Image: DH Gate
When a product becomes popular enough, fakes and knock-offs eventually emerge, trying to ride the wave of profit. One brand taken advantage of by posers is Pokémon, particularly Pikachu.
A Chinese company sought to use Pokémon’s fame to market a rather creative-looking USB adapter called “Pokémon Pikachu Portable USB phone charger,” reports Byokan Sunday via RocketNews24.
To use the Pikachu charger, one needs to take off the “ears” to reveal prongs that plug into the wall socket. There’s a one meter-long USB cable included, that can be connected to the little Pokémon’s posterior, as shown on the images below.
Ears off, prongs out. Image: DH Gate
The cable comes with a microUSB connector and a USB-C adapter. Image: DH Gate
But as with most knock-offs, its marketed specifications, such as the amperage output, is consistently inconsistent.
2.0A or 2.4A? Odds are it’s just an average 2.0A charger. Image: DH Gate
Closer inspection also reveals that the adapter lacks any markings that would make it an official Pokémon Company product. Online seller DH Gate stated that the item comes from China.
For those who don’t mind having a little unofficial merchandise mixed in with their Pokémon collection, the Pokémon Pikachu Portable USB phone charger can be purchased from DH Gate at a slightly expensive rate of $25.72 (roughly P1,270) per piece, excluding shipping. Bulk orders with a minimum of 398 pieces get a discount, leaving only $22.62 (roughly P1,100) per charger. Alfred Bayle/JB