Polaroid Pokémon Cameras Let You Catch ’Em All in Your Camera Bag

Forget choosing a starter Pokémon. Polaroid has given you another important decision: which Pokémon do you want to carry around in your camera bag? 

Its new Polaroid x Pokémon collection is now available, turning the Now Gen 3 into a Poké Ball and giving the smaller Go Gen 3 the Pikachu and Sylveon treatment.

The limited edition collection arrives as Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary and includes nine products across Polaroid’s Now Gen 3 and Go Gen 3 cameras, special edition film and accessories. It is Polaroid’s biggest Pokémon collaboration to date.

Pick your Pokémon camera

The most obvious centerpiece is the Polaroid Now Camera Generation 3 in a Poké Ball inspired design. It costs $139.99 and uses Polaroid’s full size instant film.

For something smaller, the Polaroid Go Generation 3 comes in two Pokémon editions. The Pikachu version and Sylveon version both cost $99.99. The Go uses Polaroid’s smaller instant film format, making it easier to carry than the larger Now.

The cameras themselves are not new platforms. The Pokémon editions use the existing Now Gen 3 and Go Gen 3 cameras, with the collaboration mainly appearing in their exterior designs.

Even the film gets a makeover

Polaroid has also brought the Pokémon treatment to the photographs themselves.

The Color i Type Film Pokémon Edition costs $22.99 and comes with custom Pokémon themed frames and a matching dark slide. There are also Pikachu and Sylveon editions of Polaroid Go Color Film, each sold as a double pack for $24.99.

That gives the collaboration some appeal beyond people who simply want a themed camera. Anyone who already owns a compatible Polaroid can use the special edition film and get Pokémon themed prints without buying another camera.

The collection also includes a Pokémon edition Go camera case and photo album, both priced at $24.99, along with a Pokémon camera strap for $14.99.

This is where the instant camera makes sense

There is something particularly suited to a Pokémon collaboration about instant photography. The camera produces a physical photograph that can be kept, displayed or put into an album, so the collectible aspect does not stop with the camera itself.

That also fits the broader appeal of instant cameras. The technology may be decades old, but part of the fun is still the physical process of taking a picture and waiting for it to develop.

The Polaroid x Pokémon collection was released globally on October 5 in limited quantities through Polaroid, with availability varying by market.

Now comes the difficult part: choosing between Pikachu, Sylveon and the Poké Ball without somehow convincing yourself that you need all three.

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