Pokémon's million-dollar bike giveaway

Do you remember the bike from Pokémon Red and Blue that cost one million dollars of hard Pokémon currency to unlock? The one that actually required a voucher to be redeemed if you really, really wanted to have it in-game? If not, here’s something that should jog your memory.

Who can forget, right? Well, just recently Pokémon announced that they are giving away a real-life version of the same bike to one lucky someone who is willing to carry out a small, special task. By the time this post goes live, the contest will have been closed, but I figured this was a good story to tell anyway, especially since the bike itself is not built to be ridden. Yep, you read that right.

I’ll give you all the details along with the when, where, why, and how in what follows. 

That’s what the bike looks like in real life. As you can see, it’s pretty much an exact replica of the one from the game, with one big difference: It can’t be ridden. The bike itself is intended to be more of a decorative piece than a functioning bicycle. So, whoever is lucky enough to score this bike won’t be peddling anywhere any time soon. 

By now you’re probably asking what prompted Pokémon to give away this bike now. I asked the same question and the answer was rather fitting given the subject matter. And it did not have anything to do with the 25th Anniversary, although I’m sure that played a part. Pokémon wanted to do something special to celebrate their Information Bureau account gaining one million followers on Twitter (@poke_times). Do the math: one million followers = the million-dollar bike being up for grabs. Like I said, it was fitting.

Now, just because it was known as the million-dollar bike in the game, doesn’t mean it’s worth a million dollars in real life. In fact, anyone who participated didn’t have to spend a penny. However, let’s just say that the bike is still a pain to obtain. Call it a one-in-a-million bike instead. So, how does this give away work?

As I mentioned earlier, there was a small task that had to be carried out in order to have a shot at winning the bike. The task itself was pretty easy and only required a few clicks of the mouse to complete. All one would have to do is simply follow the Pokémon Information Bureau Twitter account (@poke_times) and tweet out a message with the following hashtags: #ポケモンの100万円じてんしゃ. Translation: #Pokémon's 1 million yen bicycle.

I also said that by the time you read this the contest will be closed. August 3rd was the last day for anyone to follow and send out that tweet. Right now, we’re patiently awaiting the results, which will be announced in the next week or so. At that time, the winner will be chosen randomly, and that person will be given the bike as fast as it can be shipped in Japan. Yes, that was another detail that I had to throw in. Pokémon will only ship the bike to a Japanese address.

This is a one-of-a-kind collector’s item that no one will have. Can you imagine what this rare piece will be worth 25 years from now? Even though it can’t actually be ridden, this bike is a treasure that will only appreciate over time. 

Did you participate in the giveaway? If so, let me know when you did it and where you plan to put the bike if your name is chosen. If it were me, I would make sure it was stored in a place that would keep it looking just as new as the day I got it, so that takes my house out of the equation. Maybe our grandparents had a point about putting clear plastic over furniture because I think that would be an option for me. What about you? Let me know in the comments below.

Also, we added some new gear to our Pokémon collection, so don’t forget to check that out before you bounce.

Until we meet again,

Vince The Prince