There was potentially a flutter for excitement for eagle-eyed Pokémon fans earlier today, when a trademark for Pokémon Game Factory was spotted; it was filed by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures Inc. Its purpose was unclear, and those hoping it was another game in the hugely popular franchise would have been disappointed, as it appears to be for a toy range.

On the flipside, it's further evidence of Nintendo and its partners keeping up its merchandising efforts, particularly in Japan. The toys are linked to Pokémon X & Y and — according to this pre-order listing — will arrive in September. There are six rather cool products shown; if you like to look at neat Japanese toys that may or may not make it to the West, we're happy to oblige.

These first two toys seem to work as a sort-of Jack-in-the-box — players need to press buttons in the right order or the characters spring out.

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Pikachu1
Frog2

The next item, below, is a special variation on Othello, for a more laid-back and challenging game.

Board3

Below is a rather cool mini pinball game, which comes with various lights and an LED display, reminding this reader of an equivalent Sonic the Hedgehog pinball machine in the early '90s.

Pinball

This next toy seems to be a timed construction puzzle, in which you race to put together the Poké Ball before Pikachu springs forth.

Pikachu5

Finally, this isn't just a plastic display, but actually a balance game in which you roll the dice and balance a colour coded part as instructed, without making the Poké Ball fall down.

Tree6

Pokémon Game Factory may have sounded like a potential gaming gem, perhaps a form of construction software on Wii U — Mario Maker-style — but the reality is often less exciting. Still, toys are fun, right?

[source item.rakuten.co.jp, via serebii.net]