At about 5.50pm last Monday evening outside Jurong Point, many people had been standing nearby and tapping their phones furiously – because a raid battle against the legendary Pokemon Giratina had been taking place at the nearby MRT station, on the popular Pokemon Go augmented reality smartphone game.

As well, within the game, a couple of Lures were also placed at the nearby PokeStops, in the hope of attracting some desirable Pokemon to the area.

In terms of Pokemon Go, it had looked just like another Monday evening after work at a bustling heartland shopping mall area.

Or so we had thought, at that point in time.

Pikachu and Eevee appear

But about ten minutes later, everything had changed. Something special was apparently about to happen. 

Even though the raid battle was still taking place at the MRT Station, all eyes had suddenly shifted away from Pokemon Go… and was instead turned towards the Pokemon mascots that were slowly sashaying towards all of us.

And camera phones were immediately whipped out, as everyone had apparently wanted a shot of the six Pikachus and Eevees walking along, swaying as they moved along.

Dance Parade featuring six Pikachus and Eevees

This formed the beginning of the Pikachu and Eevee Dance Parade, where the small group of Pikachu and Eevee mascots had stopped just outside the mall, and then began performing and dancing in time to the upbeat and catchy music.

Children and adults alike were completely enthralled by how adorable the characters were, bonded by their shared love for the Pokemon franchise.

I had been invited to the festivities at Jurong Point last Monday too.

And seeing the performance of the Pikachus and Eevees with my own two eyes, I had thought that they were really cute and as a result, I simply could not take my eyes off the six Pokemon mascots in front of me.

A Part of the Pokemon Themed Festivities 

This Dance Parade at Jurong Point last Monday had marked the first time that the Eevee Mascot had been appearing in public and performing in Singapore, and is part of the Pokemon themed festivities that await shoppers at Jurong Point this Christmas season, from 16 November all the way till 26 December.

At not only Jurong Point, but also at Ang Mo Kio Hub and Thompson Plaza, all of which are owned by M Malls – the retail mall portfolio of Mercatus Co-Operative Limited – shoppers can look forward to a host of Pokemon themed fun-filled activities and performances spread out throughout the next couple of months, thus bringing the all-time favourite Japanese game and cartoon series to fans of the franchise.

Said Joanne Lim, Head, Portfolio Marcom of Mercatus Co-Operative Limited, “We are excited and eagerly looking forward to Christmas as we welcome the well-loved Pokemon at M Malls. Shoppers can look forward to be transported into the world of Pokemon and have fun with their friends from the augmented world.”

The festivities also extend to the decor at Jurong Point, which will feature Singapore’s first life-sized Pokemon decorations, turning the mall into a Pokemon wonderland. 

Unfortunately the bulk of the decorations were still under construction during my visit to the mall, but I did get to see a few of the hanging decorations on display, though.

On a smaller scale, Ang Mo Kio Hub and Thompson Plaza will be decked out in Pokemon themed Christmas festivities, too.

Getting close and personal to Pikachu and Eevee

Following the Dance Parade, members of the media were then escorted to the Golden Village cinema within Jurong Point, where we got to get up close and personal to Pikachu and Eevee, in a meet-and-greet session. 

And of course, I could not miss out on opportunity to snuggle up to two of my favourite Pokemon characters, since I was already there, anyway.

During the photo taking sessions, I did notice that Eevee had seemed more huggable than Pikachu, snuggling up and moving closer towards me for the photo. I had thought it had been really cute.

Members of the public who were present were also invited to take photos for the next half hour, before the mascots then made their departure, to the dismay of everyone present.

But all is not lost – for those who missed out on the Meet and Greet session last Monday will have more opportunities to meet Pikachu and take photos with the cute electric mouse over the next couple of months.

Premiere of “Pokemon The Movie: The Power Of Us”

Our media session then ended with an invite to catch the Singapore premiere of the latest Pokemon movie, entitled “Pokemon The Movie: The Power Of Us.”

Set in Fura City during the Wind Festival, the latest full length Pokemon movie is a part of a new parallel continuity from the TV series and follows the events of the earlier movie, “Pokemon The Movie: I Choose You” that had hit silver screens last year.

And I must say that I had rather enjoyed the movie – which did a good job in bringing together disparate people and various Pokemon, and that it had been a great way to end my Pokemon-themed evening at the Jurong Point.

Gain entry to the Pokemon Carnival 

But fret not, if you cannot get enough of the Pokemon franchise after watching the movie; by spending just S$20 at NTUC FairPrice, FairPrice XTRA or FairPrice Finest, you can redeem a game pass entry into the Pokemon carnival at Ang Mo Kio Hub, Thompson Plaza or Jurong Point.

Moreover, the Ang Mo Kio Hub will also feature the traveling Uncle Ringo funfair, thus taking your Pokemon adventure up a notch. 

So this means that together with your loyal Pokemon pal by your side, you can enjoy yourself riding spinning teacups or scaring yourself silly with the swashbuckling pirate ship ride. 

Simply purchase a ticket for S$5 to begin your Uncle Ringo carnival adventure.

And as well, Nintendo’s latest role-playing games – Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee will be available at all the three malls at the respective Pokemon Carnivals there, in order for shoppers to try their hand at, too.

Pokemon Themed Activities Taking Place

So then, what are you waiting for? Begin your journey as a Pokemon trainer now… at M Malls’ Jurong Point, Ang Mo Kio Hub and Thompson Plaza. 

Gotta catch ‘em all… right?

So then… to start you on your adventure, here is a full listing of the full Pokemon themed activities and promotions that will be taking place this Christmas at Jurong Point, Ang Mo Kio Hub and Thompson Plaza, respectively.