Darksplash's Weird World

[d4rksplash]

Not much of an update, but I recently discovered that the keychain version of Y2Kachu had this neat variant:

Makes me wonder if this version had a plushie too?

[d4rksplash]

Interest check time! I noticed that a LOT of people seemed to really want the Y2K Pikachu plush, but at this point, finding even one would be a miracle, so I wanted to provide another option. I was thinking of having a new version produced in bulk (bootleg of a bootleg let’s go!!!) and selling them for just enough to cover manufacturing costs. I don’t know how many I should go with, or really anything at all about buying custom plush in bulk, so I wanted to gauge interest and seek guidance!

[d4rksplash]

I ended up not going forward with this as I couldn’t afford the production costs, but lately I’ve been thinking of picking this project back up at a later date! The main caveat is that I’d only be able to produce two colors at the very most (and more likely just one), and I can’t really decide which I’d like to go with. Which one would you guys prefer?

If I end up making these, which color would you most want to see?

Cyan

Magenta

Yellow

Black

Green

Dark Blue

Red

Other (tell me in the comments)

Just want to see results

Voting ended onApr 14

[knockoffbootlegs]

Found this guy in a thrift store in Alabama.

[d4rksplash]

OMG THIS POST!!! I was trying to find it while trying to track down the manufacturer! (I own one named Mercutio, Cusho for short.) As a helpful Redditor told me, it turns out they're made by Kuddle Me Toys:

Evidently they made a lot of variants! I wonder if anyone will find more haha

[d4rksplash]

You ever just see a plush, go "hmmm that's cool :)" and then immediately get sucked into an absolutely wild mystery

Anyway if you have any information regarding the Y2K bug Pikachu bootleg, please reach out! So far I've connected it to some very similar keychains, a few bootleg Furby brands and quite possibly a different variety of knockoff Pikachu; I'd like to find out how much deeper the rabbit hole goes :) (Shout-out to HibbySloth on Bluesky and Longjumping-Fox5521 on Reddit, who showed me their plushies and gave me some insight)

[d4rksplash]

UPDATE: I'm trying to get back into the groove of this search, but I'm kind of at a dead end. Nevertheless, here's a Reddit post I made awhile ago with all the information I have!

[d4rksplash]

My bootleg Pikachu collection! Cheese (the polite fella in the bowtie) is the most recent add :)

[bootlegpals]

A bootleg Y2K bug Pikachu keychain

eBay listing

Shown to me by @aquabuggy!! Her blog is awesome. 

 Bug is passionately dedicated to documenting, talking about, and sharing information and footage on various aqua-themed stuff like water games, aqua mice, liquid-filled keychains and paper weights, etc. If you’re interested in stuff like that, check it out!

[d4rksplash]

Hey I apologize if this is weird but do you mean the Y2K Bug keychain specifically or the non-bootleg mold it was based on? If it’s the former then do you remember anything else about it (where it came from, what was in the set, etc.)?

[doverjazzghost]

We have the Y2K bug key chain!

My roommate’s dad got it in the 90s in New Jersey. He worked in tech so I think he thought it was funny.

[d4rksplash]

Sorry for taking One Trillion Years to follow up but OMG that’s so neat!!! One of the known examples of the plush comes from NJ too!

[d4rksplash]

Interest check time! I noticed that a LOT of people seemed to really want the Y2K Pikachu plush, but at this point, finding even one would be a miracle, so I wanted to provide another option. I was thinking of having a new version produced in bulk (bootleg of a bootleg let’s go!!!) and selling them for just enough to cover manufacturing costs. I don’t know how many I should go with, or really anything at all about buying custom plush in bulk, so I wanted to gauge interest and seek guidance!

[d4rksplash]

Just put in a request with Makeship; probably won’t get approved but worth a shot! If anyone has other suggestions for bulk plushie distributors please let me know.

[d4rksplash]

You ever just see a plush, go "hmmm that's cool :)" and then immediately get sucked into an absolutely wild mystery

Anyway if you have any information regarding the Y2K bug Pikachu bootleg, please reach out! So far I've connected it to some very similar keychains, a few bootleg Furby brands and quite possibly a different variety of knockoff Pikachu; I'd like to find out how much deeper the rabbit hole goes :) (Shout-out to HibbySloth on Bluesky and Longjumping-Fox5521 on Reddit, who showed me their plushies and gave me some insight)

[d4rksplash]

Alright people, you heard it here first! Run, don't walk to UK Vinted! Here's hoping at least one of us can score the fella >:)

[bootlegpals]

[bootlegpals]

For people saying this is Peepy, the knockoff Furbys like this which I posted are older.

Here's a screenshot of a Wayback Machine capture from 2015 showing Hoody Pet on someone's website

A sceenshot of a 2017 blog post showing "Groovey"

The same blogger posted an image of similar bootleg Furbys in 2011, as well

Also, Hoody Pet's copyright is from 1999.

[d4rksplash]

OH MY GOD I had no idea Hoody Pet had copyright information!!! For context it was almost certainly manufactured by the same people who made Y2Kachu! Now to find out more about the copyright holders >:)

[d4rksplash]

Interest check time! I noticed that a LOT of people seemed to really want the Y2K Pikachu plush, but at this point, finding even one would be a miracle, so I wanted to provide another option. I was thinking of having a new version produced in bulk (bootleg of a bootleg let’s go!!!) and selling them for just enough to cover manufacturing costs. I don’t know how many I should go with, or really anything at all about buying custom plush in bulk, so I wanted to gauge interest and seek guidance!

[d4rksplash]

You ever just see a plush, go "hmmm that's cool :)" and then immediately get sucked into an absolutely wild mystery

Anyway if you have any information regarding the Y2K bug Pikachu bootleg, please reach out! So far I've connected it to some very similar keychains, a few bootleg Furby brands and quite possibly a different variety of knockoff Pikachu; I'd like to find out how much deeper the rabbit hole goes :) (Shout-out to HibbySloth on Bluesky and Longjumping-Fox5521 on Reddit, who showed me their plushies and gave me some insight)

[bogleech]

From the moment the y2k bug was news, businesses scrambled to merchandise it, and lots of overseas toy factories simply repurposed their assets to make "y2k bugs." Usually they were just actual bugs, a lot of existing insect toys got rereleased with "Y2K" or "2000" printed on them, wacky new colors if they were lucky.

[d4rksplash]

Ohhh that actually makes a lot of sense considering a similar model was released without the Y2K text!

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know if the @ symbol on some of the plushies has any relevance? I haven't seen it associated with the phrase "Y2K Bug" outside of the plushies/associated keychains.

[d4rksplash]

@croaksac That’s actually really neat!!! It must be weird having to explain that; it’d be like if (going off your example) I had to explain the significance of a hashtag in a few years’ time lol. This helps quite a bit, since I was wondering if the @ was a clue about the brand but now I know it’s not an actual lead lol

[d4rksplash]

You ever just see a plush, go "hmmm that's cool :)" and then immediately get sucked into an absolutely wild mystery

Anyway if you have any information regarding the Y2K bug Pikachu bootleg, please reach out! So far I've connected it to some very similar keychains, a few bootleg Furby brands and quite possibly a different variety of knockoff Pikachu; I'd like to find out how much deeper the rabbit hole goes :) (Shout-out to HibbySloth on Bluesky and Longjumping-Fox5521 on Reddit, who showed me their plushies and gave me some insight)

[bogleech]

From the moment the y2k bug was news, businesses scrambled to merchandise it, and lots of overseas toy factories simply repurposed their assets to make "y2k bugs." Usually they were just actual bugs, a lot of existing insect toys got rereleased with "Y2K" or "2000" printed on them, wacky new colors if they were lucky.

[d4rksplash]

Ohhh that actually makes a lot of sense considering a similar model was released without the Y2K text!

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know if the @ symbol on some of the plushies has any relevance? I haven't seen it associated with the phrase "Y2K Bug" outside of the plushies/associated keychains.

[d4rksplash]

How I feel asking people questions when they have the barest connection to the Y2K Bug Pikachu case

[bootlegpals]

A bootleg Y2K bug Pikachu keychain

eBay listing

Shown to me by @aquabuggy!! Her blog is awesome. 

 Bug is passionately dedicated to documenting, talking about, and sharing information and footage on various aqua-themed stuff like water games, aqua mice, liquid-filled keychains and paper weights, etc. If you’re interested in stuff like that, check it out!

[d4rksplash]

Hey I apologize if this is weird but do you mean the Y2K Bug keychain specifically or the non-bootleg mold it was based on? If it’s the former then do you remember anything else about it (where it came from, what was in the set, etc.)?

[should-be-sleeping]

omg are you from MI??? I always wanted to go to gibraltar trade center but never did before it closed.

Originally! I loved that place. I spent so much time at Gibraltar Trade Center as a kid with my grandpa buying many ill-gotten gains. Walking through the threshold was always like entering another world.

[d4rksplash]

I actually just found out about the Gibraltar Trade Center because of a semi-related research project, and it sounds like it was amazing!!! I really wish I’d been able to experience it; my source also said it was awesome. This is a bit of an odd question (and a super long shot), but do you happen to remember a specific booth that sold Pokemon merchandise? It’s my only real lead for a mystery I’m trying to solve.

[d4rksplash]

You ever just see a plush, go "hmmm that's cool :)" and then immediately get sucked into an absolutely wild mystery

Anyway if you have any information regarding the Y2K bug Pikachu bootleg, please reach out! So far I've connected it to some very similar keychains, a few bootleg Furby brands and quite possibly a different variety of knockoff Pikachu; I'd like to find out how much deeper the rabbit hole goes :) (Shout-out to HibbySloth on Bluesky and Longjumping-Fox5521 on Reddit, who showed me their plushies and gave me some insight)

[academicgangster]

@chiefofboatwatsonstittymug

[chiefofboatwatsonstittymug]

The extra info I know is that I got sniped trying to buy one off eBay one time

[d4rksplash]

Awwww man that sucks :( I actually have a buddy who wanted the first but couldn’t nab it! Also do you happen to remember what it looked like and whether you saw it in a lot or as a single? (If it wasn’t the first one)

[chiefofboatwatsonstittymug]

It was indeed the first one, haha. Looks like we both got outbid by the same person. It was a single and it was the blue one, but I've had my eye out for others since (I collect bootleg Pokémon!)

[d4rksplash]

Oh cool!!! I'm also a bootleg collector, though I'm just starting out; my collection is gonna be divided into bootleg Pikachus and mirages of as many of my favorite Pokemon as I can find. These are my guys, Mercutio/Cusho and Winnie the Glue!

[d4rksplash]

You ever just see a plush, go "hmmm that's cool :)" and then immediately get sucked into an absolutely wild mystery

Anyway if you have any information regarding the Y2K bug Pikachu bootleg, please reach out! So far I've connected it to some very similar keychains, a few bootleg Furby brands and quite possibly a different variety of knockoff Pikachu; I'd like to find out how much deeper the rabbit hole goes :) (Shout-out to HibbySloth on Bluesky and Longjumping-Fox5521 on Reddit, who showed me their plushies and gave me some insight)

[academicgangster]

@chiefofboatwatsonstittymug

[chiefofboatwatsonstittymug]

The extra info I know is that I got sniped trying to buy one off eBay one time

[d4rksplash]

Awwww man that sucks :( I actually have a buddy who wanted the first but couldn’t nab it! Also do you happen to remember what it looked like and whether you saw it in a lot or as a single? (If it wasn’t the first one)