Polaroid Gives Pokémon the Instant Camera Treatment

Thirty years after Pokémon first arrived in Japan, Pikachu and friends have found their way onto just about every type of merch. Polaroid’s latest collaboration, however, gives the familiar characters a new canvas.

Created to celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, the limited-edition Polaroid x Pokémon collection reworks three of the photography brand’s instant cameras around Pikachu, Sylveon, and the franchise’s ubiquitous Poké Ball. Rather than relying solely on printed graphics, the designs borrow their recognizable colors and silhouettes.

The compact Polaroid Go takes on two of the more character-driven transformations. The Pikachu edition comes wrapped in the Pokémon’s signature yellow, complete with a lightning-bolt-shaped detail that rises from the camera body. Sylveon gets a softer treatment, pairing a primarily white camera with pink and blue accents and a coordinating ribbon-like strap.

For the larger Polaroid Now Generation 3, the Poké Ball provides the inspiration. Its white body is capped with red and punctuated by a circular detail around the lens, translating the familiar object into the existing geometry of the camera.

The collaboration also extends beyond the hardware. Special-edition i-Type and Go films add Pokémon-themed frames and custom dark slides, while a camera case, photo album, and strap carry the visual language into accessories. Together, the nine-piece collection turns the act of instant photography into part of the collaboration itself: Pokémon appears not only on the object used to take a picture, but on the physical image it produces.

The Polaroid Now Generation 3 Pokémon Edition is priced at $139.99, while the Pikachu and Sylveon Polaroid Go cameras are $99.99 each. Preorders open Aug. 25, 2026, through Polaroid and Pokémon Center in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, with the full collection launching Oct. 5 in limited quantities.