The Pokemon Company has confirmed that Slowpoke will be getting a Pokemon-themed playground in real-life to celebrate the Gen 1 Psychic and Water-type. Slowpoke has been continuously celebrated across the franchise from its evolution Slowking's role in the second Pokemon movie, to Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor, and the real-life playground is just the Pokemon's latest representation.
Slowpoke Park is set to pop up in Ayagawa Town in the Kagawa prefecture in April 2023, with construction about to begin and no specific opening date in mind as of now. While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have introduced several regional variants of existing Pokemon, Slowpoke appears in its standard Kanto form which some Pokemon fans may or may not prefer over the Galarian form from Pokemon Sword and Shield. Given that Slowpoke has been part of the Pokemon franchise since the very beginning and that it has been front and center occasionally over the years, the pink dual-type has garnered its own fan base that may anticipate the opening of Slowpoke Park.
The Slowpoke Park announcement Pokemon Local Acts initiative that The Pokemon Company has committed to in order to spread Pokemon awareness while creating impressive areas like this park. The first Slowpoke Park is set to include a slide that looks like a massive Slowpoke, fairly standard-looking swings, a Slowpoke-themed playground, multiple statues of the Pokemon, and more. Based on the photo shared by The Pokemon Company, the park will also have signs that feature the familiar pink color and imagery that reflects the Gen 1 Pokemon.
A Slowpoke Pokemon mascot accompanied some executives from The Pokemon Company for the announcement of Slowpoke Park to give the press conference a physical representation of what parkgoers will see in Ayagawa Town. The presentation included a reveal of an aerial view of what The Pokemon Company expects to construct in the Kagawa location which portrays a fittingly colorful park that doesn't solely focus on Slowpoke despite the park sharing its name. Beyond the Slowpokes that will be scattered around Slowpoke Park there are pieces that share similarities with the swings in offering a more traditional aesthetic which prevents the bright pink color from being overused.
Because the current image of Slowpoke Park is a concept, it may undergo some changes between now and April 2023 as the construction process has its own challenges. Given that the park appears to fit two dozen people comfortably in the concept of Slowpoke Park, the Pokemon-themed Park may be similar to the Pokemon Centers of Japan in mixing a tourist hotspot with a local getaway experience.