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The Pokémon Company introduced collectors to the card series Diamond & Pearl expansion in the year 2007, showcasing a Bonsly trading card. On this artwork, Gen IV Rock Pokémon appears by artist Midori Harada in an unusual pose. Here, Bonsly, which evolves into Sudowoodo can be seen fallen and shedding tears. But don't misunderstand, yet. Like its ability Fake Tears suggests, the little creature aims to influence their opponent's emotions in the hopes of reducing their offensive power. Memorable card, isn't it? Electroacoustic harpist Hopkins is a firm believer. She owns an album with 305 Bonsly cards as evidence.

The Full Collection with Key Pieces

That's not the whole collection as well. She obtained 20 reverse foil versions of this particular card, showing the small Pokémon in reflective foil covering everything except the primary illustration. The prized possession, however, is the PSA 6-graded reverse holo Bonsly card. Admittedly, it's far from a top-graded original Charizard card. But do you have an amusing, nearly pristine Bonsly card kept in all its splendor? I thought as much.

Origins of the Collection

She invested a large part of this year accumulating all available Bonsly cards from that year available on the market. She initially learned about the out-of-print card at the start of the year, while talking about the most infamous cards in the compendium with an employee at a local shop. Omanyte in tears was considered, as was the forever alone Cubone at the theme park. But it was Bonsly crying, or card number 17, which captured Hopkins's attention.

The Design and Inspiration

Bonsly draws clear inspiration on bonsai trees, which are often grown in containers with holes at the bottom. These are meant to aid growth, so much so that enthusiasts encourage each other to drill holes in their containers if holes are missing. They can also be positioned on low dishes lacking drainage, referred to as suiban, and the collected moisture can help growers style their trees to mimic outdoor scenes. Bonsly is the former, thus the hole exists.

The Infamous Hole Card

Despite this logical explanation, however, The company looks a bit excessively attentive with Bonsly's hole. Even merchandise such as Bonsly plush toys always incorporate an empty space on the underside of Bonsly. It makes no difference if the illustration of this particular Bonsly is crying or calm: It will display hole. The hole is an intrinsic part of how Bonsly looks. Card number 71 gained meme status within the community because of that drainage hole, and also because of its unique position. Up until last year, the card was the single type featuring Bonsly included in the series in which most Pokémon usually appear in dozens of different ways. For sixteen years, should you desire a card of Bonsly, you were stuck for hole Bonsly.

Emily's Dedication

"When I saw Bonsly in the list of oddball cards, I felt I located my new favorite," Hopkins shares via email, noting that she felt astonished to have missed it until then. She admits freely to inform you her passion for this particular card serves no practical purpose, yet that didn't stop her. The liking became a major fixation, as Hopkins bought each available Bonsly card she could possibly find. She soon developed a practice of stopping by the nearby card store every week, and was dubbed by workers as the Bonsly fan. They started setting aside any recently acquired this specific card it received only for her. The majority of these are priced at one to three dollars, she mentions, approximating her total expenditure is approximately four hundred dollars only on the album itself.

Rising Prices

These days, mint-condition Bonsly #71 cards can cost up to around fifteen dollars. While that's on the higher end, run-of-the-mill copies usually go for $4 and above. The upward trend more or less coincides with when Hopkins started building her set, although there are probably various influences. Although Bonsly #71 is well-known in the community, her online content regarding the card have received a huge audience. With information of its existence expands further to new fans, it's possible that the value of these cards may continue to shoot up. At the very least, investors note that TCG prices are climbing currently in general.

No Signs of Stopping

Hopkins cannot be stopped, though.

"What's incredible remains that some supporters and enthusiasts of the YouTube channel have shipped their own Bonsly cards to me to expand the set, and I am keeping them secure indefinitely," she declares. Rather than recoil in horror, fans are amazed and encouraged by this project.

"I've actually always wanted to try this," one commenter says. "Acquire all of a common card|every copy of a common card