Whiscash Pokémon Kids Sofubi Figure by Bandai: A Guide for Collectors
What This Figure Is
This is an official Pokémon Kids sofubi figure of Whiscash, produced by Bandai under license from Nintendo. “Sofubi” — short for soft vinyl — is a pliable plastic material that has been a cornerstone of Japanese toy manufacturing since the 1950s and 1960s, used across generations of kaiju, superhero, and anime character figures. The Pokémon Kids line applied this format to pocket-sized Pokémon figures, typically standing around 3–5 cm tall, each molded in faithful detail from the character’s official game and anime design.
These figures were sold as shokugan — a distinctly Japanese category of toy that translates roughly as “food toy,” meaning the figures were packaged alongside candy or gum. Multiple characters were available per release wave, which naturally encouraged collecting whole sets. The ©Nintendo mark stamped into the figure confirms it as an officially licensed product. Bandai launched the Pokémon Kids series around 1997–1998, updating the lineup with each new generation of Pokémon games, and the line ran for many years as one of the most recognizable formats in Japanese Pokémon merchandise.
The Character: Whiscash and the Third Generation
Whiscash is Pokémon No. 340 in the National Pokédex, a Water/Ground-type introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, released in Japan in November 2002. It evolves from Barboach (No. 339) and is designed around the catfish — a large freshwater fish with prominent whiskers. The Japanese name, Namazun, comes directly from namazu, the Japanese word for catfish. The English name Whiscash is generally understood to blend “whiskers” and “catfish,” though the exact origin hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Beyond the design, Whiscash carries a layer of Japanese cultural resonance. In its in-game lore, Whiscash thrashes violently before earthquakes — a direct nod to the old Japanese folk belief that giant catfish living underground cause seismic activity. That connection between the character and traditional mythology gives it a depth that goes beyond its gameplay role. In the Pokémon anime, Whiscash appeared in several episodes set in the Hoenn region during the Advanced Generation series, where it featured prominently enough to leave an impression on viewers who followed that era of the show.
Because Whiscash is a Generation III Pokémon, this figure was manufactured no earlier than late 2002. The precise release wave is not identifiable from the listing alone, but it falls within the period roughly spanning 2002 to the mid-2000s when Bandai was actively producing Pokémon Kids figures for the Hoenn generation lineup.
Why Collectors Seek Out Items Like This
The Pokémon Kids line was distributed almost exclusively within Japan, with no significant official export to overseas markets. For international fans, pieces like this are accessible only through direct import. The Generation III Pokémon have seen renewed interest among fans — partly through nostalgia, and partly following the 2014 release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which brought the Hoenn region back into focus for a new audience.
Whiscash is not among the most widely recognized Pokémon, but that is precisely the appeal for collectors who pursue deep-cut characters from specific generations or regions. The sofubi format itself is also appreciated for how accurately it captures a character’s proportions and coloring — the dark navy body, the golden lightning bolt marking on the head, the yellow lateral stripe, the heart-shaped tail, and the spotted dorsal fin all match Whiscash’s official design. For fans of the shokugan tradition or the broader history of Japanese character merchandise, this kind of figure represents a specific, document-able moment in that lineage.
Price: $20.49 | View on eBay
