The Pokémon Company unveiled fans to the trading card game DP set during 2007, including the Bonsly illustration. In this card, the Gen 4 stone creature is shown by artist Midori Harada in an unusual pose. Here, Bonsly, which evolves into Sudowoodo can be seen knocked over and weeping. However, don't mistake this, yet. Similar to its attack the move Fake Tears, this Pokémon attempts to sway their opponent's emotions in the hopes of lowering their offensive power. Iconic piece, right? Musician and harpist Emily is a firm believer. She possesses a collection book with 305 Bonsly cards as evidence.
Her Complete Set Including Rare Finds
However, that's not everything she has either. She has acquired a score of reverse holographic versions of this particular card, showing the tyke with shiny foil covering everything except the main image. The most valuable item, though, is the PSA 6-graded holo reverse of Bonsly. Admittedly, it's far from a mint-condition Charizard from the base set. But do you have an amusing, almost perfect card of Bonsly kept forever immortalized? Probably not.
How It All Began
Hopkins has spent much of 2025 gathering each Bonsly card from 2007 she can possibly find. She initially learned regarding this discontinued card in recent months, while debating the most cursed cards in the compendium with an employee at a local shop. The weeping Omanyte was in the running, just like Cubone by itself at the theme park. However, the one that Bonsly crying, aka the seventeenth card, that grabbed Emily's focus.
The Concept of Bonsly
Bonsly draws clear inspiration on bonsai trees, which are often grown in pots featuring holes for drainage. They are designed to support healthy development, so much so that growers advise one another to add holes into their pots if holes are missing. They can also be positioned in shallow containers hole-free, known as suiban, and the collected moisture may assist caretakers style their trees to resemble nature vistas. Bonsly fits the initial category, which explains the hole.
Why Bonsly Stands Out
Even with this reasonable background, however, Pokémon's creators looks a bit a little too concerned regarding the hole in Bonsly. Even merchandise such as Bonsly plush toys make sure to include a hollow cavern on the underside of this plant Pokémon. It doesn't matter if the depiction of Bonsly in question is weeping or at ease: It's going to show the hole. The opening is a key element of Bonsly's design. This specific Bonsly card gained meme status in collector circles thanks to its distinctive hole, in addition to its status. Up until last year, the card was the only version featuring Bonsly released in the TCG where many of its monsters are commonly shown in multiple editions. Over a decade and a half, if you wanted a Bonsly card, you were stuck for hole Bonsly.
Emily's Dedication
"Upon noticing Bonsly among the selections of oddball cards, I knew I discovered my new favorite," she explains in a message, adding that it was unexpected that she hadn't encountered it earlier. She'll be the first to inform you her passion for the Bonsly card serves no practical purpose, but she didn't care. The initial interest turned into an all-consuming hobby, as Hopkins bought all copies of this card she could possibly find. She quickly got into a routine of visiting her local card shop on a weekly basis, and became known by workers as the Bonsly collector. The shop started reserving all incoming Bonsly #71 cards that came in only for her. Most of these cards are priced at one to three dollars, she mentions, approximating her total expenditure is about $400 just on the binder alone.
The Financial Side
Currently, mint-condition the card may reach prices of $14.99. While that is a premium price, run-of-the-mill copies are often priced at $4 and above. That price increase more or less coincides with when Hopkins started collecting seriously, though there are likely various influences. While it's true that the card is notorious with enthusiasts, her online content on it have attracted millions of views. With information regarding Bonsly #71 expands further among more people, it is likely that their market price might increase even more. If nothing else, enthusiasts say that trading card game values are climbing currently across the board.
No Signs of Stopping
Nothing can halt her, though.
"What's incredible is that certain fans and enthusiasts on social media have shipped their own Bonsly cards to Emily to add to my collection, and they will remain these Bonsly safe forever," Emily states. Rather than recoil in horror, the audience are amazed and encouraged by her Bonsly binder.
"For years, I wished to do this," an observer mentions. "Acquire all of a common card|every copy of a common card
