Late last year, news emerged that there would be an app for smart home devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa that would allow you to talk to Pikachu. While it’s a neat new means of packaging the home assistant device, it might not be the most effective thing in the world. After all, Pikachu famously only says the various syllables of its name in different permutations. But if the thing actually looked like a Pikachu? Well, then, that’d probably be worth it for the entertainment value alone.
Via SoraNews24, Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy has introduced HelloPika, a talking Pikachu robot that responds to your commands just how you’d expect it to: “Pi Pika Pi!”
Based on the videos, it looks like it can turn his head, nod, light up its cheeks, and make all sorts of Pikachu noises. Because Pikachu is polite, it will even turn towards you when you’re talking to it, like a sort of sequel to the Nintendo 64 game Hey You, Pikachu!
The specifications aren’t entirely clear, but since the packaging is listed as being 13 centimeters tall (5.1 inches), it’s safe to assume that Pikachu will be about a third of its actual size of 1’4″, which is a fair scaling—if the anime is any indication, a full-sized Pikachu might be too much to handle.
What do you think of this talking Pikachu? Is this considered part of catching ’em all, or are you going to pass? Let us know what you think down in the comments!
Featured image: The Pokémon Company
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