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Pokemon has been going for three decades and it keeps finding new nine-year-olds. In 2026 it has had help from an unexpected direction, and there is a good chance a child in your house has started asking about cards again.

Here is what has changed, how to start without spending a fortune, and what is actually worth buying in the UAE.

What LEGO Pokemon SMART Play is

In June 2026, the LEGO Group and The Pokémon Company International announced LEGO Pokemon SMART Play: 12 sets covering 20 Pokemon, which went on sale from 1 August 2026.

The interesting part is the format. The range splits into two kinds of set. All-in-One sets include SMART Bricks along with a SMART charger and SMART Tags. SMART Play Compatible sets work with the system but do not include the SMART Bricks themselves, so they are the cheaper way to expand once you own one.

Why it matters beyond LEGO: it is screen-free interactive play, which is a genuinely hard thing to build. And it pulls a whole group of LEGO-first children into Pokemon who were never going to start with trading cards.

These sets are not in the Colorland Toys range at the time of writing. We will update this page when they reach UAE retail. In the meantime, the LEGO collection covers everything currently in stock.

Starting with trading cards, without it getting expensive

Trading cards are how most children come into Pokemon, and they are also where the most money gets wasted. A few things worth knowing before the first purchase.

Start with a structured product, not a booster pack. A booster is random cards and nothing to do with them. A battle deck is a playable deck out of the box, which means two children can actually play rather than just compare.

The entry price is low. A Pokemon TCG checklane blister is AED 49. That is enough to find out whether the interest is real.

Then step up to a deck. The Victini and Miraidon ex Battle Deck is AED 194 and comes ready to play.

Set the rule before, not after. Cards are designed around chase. One pack a week, or a fixed budget, or a swap-only rule with friends. Whatever it is, agree it before the first purchase rather than during the third argument.

The best Pokemon toys in the UAE right now

Everything here is in stock at Colorland Toys at the time of writing.

Browse the full Pokemon collection.

Buying by age

• 3 to 5. Plush and figures. Cards mean nothing at this age. The Power Action Pikachu or the Clip 'n Go belt set.
• 6 to 8. The crossover point. Cards start to make sense, usually because an older child at school has them. Start with the AED 49 blister.
• 9 to 12. Full collecting age. Battle decks, trading with friends, and strong opinions about which set is best.
• 13 and up. Collecting rather than playing, and increasingly a display habit. Figures and Funko Pops sit here.

Building a Pokemon gift without buying cards

Plenty of parents would rather not start a trading card habit, and that is a reasonable position. Pokemon is unusual in that you can buy right into it without touching a single pack.

For play: the Clip 'n Go Poke Ball Belt Set at AED 79 is the closest thing to being a trainer without a card in sight, and it works from about four.

For comfort: the Power Action Pikachu plush at AED 164 is the safe universal gift.

For a shelf: the 12 inch Gyarados at AED 109 has real presence, and it is a less obvious pick than another Pikachu.

For something useful: the Crayola Pokemon Art Case at AED 229 is a genuine art case that happens to have the right characters on it. It survives past the phase.

Storing and protecting a card collection

If cards do happen, three habits stop a AED 200 collection turning into a shoebox of bent cardboard.

• Sleeves for anything they care about. Cheap, and the difference between a card that survives a school bag and one that does not.
• One binder, not four piles. A collection with a home gets looked after. One without gets lost.
• Out of the heat. This matters more here than most places. Cards left in a car warp, and holographic cards curl permanently.

The habit worth teaching alongside all of it is that a duplicate is not a wasted card. It is trading material, and trading is most of the fun.

Spotting a fake card

Worth knowing, because Pokemon is one of the most counterfeited things sold online.

• Fake cards usually feel wrong before they look wrong. Too thin, too glossy, or too flexible.
• Colours are often slightly off, and text can be blurry at the edges.
• A sealed product from a retailer is the simplest protection. Loose cards from an unfamiliar seller are the risk.
• If the price is far below everything else, that is the reason.

The same logic applies across licensed toys generally, which is why buying from a retailer that names the product and prices in AED is worth more than a small discount.

Common questions

What age should a child start Pokemon cards?

Around six to seven for playing, because the game needs reading and turn-taking. Younger children collect and sort rather than play, which is fine and is usually how it starts. Plush and figures work from about three.

Are Pokemon cards a good investment?

Treat them as a hobby, not an investment. Individual cards can be worth a lot and almost none of the ones a child opens will be. Buying cards hoping for a return is a reliable way to spend more than you get back.

Booster pack or battle deck first?

Battle deck. A booster is random cards with nothing to do with them, which is an anticlimax for a first purchase. A deck is playable out of the box, so two children can actually use it the same afternoon.

Where can I buy Pokemon toys in the UAE?

Colorland Toys stocks cards, plush, figures and playsets in the Pokemon collection, with delivery across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the rest of the UAE.

Why Pokemon keeps coming back

Most licences have one entry point. Pokemon has five. Cards, video games, plush, figures and now LEGO. A child can arrive from any direction and end up in the same place.

That is also why it survives generations. The parent buying the cards often collected them too, which is not true of most things on a toy shelf.

Shop Pokemon at Colorland Toys

Related reading: Trending Toys 2026 in the UAE and this week's trend report.