The best Pokemon gifts for kids, according to a 9 year old

Our son, currently 9, has loved Pokemon for several years now. The accumulation of Pokemon themed things around our house teeters on ridiculous or super awesome, depending on who you ask. So, I asked him to compile a list of the best Pokemon gifts for kids from Amazon to help parents.

What is the point of Pokemon?

🙋‍♀️I asked the obvious question, “why do you love Pokemon?” My son replied, “It’s a fun game because people like trading.” Oh, that explains it. (NOT.)

Next, he proceeded into the particulars about GX and EX and other perplexing terms. Honestly, I’ll never truly understand the power that is Pokemon.

The Pokemon Parents’ Guide attempts to explain. “In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, players build decks around their favorite Pokémon and then play against each other, sending their Pokémon into battle to prove who the best Pokémon Trainer is. Players can begin with theme decks—preconstructed decks designed to cover the basics of the game. Then, they can augment their card collections with booster packs that provide more cards, letting players develop more diverse decks. With thousands of cards to choose from, the game is never the same twice. The Pokémon Company International releases four sets of cards, called “expansions,” each year, so the game continues to evolve and expand for both players and collectors.”

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What is the coolest Pokemon?

“Gengar is my favorite Pokemon because it jump-scares a lot and never loses in battle.”

Then he shrugged and said, “but that’s just me.”

I really wanted to get to the bottom of the Pokemon gift dilemma: what are the essentials? He suggests a mix of Pokemon cards and gifts. Also, a “t-shirt is pretty cool.”

Below, he picked out the coolest Pokemon card packs plus a few other toys to consider.

My observation? (besides the obvious, the cards are everywhere and too expensive…) He loves the cards and to read the P okemon Super Deluxe Essential Handbook the most.