A month-by-month guide to TOMY’s 2016 mythical plush schedule
TOMY’s Pokémon 20th Anniversary Collection marked twenty years since the original Japanese games. TOMY used a rolling release format for its Mythical plush programme, revealing one character at a time instead of presenting the whole line in a single Australian launch. That distinction matters when comparing surviving Japanese cartons with the way the range was later sold overseas.
The months below refer to Japanese retail availability. They do not indicate when stock reached Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or an Australian post office box. Japan was only one or two hours behind eastern Australia during the relevant daylight-saving periods, so forwarding and transit time caused much larger delays.
The documented standard run contains eleven characters, from Mew to Magearna. Collectors may call a group holding every release a complete set, but assembling all eleven monthly issues is different from proving that TOMY packed them into one factory-sealed carton. Original packaging, inserts and dated purchase records are the strongest tools for telling those ideas apart.
Reading the monthly release map
TOMY’s sequence ran from January through November, with no twelfth Mythical character added in December. The order followed the Japanese promotional category used for this range rather than rarity or battle strength. Manaphy and Phione occupied separate months, so the standard set requires two distinct cartons even though the characters are evolutionally linked.
The practical monthly map is:
| Month in Japan | Character | Collecting detail |
|---|---|---|
| January | Mew | Opening release |
| February | Celebi | Time-travel Mythical |
| March | Jirachi | Wishing Mythical |
| April | Manaphy | First half of linked pair |
| May | Phione | Second half of linked pair |
| June | Victini | Sixth standard character |
| July | Meloetta | Music-and-dance Mythical |
| August | Diancie | Gem-generating Mythical |
| September | Hoopa | Mischief-related Mythical |
| October | Volcanion | Tenth standard character |
| November | Magearna | Eleventh and final character |
| December | No new character | Standard run ends; carry-over remains |
A commonly cited Japanese list price was ¥1,944 including tax, although it does not predict an Australian resale price once currency conversion, postage, marketplace mark-up and GST are added. Collectors can compare physical details with the later packaging retrospective, which traces the anniversary graphics and surviving box variations.
January to March: opening characters
January’s Mew release gave the programme an instantly recognisable starting character. February moved to Celebi, whose leafy, flowing design contrasts with Mew’s smooth body, while March brought the small, wish-associated Jirachi. Collectors assessing early cartons should compare character artwork, tags and any included paperwork with known original examples.
Mixed lots sold years later often group these three figures together. That visual grouping does not prove a single January-to-March pack, because each character had its own monthly issue. Australian sellers may also describe old stock as a “2016 set”; the seller’s location and copyright-era photographs usually say more than that phrase.
April to June: spring characters
April’s Manaphy and May’s Phione continue the catalogue sequence and explain why some listings advertise the pair as a bonus. A complete monthly run still treats them as two releases, not one combined issue. The distinction can matter to collectors who want one example of every scheduled character rather than every character represented.
June’s Victini was the sixth standard character and the final issue in the first half of the year. Its vivid design and victory theme made it prominent in catalogue photographs, yet release order alone should not be used to infer rarity. Condition, carton completeness and confirmed Japanese origin carry more weight when comparing Australian sales.
July to September: summer characters
July’s Meloetta, August’s Diancie and September’s Hoopa continued the one-character cadence through the middle of the year. Alternate artwork or a different colour treatment seen on a marketplace listing should not automatically be accepted as another official monthly version. The scheduled character carton and its production markings provide the safer basis for identification.
Retailer-led Pikachu promotions and Clip ’n’ Carry Poké Ball stock ran alongside the plush calendar. Some companion items were tied to participating Japanese retailers, but that exclusivity did not automatically extend to every Mythical carton. Keeping inserts, receipts or retailer packaging can separate a genuine channel-specific bundle from a later mixed lot.
October to December: closing the sequence
October brought Volcanion, November brought Magearna, and December brought no additional standard Mythical design. Buyers could still encounter carry-over cartons then, so a December transaction date does not by itself make the contents a December release. The absence of a twelfth entry is a defining feature of the eleven-character run.
Collectors assessing an advertised full set can use the site’s mythical box-set claim to distinguish an assembled run from a claimed factory carton. The relevant evidence is the individual monthly box, insert and purchase history. A photograph showing all eleven plush toys loose together demonstrates ownership, not necessarily official single-box packaging.
Packaging, variants and set evidence
Original pieces were designed as shelf-facing character boxes, so small layout details can be as important as the Pokémon itself. Check logo placement, colour bands, the shape of any window and the positioning of printed details rather than accepting a modern replacement sleeve.
Collectors should retain the outer carton, character insert, tags and any inner bag, keeping unrelated storage materials away from clean cardboard. Japanese printing is evidence of market origin, but it can be copied. Photos of every side, close-ups of labels and a record of box condition make a listing easier to assess than a single bright display image.
Genuine TOMY items carried official Pokémon and Nintendo licensing information alongside Japanese safety text. Those marks help separate licensed anniversary goods from unofficial look-alikes, although they do not prove that every seller has described the contents correctly. Compare the moulded toy, printed carton and licensing panel as a set rather than relying on one sticker.
Collecting safely in the Australian market
Australian buyers usually encounter this range through Japanese import sellers, collectibles websites and overseas marketplaces rather than a domestic official Pokémon Centre. Sydney and Melbourne have Japanese-focused retail networks and active collector communities, while sellers elsewhere can offer the same imports nationally. Australian prices commonly rise quickly after a desirable character sells out.
- Request timestamped photos of the front, back, both sides and base before paying.
- Match the named character and month against the original Japanese run.
- Look for intact corners, original seals, inserts and clear licensing panels.
- Ask whether the seller is photographing one item or a composite image.
- Request combined shipping before ordering separate monthly issues.
Customs treatment can change the sticker price. Low-value imports may have GST collected at checkout, while goods entering through Australia’s A$1,000 GST threshold can require a declaration and additional charges. Australian dollar totals, tracking and the seller’s return terms matter more than a Japanese catalogue price once the parcel crosses the Pacific.