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Grand Rapids man brings Pokemon Go to life

Posted at 2:55 PM, Aug 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-01 14:58:46-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- If you're not familiar with Pokemon Go, it's a game on your phone that allows players to virtually catch and collect Pokemon characters. The cell phone game just wasn't enough for one 3-D printer in Grand Rapids.

Aaron Brown, owner ofAxisLab 3D Printing and an avid Pokemon player, decided he would add to the Pokemon Go experience in West Michigan. Printing up an army of Charmanders, Bulbasaurs, Squirtles and Pikachus, each one costing about 10 cents.

Pokemon Calder

When Brown is playing Pokemon Go he's usually hiding his real Pokemon too, in spots like the Rockford Dam, Rivertown Mall and at iconic Downtown Grand Rapids spots.

Pokemon blueThe nearly one inch tall Pokemon may be hard to spot, especially for kids, but Brown takes care to make sure even the smallest Pokemon Trainers have a chance to find one.

“There’s a trick to it, when you see a lot of kids around, you have to hide them lower," explains Brown, "And if you see two or three kids, you always have to hide two or three Pokemon where you know they are going to find them, cause you don’t want kids fighting over them."

Pika

And if you strike out in your search for the 3-D Pokemon, Brown says anyone is welcome to come down to his shop and pick out one or two.

Pokemon Blue Bridge