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Pokémon creators released collectors to the trading card game Diamond & Pearl edition in the year 2007, showcasing a Bonsly trading card. On this artwork, Gen IV rock-type appears by artist Midori Harada in a, shall we say, compromising situation. On the card, the predecessor to Sudowoodo is depicted fallen and crying. But don't misunderstand, yet. As its move Fake Tears suggests, this Pokémon attempts to manipulate the other player's mood with the goal of reducing their attack. Memorable card, no? Harp player Emily Hopkins is a firm believer. She possesses a binder with 305 cards of Bonsly to show for it.

The Entire Assortment with Key Pieces

But that isn't the whole collection also. She obtained twenty reverse foil versions featuring Bonsly, which depicts the little guy with shiny foil everywhere but the main image. The most valuable item, yet, proves to be the PSA 6-graded reverse holographic of Bonsly. Admittedly, it's not a top-graded original Charizard card. But do you have an amusing, nearly pristine Bonsly illustration maintained in its eternal glory? I thought as much.

Origins of the Collection

She invested much of 2025 stockpiling each Bonsly card from 2007 available on the market. She initially learned of this rare card in recent months, during a discussion the most infamous cards among collectors with a worker at a local shop. The weeping Omanyte was considered, along with Cubone by itself in an amusement park. Yet it was The sobbing Bonsly, also known as card number 17, which captured her interest.

Behind Bonsly's Look

The design of Bonsly is based on bonsai trees, which are typically planted in containers with holes at the bottom. These are meant to aid growth, to the extent that enthusiasts advise one another to drill holes into their pots if they don't already have one. Additionally, bonsai may sit on low dishes lacking drainage, referred to as suiban, and the collected moisture could aid caretakers style their trees to resemble outdoor scenes. Bonsly fits the initial category, hence the hole.

Why Bonsly Stands Out

Although this makes sense, though, Pokémon's creators seems almost excessively attentive with Bonsly's hole. Even merchandise such as Bonsly plush toys ensure they feature a cavity below of the tree-like Pokémon. It makes no difference if the depiction of the Pokémon is weeping or at ease: It features a hole. The opening is an intrinsic part of Bonsly's design. Card number 71 turned into an internet joke within the community because of its distinctive hole, as well as its rarity. For years before, Bonsly #71 was the single type featuring Bonsly printed in a game in which most Pokémon usually appear in various forms. Over a decade and a half, if you wanted a card of Bonsly, you were stuck for hole Bonsly.

Emily's Dedication

"Upon noticing this card on the list of these cursed cards, I felt I had found my favorite one," Hopkins shares in a message, adding that it was unexpected to have missed it until then. She admits freely to tell you her fondness for the Bonsly card serves no practical purpose, but she didn't care. The appreciation evolved into a major fixation, as she acquired all copies of this card available to her. She adopted a routine of visiting the nearby card store on a weekly basis, and earned the nickname among the staff as the Bonsly collector. They started reserving all incoming copies of Bonsly #71 it received exclusively for Emily. Most of these cards cost between $1 and $3, she notes, calculating that her total expenditure is somewhere around $400 only on the album itself.

Rising Prices

These days, pristine this Bonsly card might be valued at nearly $15. Although that is expensive, ordinary Bonsly #71 cards usually go for $4 and above. That price increase roughly aligns with the time Emily began building her set, though there are likely various influences. Even though the card is notorious in the community, her online content on it have also garnered millions of views. As news about this card expands further among more people, it is likely that the value of these cards could keep rising. At the very least, investors note that trading card game values are climbing in 2025 overall.

Unstoppable Determination

Emily remains undeterred, though.

"The wonderful part is a few followers and viewers of the YouTube channel have sent copies of Bonsly her way to expand the set, and she is preserving them secure indefinitely," Emily states. Instead of being put off, fans feel admiration and motivation by her Bonsly binder.

"For years, I wished to try this," an observer mentions. "Buy up all of a common card|every copy of a common card