Ever wanted to transform yourself into the world’s most recognizable Pokémon? According to Mashable, Snapchat has you covered with its latest lens filter. For a limited time only, Snapchat users can add pointy ears, a triangle nose, and rosy red cheeks to their face, disguising themselves as beloved Electric type Pokémon Pikachu.
Like all Snapchat facial filters before it, from puppy dog to NFL helmet, it’s a relatively easy-to-use feature. Users press and hold on their face, and the app uses facial recognition to position Pikachu’s features roughly where they should be. (As ever, the facial recognition is fairly impressive; similar apps haven’t yet caught up with how well Snapchat does on its first try.) Even better, a mini Pikachu joins the user in the frame, and Pikachu’s signature move—a crackle of lightning, for the uninitiated—shoots out of the photographer’s mouth when they open it. Pikachu joins in the excitement by shouting his own name. (It’s not as horrifying as it sounds.)
Take a selfie with Pikachu! 📸âš¡ï¸Our Pikachu Lens is available now on Snapchat for a limited time: https://t.co/hOCWNkQWmB pic.twitter.com/GX8mY7hPYI
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) August 14, 2017
Longtime Snapchat users know that some of the best lenses come and go (RIP, the absurdly popular Rainbow Vomit), and Pikachu is no exception. There’s no concrete information on the end date; the Pokémon site indicates that it “will be available to Snapchat account holders for only a short while,†which could mean literally anything. But you may as well get your Pikachu kicks in now so you can be part of the zeitgeist. Forget Pokémon Go!; actually becoming America’s favorite electric mouse is the wave of the future.
Which pocket monster do you want to become next? (Probably an evolution of Eevee, right?) Let us know in the comments!
Images: The Pokémon Company
