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The Pokémon Company introduced fans to the card series Diamond and Pearl set back in 2007, showcasing a Bonsly trading card. On this artwork, the fourth generation Rock Pokémon is portrayed by designer the talented Harada in a, shall we say, compromising situation. In the image, Bonsly, which evolves into Sudowoodo can be seen toppled and shedding tears. Don't be fooled, though. As its move Fake Tears suggests, this Pokémon aims to manipulate the other player's mood in the hopes of reducing their offensive power. Unforgettable artwork, right? Electroacoustic harpist Emily Hopkins is a firm believer. She owns a collection book filled with 305 Bonsly illustrations to show for it.

The Entire Assortment and Its Highlights

That's not everything she has also. She obtained a score of holo reverse versions of this particular card, which depicts the small Pokémon in reflective foil all over except the main image. The prized possession, however, turns out to be the PSA 6-rated reverse holo of Bonsly. Sure, it's not a top-graded original Charizard card. However, can you claim a goofy, close to mint Bonsly card maintained in all its splendor? I didn't think so.

Origins of the Collection

Hopkins has spent most of the current year gathering each Bonsly card from 2007 available on the market. She discovered regarding this discontinued card earlier this year, while debating the most infamous cards in the compendium with an employee at a local shop. Omanyte in tears was in the running, along with the lonely Cubone at the theme park. Yet it was Crying Bonsly, also known as card number 17, that caught Emily's focus.

Behind Bonsly's Look

The design of Bonsly is based on bonsai trees, which are typically planted in planters that have drainage holes. These are meant to help the plant grow, to the extent that growers encourage each other to drill holes on the bottom when none are present. Bonsai can also be placed on shallow pots hole-free, known as suiban, where the water stays could aid caretakers style their trees to resemble nature vistas. Bonsly is the former, which explains the hole.

Why Bonsly Stands Out

Despite this logical explanation, though, Pokémon's creators looks a bit a little too concerned about the drainage feature. Even merch such as Bonsly plush toys make sure to include a hollow cavern on the underside of Bonsly. It doesn't matter if the illustration of the Pokémon is crying or calm: It features the hole. This hole represents an intrinsic part of Bonsly's design. This specific Bonsly card gained meme status among fans thanks to the famous hole, in addition to its rarity. Up until last year, the card was the only version of Bonsly card released in the TCG where many of its monsters are commonly shown in dozens of different ways. Over a decade and a half, if you wanted this Pokémon card, you needed to accept with the hole version.

The Collector's Passion

"When I discovered Bonsly in the list of infamous cards, I felt I had found my favorite one," Emily states via email, mentioning how she was surprised that she hadn't encountered it earlier. She'll be the first to tell you her love of the Bonsly card has no real value, but she didn't care. The appreciation evolved into a full-blown obsession, as Hopkins bought each available Bonsly card available to her. She adopted a habit of stopping by her local card shop on a weekly basis, and became known to the employees as the Bonsly collector. They started putting any new copies of Bonsly #71 they obtained exclusively for Emily. The majority of these are priced at one to three dollars, she says, approximating her total expenditure is somewhere around $400 for the collection book.

Rising Prices

These days, mint-condition Bonsly #71 cards can cost up to $14.99. While that's on the higher end, run-of-the-mill versions usually go for $4 and above. This rise in cost more or less coincides with her starting point building her set, although there are probably various influences. Although this card is famous in the community, her online content regarding the card have received countless views. As news of its existence continues to spread among more people, there's a chance their market price could keep rising. At the very least, investors note that card market costs are climbing currently in general.

Unstoppable Determination

Hopkins cannot be stopped, however.

"The amazing thing remains that certain fans and viewers on social media have shipped copies of Bonsly to me for her album, and she is preserving these Bonsly safe forever," she declares. Far from being alarmed, fans feel admiration and motivation by her Bonsly binder.

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