Zipper, Snap or Drawstring: The Clip 'n' Carry Poké Ball Closures

The Clip 'n' Carry Poké Ball line sat at the heart of TOMY's 2016 Pokémon 20th Anniversary Collection, and small design choices shaped each release. Among those choices, the closure style changed more than collectors anticipated, with zippered shells, snap button lids and drawstring pouches appearing across the year's monthly drops. Anyone chasing a complete set quickly learnt that how it closes mattered as much as which Pokémon was inside.

In Australia, the lineup landed at a moment when the local Pokémon community was riding a fresh wave of nostalgia, supported by conventions such as Brisbane's Supanova Expo, meet-ups in Melbourne's Federation Square and a steady collector trade on weekend markets from Parramatta to Perth. Demand at retailers including EB Games, Big W and independent toy shops in suburban Chadstone pushed variants out of stock within days, making the mechanical detail of each ball a practical decision rather than a cosmetic one.

This guide walks through each closure type, the Pokémon figures paired with them, and the day-to-day trade-offs of opening, closing and displaying the balls on a shelf. The aim is practical: by the end, a buyer in Sydney, Adelaide or Hobart should feel confident about which mechanism fits their collecting style, and which variants are worth hunting down on the secondary market.

The three closure styles at a glance

Before going deeper into each mechanism, a quick comparison helps frame the differences. The list below lines up the three options across the attributes collectors ask about most often, from the feel of the opening action to how the figures sit when displayed on a shelf or in a glass cabinet.

Closure Opening feel Display profile Pokémon pairing Collector appeal
Zipper Smooth two-handed pull Sits evenly on base Mewtwo, Charizard High for display
Snap button Firm one-handed click Lid can tilt if bumped Pikachu, Eevee High for play
Drawstring Soft pinch and lift Slumps unless supported Mew, Jirachi High for plush lovers

Zippered Poké Balls carry the look and feel of a fully engineered toy, with a chunky resin tooth track that clicks through without snagging. Snap button closures feel closer to a pen click, snapping shut with a single thumb press and releasing with a small lever or push tab. Drawstring versions borrow from soft toy design, using a fabric channel and a cord lock that gathers the upper hemisphere into a soft pouch.

The differences matter because each closure changes how the toy behaves in a hand, on a shelf, and inside a backpack. A buyer chasing display pieces will weigh the rigid stance of a zippered shell, while a buyer who handles the ball every day will lean toward the satisfying click of a snap button. A plush collector tends to favour the soft gather of a drawstring, which suits the rounded posture of the figures inside.

Zippered Poké Balls and how they seal

The zippered variants in the 20th Anniversary Collection ran across several of the monthly drops, with heavier figures such as Charizard and Mewtwo more likely to ship in a zippered shell. The teeth on these zippers were moulded from a softer plastic compound than the ball, allowing a wide opening without splitting the seam under pressure.

Collectors who handle their toys regularly tend to favour the zippered style because the closure holds its shape over years. A zippered Poké Ball can be tossed into a backpack, taken to a meet-up at Federation Square or shipped between suburbs from Parramatta to Penrith, and still sit level on a shelf afterwards. The trade-off is that the zipper pull becomes a wear point, and on early 2016 releases a few Australian collectors reported the slider loosening after months of use.

For display, the zippered ball has a subtle advantage: the upper hemisphere closes flat against the lower, so the seam reads as a clean horizontal line. Pair it with a felt pad or acrylic stand and the ball photographs cleanly for online listings on Australian marketplaces, where clean shell lines tend to lift the final sale price.

Snap button Poké Balls and the satisfying click

Snap button closures arrived on several of the smaller Clip 'n' Carry balls in the lineup, particularly those released with lighter Pokémon such as Pikachu, Pichu and the anniversary Pikachu variants. The closure relies on a moulded plastic stud on the upper shell that clicks into a matching socket on the lower shell, with a small thumb-sized tab to pop it open again.

The feel of a snap button ball is hard to describe. It closes with a tactile, almost audible click that mimics the snap from the anime, a deliberate cue for adult fans. Younger collectors in suburbs across Sydney's Inner West and Hobart's North Shore pick up on the click as a small reward every time the toy is closed.

Collectors who rotate their displays weekly tend to prefer the snap button mechanism, since the single-hand open suits quick swaps between figures. The drawback is that the lid can sit slightly proud of the lower shell when bumped, and over years the socket may loosen and lead to a ball that no longer stays fully closed on its own.

Drawstring Poké Balls for soft-shell releases

A handful of releases in the collection used a drawstring closure rather than a hard latch, particularly the softer fabric shells that doubled as carrying pouches for plush inserts. The drawstring sits inside a fabric channel around the rim of the upper hemisphere, and pulling the two cord ends gathers the top into a soft pouch.

The Pokémon inside the Clip drawstring versions tended to be the more delicate figures, with releases such as Mew and Shaymin shipped this way to protect the paintwork on smaller details. The soft closure absorbs small knocks and avoids the rigid clamping force of a hard latch, which can chip delicate fins or horns on fragile figures.

For display, a drawstring ball has a different charm. It slumps slightly when placed on a shelf, giving the figure a soft, almost plush-toy stance that contrasts with the rigid posture of a snap or zip closure. Many Australian collectors pair drawstring balls with vintage plush from earlier generations, leaning into the toy-like feel of the closure. The softer shell also suits buyers who want a Poké Ball that doubles as a travel pouch for small accessories on a day out.

What Australian collectors weigh up

The Australian collector market has its own quirks, and they shape how each closure type is valued. Local buyers tend to prize boxes and shells in clean condition, so any mechanism prone to wear shows the sleek silhouette collectors want on a shelf.

A few patterns stand out across the local scene. Boxes with the original cardboard insert from EB Games or Big W tend to clear higher prices on Australian eBay listings, since the local marketplace rewards unopened stock. Mint shells with uncreased zippered seams command a small premium over scuffed examples. Snap button sockets that still click crisply are flagged as a marker of careful storage in collector forums. Drawstring cords with both ends intact and no fraying are treated as a sign of a well-kept display.

Collectors in Melbourne and Sydney also note the timing of Australian releases, with summer drops sometimes shipped through local distributors in different batches than winter drops. That timing has led to slight variations in plastic tint, which is worth watching when comparing two zippered Charizard balls side by side.

Picking a closure and looking after it

Choosing the right closure is less about which is best and more about how the toy will live in a collection. A zippered ball suits anyone who travels with their collection or photographs it often, since the rigid shell sits cleanly and survives rougher handling. A snap button ball suits buyers who open and close the toy regularly, treat it like a keychain companion, and enjoy the click. A drawstring ball appeals to plush-first collectors who want the softest possible home for a delicate figure.

What to check before buying a used Clip 'n' Carry Poké Ball in Australia

Habits that match each closure type