Woman’s $500 Pokémon plush sparks great internet joke

Content creator Skooch wanted to do something nice for his girlfriend Serinide’s birthday, so he and her friends got together to throw her an arcade-themed party. At the end of it, they presented her with a gift: a jumbo-sized, true-to-life Pokémon plushie.

By Skooch’s own standards, the not-so-pocket-sized-monster was completely “over the top,” he told Polygon over Twitter, but it seemed like the perfect offering.

“We thought it’d be hilarious to surprise her with it,” he explained. “She loves Pokémon; and she’s also 4’11” which made it extra funny.”

Now, he says, Serinide sleeps with the electric-type Mareep all the time — which is how we come to the picture above, which has become an internet sensation. Skooch shared a photo of his girlfriend’s adoration for the life-sized doll with the caption, “Ah yes. Me. My girlfriend. And her 500 dollar four foot tall mareep” on Twitter, and the post took off. As of this writing, the upload has a whopping 88,000 retweets. It’s easy to see why.

The image is suggestive — we’ve got a bleary-eyed man looking into the distance, seemingly at the end of his insomniac rope. And then we’ve got a woman on the side, back turned to the camera, in her own wonderful Pokémon world.

“I wake up multiple times in the night and check my phone or just stare at the ceiling,” Skooch said. “It was like 6 a.m. and I woke up with almost no room on the bed and saw her holding the giant Mareep and thought ‘ah yes. That.’”

The whole thing has ignited a bevy of fan art, with onlookers depicting their own favorite characters in similar situations. The results are hilarious, because they succinctly capture the dynamics at the heart of some of our favorite stories. Alternatively, the meme provides a great way to roast beloved games. Above all, though, the situation is extremely relatable.

It may seem surprising that anyone can fall asleep with such an enormous thing draped over their arm, but apparently it’s not as bad as it looks.

“It’s made out of fleece so it actually insanely comfy!” Skooch said. Plus, he hopes that the image helps make a difference.

“Let’s normalize inconveniently large stuffed animals,” he joked.

Switch Lite

• $200

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Nintendo Switch consoles are often sold out, but you can still pick up the handheld-only Switch Lite, which is perfect for portable gaming.

• $200 at Best Buy

Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.