Krispy Kreme’s Pokémon Doughnut Collection went on sale Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at participating shops across the United States and Canada, in the Krispy Kreme app and online, timed to Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. Within hours, demand had outpaced what some stores had on hand: multiple outlets reported in-shop stock selling out in some markets within roughly 30 minutes of the launch, and the collection’s website briefly switched to “Sold Out” before small restocks showed up on later checks.
Key facts
- Launch: Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at participating Krispy Kreme shops in the US and Canada, in the app, and online.
- Lineup: six doughnuts based on Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu, Squirtle, Jigglypuff and a Poké Ball.
- Also sold: a 10-count box of Original Glazed Gold Doughnut Dots and a collectible acrylic cup, available in five designs.
- Reported pricing: a Pokémon dozen around $21 and a cup around $8, sold separately; one reviewer paid $29.95 for both together.
- Also at grocery stores: Walmart, Kroger, Publix and Stater Bros., while supplies last.
- Free doughnut offer: August 22, 2026 — wear Pokémon-themed attire for one free Original Glazed doughnut, in-shop or drive-thru only.
- Runs through: September 13, 2026, at participating locations, while supplies last.
- First US Pokémon tie-in: Krispy Kreme previously ran a Pokémon collaboration in Australia in September 2021; multiple outlets describe the 2026 collection as the company’s first nationwide US launch.
Resale listings have appeared online
Resale listings have appeared amid reports of localized shortages. According to Kotaku and The Gamer, empty Pokémon-branded boxes turned up on eBay listed around $65, and at least one listing asked roughly $300 for a full dozen plus about $281 in shipping — north of $580 total. That total is far above what the empty box or the dozen alone were going for, and neither outlet explained the unusually high shipping charge; combined with the fact that no outlet has found evidence anyone actually paid those asking prices, the listing may not reflect a real sale.
What’s in the box: six doughnuts, five Pokémon and a Poké Ball
The lineup has six doughnuts: five based on Pokémon and one based on a Poké Ball:
- Bulbasaur is an Original Glazed doughnut dipped in vanilla-flavored icing and topped with green frosting leaves and a Bulbasaur piece.
- Charmander skips the glaze — it’s an unglazed shell doughnut filled with chocolate and toasted-marshmallow flavoring, then dipped in orange caramel icing with red and gold sugar.
- Pikachu, the other unglazed shell design, is filled with lemon-flavored Kreme and finished with a vanilla icing dip, a yellow “electrifying” drizzle and yellow nonpareils.
- Squirtle goes back to the classic Original Glazed base, topped with cotton-candy-flavored buttercreme, sanding sugar/nonpareils and a “surfing” Squirtle piece.
- For Jigglypuff, that same Original Glazed base is piped with strawberry buttercreme and finished with strawberry cookie crumbles.
- And rounding out the six, a Poké Ball doughnut is Original Glazed dipped in vanilla icing, with red sprinkles and a chocolate drizzle.
Doughnut holes and collectible cups
Alongside the doughnuts, Krispy Kreme is selling Original Glazed Gold Doughnut Dots — a 10-count box of glazed doughnut holes — paired with a reusable, collectible acrylic Pokémon cup that comes in five different character designs. Krispy Kreme has not said which characters are on the cups, or why there are five cup designs while the doughnut lineup has six.
Price and where to buy
Krispy Kreme has not published an official price list for the collection, and no source has reported what a single Pokémon doughnut costs on its own at the counter. Kotaku and Yahoo Lifestyle have separately reported a special-edition Pokémon dozen priced at roughly $21 and a collectible cup at roughly $8, sold individually. A Kotaku reviewer who bought both together — a “Pokémon Dozen” bundled with a “Dots Cup Combo” — paid $29.95 at their local shop, close to what the dozen and the cup would add up to separately rather than a conflicting figure. Those numbers come from individual purchases and reviews, not from Krispy Kreme itself, so what a customer pays may vary by location.
Beyond Krispy Kreme’s own shops, a six-count assorted Pokémon doughnut box is also on sale at select grocery retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, Publix and Stater Bros., according to Krispy Kreme’s own promotional page — though not every store carries every item, and availability is described as running “while supplies last.”
Preorders and early sellouts
Preorders opened August 13, 2026, ahead of the in-shop debut, and some locations sold out of preorder slots quickly — Kotaku reported early sellouts around Kansas City, Springfield, Missouri, and Wichita, Kansas — with Krispy Kreme telling at least one outlet that more availability was coming once the collection launched in shops. No source has confirmed a full nationwide sellout of the collection; the pattern so far is scattered, store-by-store shortages rather than one uniform outcome.
First Pokémon collab in the US
This is the first time Krispy Kreme has sold a Pokémon collaboration in the US, according to multiple outlets covering the launch. Krispy Kreme previously ran a Pokémon collaboration in Australia in September 2021, timed to the franchise’s 25th anniversary, but that collection was never sold in the United States.
Reviews: one flavor stands out
Reviewer opinion leaned toward one clear favorite rather than splitting evenly across the six. The lemon-filled Pikachu doughnut drew the most praise among those who tried the collection, while several reviewers said only a few of the six designs felt worth the price compared with a regular box from the shop.
Free doughnut on August 22
There’s also a separate freebie tied to the launch: on Saturday, August 22, 2026, guests who wear Pokémon-themed attire to a participating Krispy Kreme shop can get one free Original Glazed doughnut, no purchase necessary. It’s limited to one per guest and redeemable in-shop or at the drive-thru only — not through the app or online orders. None of the outlets reporting on this offer specify whether it also applies at Canadian Krispy Kreme locations, unlike the main doughnut collection, which explicitly covers both countries.
How long the collection lasts
Krispy Kreme’s chief brand and product officer, Alison Holder, said in the company’s announcement that the chain had “so much fun bringing the world of Pokémon to life through doughnuts,” adding that the collection — with its themed cups, packaging and other extras — was “made to be caught and shared.”
The collection is described by Krispy Kreme as running through September 13, 2026, at participating locations, while supplies last. Given how quickly some markets have already sold through their stock, anyone hoping for a specific design may want to check with a local shop or the app before making a special trip.