Whether you're a 90s kid or a 00s kid, I can almost guarantee that a huge part of your childhood was Pokémon cards. I can literally remember the moment my older brother handed me three cards he didn't want, for them to become my very first cards. I can remember my first trade, I can remember the time my mum put all my holos through the washing machine, and I can remember

Even to this day, if I see an upside down Pokémon card on the ground I get stupidly excited at the possibility of picking it up and finding an original shiny Charizard.

And although 99% of us never knew how to actually play the trading card game, the fun was in the collecting - assembling an enviable deck and having all the beauty pristine cards in our collection.

And like many Pokémon fans, I would often look at my two dogs and think, "If only you could learn cool moves and could be crammed into a tiny ball". And because our beautiful pets are the closest thing we're ever going to get to owning real Pokémon, why not immortalize them forever with their very own Pokémon cards!

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Well, thanks for a company called WildpetsCreations, you can! This company runs an Etsy page that allows customers to send in a few pictures of their beloved pets, along with a short description, and from this, the talented bunch creates a stunning Generation 1-style Pokémon trading card for you to add to your collection!

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Imagine being in the midst of an intense trading card battle, only to see your best friend's Alakazam taken down by your precious pooch Truffles!

Customers can choose the following info to have their cards fully customised:

- Name of the Pokémon
- Pokémon type
- HP
- Length and Weight
- Pokémon species
- Customize the attacks: name, description, damage, and cost
- Edit weakness and resistance elements and their value, and the retreat cost
- A short sentence bio
- Pokédex number and rarity

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And even if you don't ever intend on using the card for the battle game, it's still a wonderfully nostalgic gift for any Pokémon fan/pet lover!

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One very happy reviewer writes:

"This was, by far, the best purchase I've made on Etsy. Stephanie is so helpful and accommodating to her customers. I placed my order last minute for an anniversary gift for my boyfriend (who LOVED the gift) and she made sure it arrived on time. Such a great way to immortalize your fur babies. I will definitely be ordering from her again. Thank you!"

And in case you needed any more reassurance to have your pet transformed into their Pokémon counterpart, the Etsy store has also received an impressive 5/5 stars from customers!

An eight-year-old boy has earned praise for selling his Pokémon card collection to pay for his sick dog's $700 vet's bills.

Per People magazine, Pokémon fanatic Bryson Kliemann, who hails from Lebanon, Virginia, recently noticed that his four-month-old puppy Bruce was seriously unwell.

A vet later diagnosed the dog diagnosed with parvo - a contagious virus that can be lethal in canines if left untreated.

Take a look at this news report on the heartwarming story in the video below:

Unfortunately, the Kliemann family was unable to afford the cost of Bruce's treatment.

However, Bryson wasn't willing to lose his furry friend, and on May 4 he set up a stall outside his house to sell his collection of Pokémon cards to passing strangers.

Bryson initially sold the cards for between $5-$10. But once social media users got wind of his fundraiser through Facebook, they began to donate to a GoFundMe launched by his mom, Kimberly Woodruff.

As a result of this, Bryson has now far exceeded his initial goal, and his mom's fundraiser currently stands at $17,930 at the time of writing.

On social media, a number of Facebook users have praised Bryson for making such a noble sacrifice to save his beloved pet.

Credit: Facebook

One person wrote: "I just made my 1st investment in the Pokémon card business! Two of the most handsome and sweet little gentlemen I've ever [seen] assured me it was worth what I paid for! My [heart] tells me it's priceless! My [heart is a puddle!"

Credit: Facebook

Another added: "Made me cry... a boy n his dog. Hope everything keeps progressing. [sic]"

Credit: Facebook

While a third wrote: "Bless his sweet little heart."

Credit: Facebook

Finally, another person commented: "God bless his little heart. I'm so glad that he is turning into the best little boy. And that he cares that much for an animal that shows me he has true love for animals. Maybe he will grow up to be a vet."

As if that wasn't enough, WCYB News reports that Bryson's story caught the attention of Pokémon employees in Bellevue in Washington.

They promptly sent him a letter of goodwill along with a bundle with rare collectible Pokémon cards to replace those he had sold off.

Meanwhile, People reports that Woodruff later shared an update on Bruce's condition, revealing that he had received his treatment and is feeling better.

She added that the rest of the money raised by the public will be used to help pay for the dog's future vaccinations or donated to charity to support other sick animals in the future.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Johan Möllerberg

I can remember being eight years old and asking for a Nintendo 64 for Christmas back in 1999. I was lucky enough to receive the classic console (which remains a favorite of mine to this very day), but I'll never forget the conversation I had with my mother the following day.

My mom, sounding a little guilty, explained to me that she was going to buy me the limited edition Pikachu version of the console, but felt the need to explain to me that Pokémon was a fad and that I was going to grow out of it in a couple of years. That may have been the first time my mom lied to me, because I never grew out of Pokémon and the franchise is as strong today as it's ever been!

With the release of Pokémon GO, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, and Detective Pikachu in recent years, the beloved franchise doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. And if you need any more proof of this, Pokémon has once again taken over the streets - this time in Japan.

In Japan, many of their cities and towns usually have detailed manhole covers that are actually quite beautiful (when compared to ours). Each design is meant to reflect the local history or culture. Check them out below:

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Ibusuki City]]

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Ibusuki City]]

But earlier this year, the city of Ibusuki unveiled a series of manhole covers that were dedicated to Eevee and its multiple evolutions. (They did this because Ibusuki sounds like "Eevee suki" or "Eevee likes" in Japan.)

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Now, there are Pokémon manholes popping up all over the place, many of them designed once again with the purpose of reflecting the local area. For example, the Rock-type Pokémon Geodude, Tyrunt, and Onix all have their own manholes in Iwate Prefecture - as "iwa" (岩) refers to rocks.

Check out some of the awesome designs people have been hunting below:

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Per Time Out Tokyo, this is all part of a project called Pokémon Local Acts, which want to drive more tourism to the areas. Manhole-spotting is a popular pastime when traveling within Japan, and many visitors enjoy searching for the different manhole covers across the country.

Oh, and if you needed another reason to check out the covers, they also double as Pokéstops in Pokémon GO - so go get you some potions.

Absolutely adorable! I'm definitely booking my flights to Japan, because I've gotta see 'em all!

Even though most of us wouldn't admit it, we all have things that we collect that other people may not see the point in. You may not frame and display them for guests in your home to see or make big bucks off trading them, but there's bound to be some things around that you just can't get rid of.

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For instance, I still have boxes and boxes of comic books from when I was growing up. They're new enough to not actually be worth anything (and will likely still be worthless when I'm old) and I don't ever get them out for a read, so there's no point in them - right? Well, I still can't bear the idea of not owning them, for whatever reason.

But, at the end of the day, I didn't spend half a million dollars on my comics, like this man did with his Barbie collection.

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Jian Yang's home has been completely taken over by his collection, with more than 10,000 dolls in his possession, purportedly costing him over $500,000. The 38-year-old business director even designed his home in Singapore around the dolls he owns, which he has been buying for more than 30 years. And by this point, he's just stopped counting.

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"I’ve loved Barbie since 1984, when I accidentally opened my sister’s Christmas present," Yang explained. "Great Shape Barbie started it all." He continued:

"I’ve been buying Barbie ever since. So I never started 'collecting'. I just continued buying. I would estimate that I have more than 10,000 dolls. I stopped counting at 9,000. I think I have spent over £350,000 [$500,000]. But I don’t really want to know.

"My house is designed around the doll collection by Visual Text Architects, one of the best firms in Singapore, and even they knew that this collection very much defined my design sense.

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"I think there will always be a social stigma for guys who collect dolls, and I’m very proud to say I probably don’t fit into any of those stereotypes."

Yang explained that he buys the dolls from "everywhere", but has his regular visits to one particular doll shop in Singapore. His vocation requires him to travel across the world, which gives him the opportunity to find rare dolls from different corners of the globe.

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Eventually, a friend convinced him to create an Instagram account to showcase his hobby, and for the last few years it evolved from a "life photo album" into a doll-centric account. However, Yang doesn't think of himself as a collector, or feel any need to connect with others that have the same passion.

"I don’t really have any friends who collect. I must be one of the few collectors who has never been to a convention. I’ve never even seen myself as a collector. Just as a guy who likes dolls."

"Honestly I don’t even see the need to find like-minded people who want to “play” dolls. I’ve always seen it as a private thing. Anyone who’s known me for a while knows I’ve always had dolls. To the point it’s not even shocking anymore. It’s become intrinsic to my personality."

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The most he has paid for one doll is $3000, but he claims that "she's not the most valuable". For Yang, "rarity is also subjective" - and since he doesn't consider himself a collector, his favorites have nothing to do with the price tag or the idea that it is a one-of-a-kind doll.

Either way, it must be a little strange the first time someone visits his house. I'm all for his hobby, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be the easiest house to relax in, with 10,000 dolls staring your way at all times.

It seems like pretty much everything is collectable nowadays. Old toys, game consoles and books can all be worth a fortune. All those Pokemon cards, Toy Story figurines and Star Wars dolls that you had could now fetch some serious cash. While it may be hard to believe that some of your 'junk' may be worth some money, it's always best to check. If, like a lot of people, you are a fan of Disney and have plenty of their DVDs, you could be sitting on a gold mine. DVDs may seem like a distant memory of the past: a time when you to actually physically insert a disc into a box in order to watch a movie rather than just doing it online, but some people are still on the hunt for them. Not any old DVD will do though, they have to be Disney and they can't be an unofficial release. Yes, I'm afraid to tell you that no one wants your bootleg version of the Little Mermaid that you purchased around the back of your local grocery store from that sketchy man who calls himself 'Blue Ray' and has a mustache. But, if you do have the right DVD, then you could be on your way to making a small fortune. So, what are these collectors looking for? Well, the discs that are in the highest demand are old editions, ones that are out of stock, as well as DVDs with special features. The reason for the high price is the Disney has a strict release schedule, meaning that a classic DVD could fetch as much as £300. One of the most valuable is the 'Walt Disney Treasures, Donald Duck Vol 3' - released in 2007 - which is going for in excess of £250. Sleeping Beauty (2009) is also proving popular, with the fairly new release (it was only 9 years ago!) being sold for over £40 a piece. However, if you are lucky enough to have a Walt Disney Collection, which is basically a load of Disney and Pixar flicks that includes Mary Poppins, Snow White and Little Mermaid, then you could be looking at someone offering you over £100 for the lot. While if you're secretly housing the Disney O-ring collection of 44 DVDs, then get ready for £200 to head over in your general direction. Even better than that, however, is the Disney Pixar Steelbook Blu-Ray Collection of 81 steelbooks, which could see you be in with the chance of having a £1,999.99 injection into your bank account. But, if you thought the figures being bandied about for DVDs are insane, wait until you hear what you can get for a VHS. The Little Mermaid original VHS will bring you £2,000. The original animation now features the infamously banned artwork of the phallic symbol. So, you might be sitting on an unlikely fortune at home. But, before you even think about listing your DVDs online, check their condition and whether they are authentic or not. If they are, lucky you, enjoy spending your money!