Pokemon GO New Years has the best slow-burn running joke ever

Today we’re taking a peek at the world of Pokemon GO at the tail end of the year 2021. As we drop in to the year 2022, Pokemon GO’s latest update delivers what can only be described as a delightful collection of mostly useless Pokemon with a few extreme exceptions to the rule. Most of the time, when a person such as I am playing the game, a Pokemon with a fancy hat on isn’t particularly useful. Today, however, we’ve got a set of fancy dress Pokemon that are absolute must-have monsters.

Images VIA Niantic

Shiny Fancy Hat Hoothoot

If you’re out there in the wild today, playing Pokemon GO whilst on winter break (from school or work or whatever you might be on break from), you’ll find a Fancy Hat Hoothoot! If you tap enough of these monsters, you might very well find a Shiny Fancy Hat Hoothoot. This Pokemon not only has a sparkly golden 2022 top hat on its head, not ONLY a fancy golden bow tie, but an entirely golden body as well!

This Pokemon does not, unfortunately, evolve into any other Pokemon. Such is the way of things with modern fancy dress Pokemon. But the capture of at least one of these monsters is something we most certainly recommend. It’s not often you see a Pokemon with such a perfect set of duds to match its otherworldly skin.

This event also has the potential to deliver a whole bunch of other Shiny Pokemon in the wild and as rewards for Field Research, too. Catch 5 Pokemon and you’ll get a Hoothoot encounter. Catch 10 Pokemon and you’ll get either Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle as a fancy encounter. Catch 15 Pokemon or earn 2 candies walking with a Pokemon buddy and you’ll get a fancy glasses Slowpoke encounter! All of these Pokemon have the potential to appear Shiny!

There’s also a Fancy Hat Pikachu out there that could also appear Shiny. It’s a Shiny extravaganza, as all good Pokemon GO events should be.

Fancy super slow Slowpoke

There is also a very strange situation going on with fancy costume Slowpoke. As is tradition with Slowpoke and the evolved forms of this very slow Pokemon, each different monster has a different set of glasses.

Slowpoke is the slowest, so you’ll find a pair of “2020” glasses. Slowbro is ever-so-slightly faster than Slowpoke, so Slobro has 2021 glasses. Slowking is (apparently) the fastest of the bunch, so Slowking has 2022 glasses. It would not be a shock to find Galarian Slowpoke, King, and Bro continuing this tradition on into the next several years too – but we shall see!

Remember, this event doesn’t start until December 31, 2021 at 10PM local time. As such, by the time you read this article, some people will have access to these Pokemon, while others will need to wait! This event will last until Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 8PM local time. In addition to fancy hat Pokemon aplenty, this event will include bonuses like 2x Hatch Stardust, 2x Hatch Candy, and 1/2 distance requirements for Pokemon eggs!