She Has Amassed Hundreds of Pokémon Drainage Hole Cards, and She's Unstoppable.
Pokémon creators introduced collectors to the Pokémon TCG DP set during 2007, showcasing a Bonsly trading card. On this artwork, Gen IV stone creature appears by artist Midori Harada in a somewhat awkward position. Here, Bonsly, which evolves into Sudowoodo is depicted fallen and shedding tears. But don't misunderstand, though. Like its ability Fake Tears suggests, Bonsly is trying to manipulate the other player's mood to reducing their damage output. Unforgettable artwork, right? Electroacoustic harpist Hopkins certainly thinks so. She owns a binder filled with 305 Bonsly illustrations as evidence.
The Full Collection and Its Highlights
That's not the full extent also. She obtained twenty reverse holographic editions of this particular card, portraying the tyke with shiny foil covering everything except the central artwork. The most valuable item, though, proves to be the PSA 6-rated reverse holographic Bonsly card. Sure, it's far from a mint-condition Charizard from the base set. But do you have a quirky, nearly pristine Bonsly card maintained in all its splendor? Probably not.
Origins of the Collection
Hopkins has spent much of 2025 stockpiling all available Bonsly cards from that year available on the market. She discovered regarding this discontinued card in recent months, during a discussion the notoriously odd cards among collectors with a worker in a nearby store. Crying Omanyte was considered, just like the forever alone Cubone on a park ride. Yet it was Crying Bonsly, also known as Bonsly #17, that caught her interest.
Behind Bonsly's Look
Bonsly draws clear inspiration on bonsai trees, that are commonly placed in containers featuring holes for drainage. These holes are intended to help the plant grow, to the extent that growers advise one another to drill holes on the bottom when none are present. They can also be positioned in shallow containers lacking drainage, called suiban, and the collected moisture may assist growers style their trees to mimic natural landscapes. Bonsly is the former, which explains the hole.
Why Bonsly Stands Out
Despite this logical explanation, however, The company appears somewhat overly focused with Bonsly's hole. Also, products like Bonsly plushes make sure to include a hollow cavern below of the tree-like Pokémon. It doesn't matter if the illustration of this particular Bonsly is weeping or calm: It features a hole. The hole is a fundamental aspect of Bonsly's design. Card number 71 turned into an internet joke among fans because of its distinctive hole, as well as its status. For years before, Bonsly #71 remained the sole iteration of Bonsly available printed in a game in which most Pokémon are commonly shown in dozens of different ways. For sixteen years, should you desire this Pokémon card, you had to settle for hole Bonsly.
Emily's Dedication
"Upon noticing Bonsly in the list of oddball cards, I knew I located my favorite one," Emily states in a message, mentioning how she felt astonished to have never seen it before. She is quick to state her love of Bonsly #71 has no real value, yet that didn't stop her. The initial interest became a full-blown obsession, with Emily purchasing every Bonsly #71 card available to her. She quickly got into a routine of visiting her local card shop regularly, and earned the nickname by workers as "Bonsly Girl". They started reserving all incoming this specific card they obtained only for her. The majority of these are priced at one to three dollars, she says, calculating that she's spent somewhere around $400 for the collection book.
The Financial Side
Currently, pristine Bonsly #71 cards can cost up to around fifteen dollars. While that is a premium price, ordinary versions usually go for four dollars or more. This rise in cost corresponds to her starting point collecting seriously, although there are probably various influences. While it's true that this card is famous in the community, Hopkins's posts regarding the card have attracted millions of views. With information regarding Bonsly #71 continues to spread among more people, it's possible that their market price might increase even more. If nothing else, collectors say that TCG prices are skyrocketing this year overall.
No Signs of Stopping
Emily remains undeterred, yet.
"What's incredible is certain fans and enthusiasts from her channel have sent copies of Bonsly to me to expand the set, and she is preserving these cards protected always," Emily states. Rather than recoil in horror, viewers are impressed and inspired by this project.
"I've actually always wanted to attempt something similar," one commenter says. "Buy up all of a common card|every copy of a common card
