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Domino’s serves up Pokémon Halloween pizza for a limited time

Oona McGee Oct 29, 2022
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Plus a free set of special Pokémon cards with every order.

With Pokémon being a Japanese-born franchise, you’d think the best tie-up merchandise and collaborations would be found here in Japan. However, in recent years, the appetite for all things Pokémon has grown rapidly over in South Korea, and fans over there are now enjoying exclusives that have fans in Japan green with envy.

The latest exclusive we all want to get our hands on comes from Domino’s South Korea, in the form of Pokémon Pizza. Available for a limited time, from 14-31 October, the new pizza is a special edition for Halloween, so it’s all dressed up to look like…

▼ …a Poké Ball!!!!!!!!!!!

How cool is that? Luckily for us, our reporter Soon Pyon’s is over in South Korea, so although we may not be able to get a taste of the pizza over here, we’re able to taste it vicariously through him, as he picked one up from his nearest branch for 19,900 won (US$13.96).

▼ The pizza is sold in a large size only, or as a set with a bottle of cola and a side for 32,000 won.

As soon as Soon Pyon’s lifted the lid on the box, he couldn’t help but grin as the pizza inside looked remarkably similar to a Poké Ball.

▼ A Poké Ball, for reference, drawn by our reporter.

Sure, there were parts where the cheese had melted over the boundary lines of the ball’s two hemispheres, but the Poké Ball design was instantly recognisable.

▼ The red part of the ball is made with tomato sauce and pepperoni slices.

▼ The white part contains plenty of ricotta cheese.

While olives could’ve been an option for the black outlines across the centre, bulgogi was used instead. This was actually a clever idea, as this made everything on the pizza suitable for a wide variety of tastes, including those of children, who would likely be clapping their hands with glee at the sight of this edible Poké Ball.

Soon Pyon’s was tempted to clap like a happy child himself, but he restrained those inner urges, instead tearing off slices from different parts of the pizza to try. He was a bit worried that the minimal use of ingredients might make this too plain for his taste buds, but as soon as he tried the pizza, his fears faded away — every bite was moreish and flavourful, and an absolute treat for his taste buds.

As he reached for his fourth slice, Soon Pyon’s suddenly remembered that every Pokémon Pizza was meant to come with a special set of free Pokémon cards. However, looking around at what he’d received, Soon Pyon’s realised he was never given the cards.

The free cards weren’t official Pokémon trading cards, but special ones made for the tie-up collaboration with Domino’s. Still, Soon Pyon’s wanted them all the same, so despite his embarrassment at being a grown adult asking for cards that were probably intended for children, he went back out to the store to find out what had happened to them.

This is how the conversation went:

Clerk: “Welcome! Orders will currently take about 20 minutes, is that okay?”

Soon Pyon’s: “Ah, I didn’t come here to order another pizza…I didn’t receive the Pokémon cards with the Pokémon pizza I just ordered…I’d like to get them…”

Clerk: “Oh, did we forget to include them? I’d like to check when your order was placed, so could you tell me your phone number?”

Soon Pyon’s: “Yes, it’s XXX-XXXX-XXXX.”

Clerk: “Yes, I’ve been able to confirm your order. We’re terribly sorry. Here you are!”

Soon Pyon’s: “Oh, thank you very much! My child was annoyed that he didn’t get the cards…hahaha…”

In case you’re wondering, no Soon Pyon’s doesn’t have a child — he doesn’t even have a girlfriend. In the heat of the moment, our reporter suddenly felt foolish squabbling over Pokémon cards and the lie just ended up coming out. Well, it wasn’t totally a lie, though, when you think about it, as the child inside Soon Pyon’s was screaming for his Pokémon cards.

▼ As soon as he got home to take a closer look at his freebies, the trip back to the store had definitely been worth it, because look at this cute packaging!

Inside was a beautiful set of cards, featuring five different Pokémon, with their Korean names.

▼ Clockwise from top left: Bulbasaur (Isanghessi in Korean); Chandelure (Chandela); Mimikyu (Ttarakyu); Cyndaquil (Beukein); Eevee

The quality was surprisingly good, and the spooky Halloween feel on each card was a nice touch. If Soon Pyon’s were a child who’d received these cards after eating a Pokémon Pizza, he’d probably be too excited to sleep!

However, despite being childlike in so many ways, Soon Pyon’s is an adult with an adult’s metabolism and all that pizza had now made him sleepy so he was already beginning to nod off. It was a fun and flavourful meal that was well worth any cheese-induced dreams, and he might just sneak in another pizza before the promotion ends on 31 October.

Reference: Domino’s Pizza Korea
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[ Read in Japanese ]