LectricLich And The Case Of The Poison Poke'

Last week you might remember me gushing about the supposedly newly-released Pokemon Trading Figures game, even going so far as promising a review—a gesture that was totally not just a way to legitimize my current bout of poke'-fever. Twice I dared Toys-R-Us this past week (totally not once on Saturday to nab a manaphy) as well as a number of other game stores and not-so-game stores since I figured the buggers would be everywhere, all to no avail. Raising the question: Where are all the pokies?

While I expected Toys-R-Us to be none too concerned with minor details like release dates (the resident pokemon expert I was pointed to had never even heard of the game), my frustrations finally led me to interrogate a employee at a local Mom-and-Pop game store, which revealed what sounded like a probable answer. Hear tell that, in light of some recent concerns about lead paint in children’s toys (is lead really that delicious?), the good folks at the Pokemon company decided to hold back their next new cash cow, supposedly to verify that the figures aren’t more poisonous than a level 100 arbok's gunk shot (yeah, I went there). But fear not poke'-pals, I've been assured that this delay is only brief and that Pokemon Trading Figures will be on shelves by mid September. Even then, though, I might think twice about lavishing my new piplup with kisses like I'd planned.