Pikachu Parade Takes Place In China, But It’s Not What You Think

These electric mice might need a little help with bulking up.

Just this week, a Pikachu Parade seemingly popped up inside a China-based mall without warning. While it may have been a treat for some locals, avid Pokemon fans will notice something…amiss.

Take a look at some footage for yourself below.

If your first thought was that these Chinese Pikachu look really scrawny and artificial, you would be completely right! Apparently, someone has been organizing bootleg Pikachu Parades in China – along with using shoddy knock-off costumes.

For comparison’s sake, here’s what the actual Pikachu Parade looked like earlier this year, in Yokohama.

As you can see, the knock-off costumes just don’t have the same fluffiness as the Yokohama ones. Additionally, the imitations have bizarrely long legs, compared to the adorable and stout limbs of the real deal.

One wonders if Nintendo and The Pokemon Company will take any action against the bootleg event, or if they’ll find China too troublesome to bother with. In any case, Chinese Pokemon fans may want to stay alert for these bizarre off-brand Pikachu – should they ever turn up again.