🔗 Share this article

The makers of Pokémon released the world to the card series DP expansion during 2007, featuring a Bonsly trading card. On this artwork, Gen IV rock-type appears by artist Midori Harada in a, shall we say, compromising pose. In the image, Bonsly, which evolves into Sudowoodo appears knocked over and shedding tears. Don't be fooled, yet. As its move Fake Tears, Bonsly aims to manipulate the foe's feelings in the hopes of reducing their offensive power. Memorable card, no? Musician and harpist Hopkins absolutely agrees. And she's got an album with 305 Bonsly illustrations to prove it.

Her Complete Set and Its Highlights

However, that's not the full extent as well. She obtained a score of reverse foil editions featuring Bonsly, showing the little guy in reflective foil everywhere but the main image. The crown jewel, however, is the professionally graded PSA 6 reverse holo of Bonsly. Admittedly, it isn't a mint-condition original Charizard card. But do you have a quirky, almost perfect Bonsly card kept in all its splendor? I thought as much.

How It All Began

Hopkins has spent a large part of this year gathering all available Bonsly cards from that year she can possibly find. She initially learned of this rare card in recent months, while debating the notoriously odd cards in the compendium with a worker in a nearby store. Omanyte in tears was a contender, along with the lonely Cubone on a park ride. But it was The sobbing Bonsly, aka card number 17, that caught Emily's focus.

Behind Bonsly's Look

The design of Bonsly is based on bonsai trees, that are commonly placed in pots with holes at the bottom. These are meant to support healthy development, to the extent that growers suggest to peers to drill holes on the bottom if holes are missing. They can also be positioned on low dishes without holes, referred to as suiban, where the water stays may assist caretakers decorate their plants to mimic nature vistas. Bonsly represents the first type, thus the hole exists.

The Infamous Hole Card

Although this makes sense, yet, The company looks a bit excessively attentive about the drainage feature. Even merchandise like Bonsly plushes ensure they feature a cavity below of this plant Pokémon. It doesn't matter whether the portrayal of this particular Bonsly is crying or content: It features a hole. The hole is a key element of Bonsly's design. This specific Bonsly card became a meme in collector circles because of the famous hole, in addition to its unique position. For years before, this Bonsly card remained the sole iteration featuring Bonsly released in the TCG in which most Pokémon usually appear in multiple editions. Over a decade and a half, were you seeking this Pokémon card, you needed to accept for hole Bonsly.

The Collector's Passion

"When I saw Bonsly among the selections of infamous cards, I felt I had found my new favorite," Hopkins shares in a message, noting that she felt astonished to have missed it until then. She admits freely to state her love of Bonsly #71 is completely useless, but she didn't care. The liking evolved into a full-blown obsession, with Emily purchasing every Bonsly #71 card available to her. She adopted a habit of visiting the nearby card store on a weekly basis, and became known among the staff as the Bonsly collector. The shop started reserving all incoming copies of Bonsly #71 that came in only for her. The majority of these are priced at one to three dollars, she mentions, calculating that she's spent somewhere around $400 only on the album itself.

The Financial Side

Currently, excellent this Bonsly card might be valued at $14.99. While that's on the higher end, standard copies tend to cost four dollars or more. The upward trend corresponds to her starting point collecting seriously, but it's possible that several factors at play. While it's true that this card is famous among collectors, Emily's social media updates about it have attracted countless views. As news regarding Bonsly #71 expands further to a wider audience, it is likely that their market price may continue to shoot up. At the very least, investors note that trading card game values are soaring in 2025 across the board.

No Signs of Stopping

Hopkins cannot be stopped, however.

"What's incredible is a few followers and enthusiasts of the YouTube channel have shipped their own Bonsly cards to Emily to expand the set, and I am keeping these cards protected always," she declares. Rather than recoil in horror, the audience feel admiration and motivation by her collection.

"I've long desired to try this," one commenter says. "Purchase all of a common card|every copy of a common card