I've finally received the Pocket Pikachu I ordered online! ☺️

I must admit I nearly forgot it existed until @JohtoTimes posted some photos of it on our Discord.

It looks really cute and, most importantly, it functions!

It's all in Japanese, so I'll need to watch some tutorials on how to use it properly 😆

Edited July 19, 2025Jul 19 by dragoniteo

Wow! That's awesome! It's kinda fun to wear as a pedometer and have some extra motivation for exercising or just stretching your legs if you work from home.

Editing from my phone to add picture of my childhood device that I found at my dad's house last year. Prob needs some light cleaning and I should try to put new batteries in and see if it still works 👀

Edited July 16, 2025Jul 16 by pokejungle

3 hours ago, pokejungle said:

I should try to put new batteries in and see if it still works 👀

Yes, please do! 🩷

On 7/13/2025 at 2:58 PM, dragoniteo said:

I've finally received the Pocket Pikachu I ordered online! ☺️

I must admit I nearly forgot it existed until @JohtoTimes posted some photos of it on our Discord.

It looks really cute and, most importantly, it functions!

It's all in Japanese, so I'll need to watch some tutorials on how to use it properly 😆

Oh wow! I am super hyped for you @dragoniteo that's awesome! I wish you the best of luck on your journey to reaching a million steps!

5 hours ago, pokejungle said:

Wow! That's awesome! It's kinda fun to wear as a pedometer and have some extra motivation for exercising or just stretching your legs if you work from home.

Editing from my phone to add picture of my childhood device that I found at my dad's house last year. Prob needs some light cleaning and I should try to put new batteries in and see if it still works 👀

I have a good feeling it will work! The screen doesn't appear to have had any leakage, and it looks like you kept it in good shape. Is there a battery already inside? If you want to clean inside PLEASE be careful because there's a thin hairline wire that moves the mechanism inside, and it can spring out and be easily lost. The speaker is also attached to the front so you can't open it up completely without disconnecting the wire, and that'll require some soldering (which I don't have time for)

I think it'll just be as simple as inserting a CR2032 battery, let me know if it works!

2 minutes ago, JohtoTimes said:

The screen doesn't appear to have had any leakage, and it looks like you kept it in good shape. Is there a battery already inside? If you want to clean inside PLEASE be careful because there's a thin hairline wire that moves the mechanism inside, and it can spring out and be easily lost. The speaker is also attached to the front so you can't open it up completely without disconnecting the wire, and that'll require some soldering (which I don't have time for)

I think it'll just be as simple as inserting a CR2032 battery, let me know if it works!

I love this engineering treatise about this little device 😆

Hey Friends. . .guess what???

I have joined the club! Mine is coming in soon. Just ordered. Will report back.

7 hours ago, Zachery said:

Hey Friends. . .guess what???

I have joined the club! Mine is coming in soon. Just ordered. Will report back.

Great! Can't wait to see it! 😍⚡️

So, I have a bit of sad news, my Pocket Pikachu developed a crack in the hinge a few months ago, which has now developed into a full break.

As a temporary solution, I have duct taped the broken hinge in the hope I can carry it through the last 100,000 steps of my challenge. But when I woke up this morning I noticed that the second hinge had a hairline crack in it, and I simply cannot risk taking it out attached to my belt anymore, it's too risky.

My next step is to attach it to some card to keep it upright, and keep it inside my pocket for the rest of the challenge. Someone on Bluesky suggested this, and it feels like the safest option. If it does break, I at least have the assurance that it won't be lost outside somewhere. I am heading out shortly, so I can see how effective this works.

The device is more than 25 years old now. It likely wasn't built to last this long. My hope is that this Pocket Pikachu will see one million steps, and then perhaps I can buy another junk device and swap out the back so it may live on for another adventure somewhere down the line.

I know a few users here have a Pocket Pikachu, so I would ask you to check the hinge from underneath. If you see any black lines, consider that your warning!

Edited August 29, 2025Aug 29 by JohtoTimes

Sorry this happen man! Will be on the lookout for this.

On 8/29/2025 at 12:10 PM, JohtoTimes said:

I know a few users here have a Pocket Pikachu, so I would ask you to check the hinge from underneath. If you see any black lines, consider that your warning!

I'm sorry this happened, and thank you for sharing it! I will definitely pay attention to it 🙁