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The Pokémon Company released collectors to the trading card game Diamond and Pearl set back in 2007, featuring the Bonsly illustration. In this card, Gen IV Rock Pokémon is shown by artist Midori Harada in a somewhat awkward situation. In the image, the predecessor to Sudowoodo is depicted fallen and shedding tears. Don't be fooled, though. Like its ability the move Fake Tears, the little creature attempts to influence the foe's feelings with the goal of reducing their attack. Unforgettable artwork, isn't it? Harp player Emily is a firm believer. She possesses an album filled with 305 Bonsly cards to show for it.

The Full Collection Including Rare Finds

However, that's not the whole collection either. She's got 20 reverse foil editions of the Bonsly card, portraying the tyke with shiny foil all over except the primary illustration. The most valuable item, though, proves to be the PSA 6-rated reverse holographic Bonsly card. Sure, it's not a high-grade original Charizard card. Yet, do you possess a goofy, almost perfect Bonsly illustration maintained forever immortalized? I didn't think so.

How It All Began

Hopkins has spent much of 2025 accumulating every 2007 Bonsly card available on the market. She discovered regarding this discontinued card earlier this year, while talking about the most cursed cards among collectors with an employee at a local shop. Crying Omanyte was a contender, just like Cubone by itself in an amusement park. But it was Crying Bonsly, also known as the seventeenth card, that grabbed Emily's focus.

The Design and Inspiration

The design of Bonsly is based on bonsai trees, which are often grown in pots featuring holes for drainage. They are designed to support healthy development, to the extent that growers encourage each other to add holes in their containers if they don't already have one. They can also be positioned in shallow containers hole-free, called suiban, and the retained water may assist enthusiasts arrange their bonsai to look like natural landscapes. Bonsly is the former, hence the hole.

A Memorable and Notorious Card

Although this makes sense, however, The company looks a bit excessively attentive about the drainage feature. Even merch like Bonsly plushes ensure they feature a cavity at the bottom of this plant Pokémon. It doesn't matter if the depiction of this particular Bonsly appears sad or calm: It will display a hole. The opening is an intrinsic part of how Bonsly looks. Bonsly #71 turned into an internet joke in collector circles thanks to that drainage hole, and also because of its rarity. Until recently, Bonsly #71 remained the sole iteration of Bonsly card included in the series in which most Pokémon usually appear in multiple editions. Over a decade and a half, if you wanted a Bonsly card, you had to settle with this specific design.

Emily's Dedication

"When I saw this card on the list of infamous cards, I knew I had found my new favorite," Hopkins shares in a message, noting that she was surprised that she hadn't encountered it earlier. She'll be the first to tell you her passion for this particular card serves no practical purpose, yet that didn't stop her. The liking evolved into a major fixation, as she acquired each available Bonsly card she could possibly find. She soon developed a routine of going to her local card shop on a weekly basis, and was dubbed among the staff as the Bonsly fan. The shop started setting aside any recently acquired this specific card that came in only for her. Most of these cards go for a few dollars, she notes, calculating that she's spent about $400 for the collection book.

Rising Prices

Nowadays, excellent the card may reach prices of around fifteen dollars. Although that is expensive, run-of-the-mill versions are often priced at $4 and above. That price increase corresponds to when Hopkins started collecting seriously, although there are probably several factors at play. While it's true that the card is notorious among collectors, her online content regarding the card have also garnered millions of views. As news about this card keeps growing to a wider audience, it is likely that their market price could keep rising. Regardless, collectors mention how TCG prices are climbing in 2025 across the board.

Unstoppable Determination

Nothing can halt her, yet.

"What's incredible is some supporters and enthusiasts of the YouTube channel have shipped copies of Bonsly to me to add to my collection, and she is preserving these cards protected always," Emily states. Far from being alarmed, fans are amazed and encouraged by her collection.

"I've actually always wanted to do this," a viewer notes. "Acquire all of a common card|every copy of a common card