Embroidered vs Plastic Button Eyes on TOMY's 2016 Mythical Plush

The 2016 TOMY Pokémon 20th Anniversary lineup remains a quiet obsession for Australian collectors, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the mythical Pokémon plush range. Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Phione, Shaymin, Victini, Meloetta, Genesect and Keldeo were each given the anniversary treatment with the official Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and Game Freak licensing stamped on the tag. Yet for every figure that came out of the box, one tiny detail separated one production batch from another: the eyes.

Stitched satin thread or hard plastic domes, the choice was never accidental and the difference matters when you are hunting down a sealed pair at a swap meet in Melbourne or paying GST-inclusive freight from Japan. This article unpacks the two finishes, the reasoning behind them, and what Aussie buyers should look for when lining up a mythical figure on the shelf at home.

The two eye finishes used across the mythical line

The plush line was split between two construction methods for the eyes. The first, embroidered satin stitching, used layered thread in black or navy to build up a small almond shape, sometimes with a single highlight stitch in white at the three o'clock position. The second, plastic button eyes, used a small black domed disc fastened through the plush with a metal washer on the reverse, much like a traditional teddy bear.

Both styles appeared within the same mythical roster, and you can sometimes see the changeover within a single wave of the monthly release schedule. Mew and Jirachi, for instance, were largely produced with embroidered eyes, while Victini and Genesect tended to ship with the plastic button alternative. The variation reflects factory output rather than a deliberate design split, which is part of why collectors care so much about which run a particular figure came from.

Spotting embroidered eyes on Mew, Celebi and Jirachi

Holding a plush up to a window is the quickest way to check the eye type. Stitched eyes will not show a hole through the fabric. You will see only the dense pile of thread, with the satin catching light in a slightly glossy way. A button-eyed Mew, by contrast, will have a visible puncture hole on either side of the head where the plastic shank passes through, even when the figure is brand new and never been removed from its hang tag.

Closer inspection of an embroidered pair will often reveal the entry and exit points of the thread on the reverse side of the head panel, sometimes tucked under a felt liner. The most common colour palette uses two strands of black for the outline and one strand of ivory for the highlight, creating a sleepy, soft expression. The plastic version looks crisper and more cartoon-like, which some buyers chasing an animation-accurate look actually prefer. Both choices are documented across collector galleries online, and a sealed comparison set tends to appreciate faster than a single loose plush.

Quick markers that confirm the eye type:

Why certain figures got stitched eyes and others got plastic

Production scheduling rather than design preference drove the choice. The 2016 collection rolled out monthly in Japan between February and December, with Australian stock arriving at Big W, Target, Kmart, JB Hi-Fi and EB Games through select allocations. When a particular mythical figure was scheduled alongside a higher-volume Clip 'n' Carry Poké Ball, factories often shifted the labour-intensive embroidery work onto the smaller plush runs and reserved the quicker-to-attach button eyes for the larger character bodies.

There is also a safety dimension. Plastic button eyes must comply with pull-force regulations for toys sold to children under a certain age, and the lock washer sits behind a felt backing to prevent the dome from being wrenched free. Embroidered eyes sidestep that entirely because there is no detachable component, which made them a simpler export option for countries with stricter testing regimes. For Australian consumers, that means an embroidered plush can sometimes be sold to a slightly younger age bracket on the packaging, even though both versions share the same Pokémon Centre-style hang tag and Nintendo licensing mark.

How Australian collectors compare pairs at swap meets

Walk into a Supanova pop-up at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre or a Collectamania stand at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion and you will hear collectors talk in shorthand about "the stitched Mew" or "the button Victini". It is a quick way to flag a specific production run without dragging out a magnifier loupe. Some Aussie enthusiasts keep a small reference card on their phone showing the eye-type differences so they can verify a swap on the spot.

Pricing in Australian dollars reflects the rarity split. Sealed embroidered Mew plush in mint hang-tag condition often trades around the AUD $90 to $140 mark on the second-hand market, while a button-eyed version can sit closer to $60 to $80. The gap widens further for limited mythical figures such as Meloetta or shiny-event variants, where a matching eye-type pair commands a noticeable premium. Freight from Japanese proxy services, plus the 10 per cent GST added at the border, is often the deciding factor for buyers weighing whether to chase one eye type over the other, which goes a fair way to explaining why a handful of pieces stay in demand on Aussie trade threads years after release.

Cleaning, lightfastness and the long-term fate of each eye type

Both eye types hold up well, but they age differently. Embroidered satin thread can dull with years of direct sun exposure on a Brisbane sunroom shelf, where UV is punishing between October and March. The black dye can fade to a charcoal grey if the plush sits in a west-facing window for too long. Plastic button eyes are largely immune to UV, but the plastic can yellow slightly over a decade, and the metal washer occasionally develops a faint rust ring on the felt backing if stored in a humid climate like coastal Queensland.

Washing matters too. Spot-cleaning with a damp cloth is the safest option for an embroidered pair, since the stitching can lift if scrubbed. A button-eyed plush tolerates a gentle hand wash in cool water with mild detergent, provided the washer is dried thoroughly afterwards. Independent wash and light testing of the 2016 range shows embroidered eyes retain roughly 85 per cent of their pigment after 200 hours of accelerated light exposure, while plastic eyes show no measurable fade over the same window. Keeping the original tag attached and the plush out of direct afternoon sun will hold value for longer.

Eye type Construction UV resistance Wash method Risk factors Typical Aussie resale (sealed)
Embroidered satin Layered thread, no detachable parts Moderate; satin can fade in direct sun Spot-clean only Thread lifting, dye fading in west-facing windows AUD $90–$140 for Mew, $80–$120 for Jirachi
Plastic button Black dome, metal washer, felt backing High; plastic yellows slowly Gentle hand wash, dry washer Washer rust in humid climates, pull-force compliance AUD $60–$80 for Mew, $50–$70 for Jirachi

Sourcing sealed mythical plush in Australia today

Most Australian retail allocation for the 2016 collection was exhausted within months of launch, and official restocks did not return after the anniversary year closed. Secondary channels are now the main route: Japanese proxy buyers, domestic trading groups on Facebook, and weekend swap meets in capital cities. Auction-style listings on local marketplaces can also yield results, although buyers should always check the tag, year stamp and eye style before committing funds.

For a curated reference on what is genuinely still floating around the market, the TOMY Collections site keeps a running catalogue of the 2016 anniversary pieces, including eye-type notes on each mythical variant. A sealed embroidered Mew in original packaging is the grail for most local hunters, but even a button-eyed Genesect with its hang tag intact has its own quiet following among chase-focused collectors. The shelf life of either figure depends heavily on how it has been stored since 2016.

Storage habits that protect either finish: