 Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu — fitting, since the brand is designed in Hawaii. Some collab items are live on the online Pokémon Center store already, though the aloha shirt, hat and bag designs for this year can only be bought in San Francisco.
Earlier reveals from The Pokémon Company covered the two mascot Pikachu, Charizard and Kirlia plushies. Bear Walker also unveiled a pair of new skateboards, one tied to PokémonXP and one to the Pokémon World Championships. Anticipate having to enter the voucher drawing to buy those, as was the case at Worlds in Anaheim.
As for how the store is laid out, Ruppenthal said every line receives “its own moment to shine.”
Getting in is its own event
Entry to the pop-up requires a PokémonXP / Pokémon World Championships badge along with a booked timeslot. For anyone unable to attend, Ruppenthal said an online-only “Worlds at Home” “shopping experience” kicks off Aug. 26, though what it entails hasn’t been explained.
In 2025, shoppers received a code for the Worlds Promo Card with any purchase and a second code for the collectible Worlds Coin on purchases of at least $50, along with the Sweetheart Diner collection, which debuted online and at the pop-up at the same time.
The 2026 Worlds Pikachu promo card is also obtainable by competing in a Worlds Celebration Tournament at Play! Pokémon Store events, either VGC with Pokémon Champions or the TCG, between Aug. 21st and Aug. 30th.
I picked up the 2025 Pokémon World Championships Reyn Spooner tote in Anaheim, and no beach bag I’ve owned comes close: it’s deep, it has plenty of internal pockets, a clip for keys and a large zipper that keeps everything in place. At the moment it’s stuffed with my surplus deckboxes and bulk cards — which is exactly the justification I need to pick up this year’s version and finally let the old one see the beach again.