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Postcard

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Revision as of 05:53, May 27, 2023 by Soprano (talk | contribs) (While the pose names and descriptions are nice, they don't really fit the encyclopedic tone of Pikipedia.)
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A Pikmin carrying a postcard sent to the player, name censored for privacy.
A Pikmin carrying a postcard.

Postcards (ポストカード?, lit.: "Postcard") are items in Pikmin Bloom. They can be obtained through completing expeditions and mushroom battles. Postcards will contain the photo and name of a nearby location. Some of the Pikmin in the player's squad will be overlaid on the photo. The player can store up to 400 postcards initially, with storage expansions available in the shop. When the limit is reached, the game will prompt the player to either purchase a storage upgrade, manage the postcards in their collection, or agree to stop receiving postcards until more storage space is made available. Postcards can be viewed and discarded in the postcard menu.

Postcards can be sent to friends, and the player can select a Pikmin to carry the postcard. After being sent, both Pikmin and postcard will travel for 12 hours before appearing in the recipient's garden, regardless of the distance between players. Another postcard cannot be sent to the same friend for 24 hours after a postcard is dispatched. Once a player receives a postcard from a friend, the selected Pikmin will be holding a rolled-up envelope. Tapping on it will unveil the received postcard, along with some information about who sent it. After receiving a postcard, it can be found in the player's postcard menu with the messenger's Mii located on the bottom-right corner. If the receiving player has not sent a postcard to the sending player in the past 24 hours, the game will then show a prompt offering the option to send a reciprocating postcard.

Expedition Postcards

Postcards can be obtained from expeditions when an expedition appears near the location of a Wayspot on Niantic's Wayfarer map (the same online map that Big Flowers and Mushrooms get their locations from). While the effective range for this to occur is unknown at this time, it is likely the radius is either the same or double the size of a Big Flower's radius. As long as a player doesn't already own a copy of a location's postcard, it is likely one will be brought back with a nearby expedition's bounty. This limitation applies to expedition postcards even if a held copy originates from another player. However, if a postcard is being delivered to another player, the sender can obtain a new copy of the same postcard while the delivery is taking place. In this scenario, should the sent copy not be received before the three day time limit expires, the original postcard will be returned to the sender's inventory. In this manner, a player may obtain additional copies of the same expedition postcard.

Mushroom battle postcards do not suffer these limitations. However, if a player does not already own a copy of a mushroom's postcard, they can obtain one from a nearby expedition.

Design

Example of a postcard collected from an expedition.
A postcard collected from an expedition.

The background color of a postcard depends on how it was obtained. White postcards are obtained from expeditions and 1-star scores on mushroom battles. Bronze, silver, and gold postcards are obtained from 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star scores on mushroom battles respectively.

The left two-thirds of a postcard contains a photograph of a location. This location can be a point of interest that a Big Flower or mushroom battle is found at, or it can be any landmark in Niantic's database. A few Pikmin from the expedition or mushroom battle will be placed on top of the image in various poses. The name of the landmark in the photograph is in the top left, and below that in smaller text is the name of the general area the landmark is in, such as the town or suburb.

The right third of a postcard is mostly empty for expedition postcards, but in mushroom battle postcards it contains extra information. The name of the type of mushroom is shown in bold black text, then the text "Mushroom battle clear!" is shown in green italic text. Below that, a number of star icons based on the result of the challenge is shown, and below that, the exact score is written in gray.

In the top right of all postcards, there is a stamp. There are 4 stamp designs and the one on the postcard is randomly chosen. One design has a banana, one has a blueberry, one has a strawberry, and one has a pair of cherries.

Poses

In addition to a photo of its location, a postcard's image features the Pikmin sent to its originating expedition or mushroom battle. The maximum number of depicted Pikmin is 5, those being the first Pikmin selected for the respective task. Which pose the Pikmin take is dependent upon how many Pikmin are sent to the expedition or mushroom battle that yields the postcard. Note that Rock and Winged Pikmin do not always share the same posing as other colours. This rule can also apply to certain inflexible Decor costumes. A Pikmin's size may slightly alter its positioning within a pose as well.

Number of Pikmin Image Details
5+ A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A group of 5 Pikmin marching towards the left side of the image.
A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A group of 5 Pikmin jumping in celebration.
3-4 A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A group of 3 or 4 Pikmin following each other in a line as they run to the left, looking towards the camera.
A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A group of 3 or 4 Pikmin leaping across the image.
1-4 A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. Between 1 and 4 Pikmin sit just beneath the camera's line of sight, their stems poking into the frame.
1-2 A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. 1 or 2 Pikmin frame either side of the image with a friendly gesture.
A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. 1 or 2 Pikmin are shown, one seemingly wandering whilst the other advances more boldly.
1 A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A single Pikmin pokes its head into the frame from the bottom of the image.
A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A Pikmin standing in the bottom right of the frame, waving.
A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A Pikmin standing very close to the camera, obscuring most of the image. A rare pose.
A postcard pose in Pikmin Bloom. A Pikmin hangs upside-down from the top of the frame. A rare pose.

History

The following changes have been made to postcards over time:

Update or date Changes
44.0 Accompanying the renaming of Challenges to Mushrooms, changed the wording on mushroom battle postcards from "Challenge clear!" to "Mushroom battle clear!"
May 8th, 2022 Postcards collected on this date only have a special flower-themed pink background and a special carnation stamp, for the Mother's Day event.
June 18th and 19th, 2022 Postcards collected on these dates only have a special flower-themed purple background and a special rose stamp, for the Father's Day event.
October 14th to October 31st, 2022 Postcards collected during this period have one of 3 special Halloween-themed backgrounds and stamps, for the Halloween event.
December 12th to December 31st, 2022 Postcards collected during this period have a special winter-themed background and stamp, for the Mitten Decor event. During the overlap period with the New Year's event, postcards can have either the winter or New Year's design.
December 26th, 2022 to January 15th, 2023 Postcards collected during this period have a special 2023 New Year's themed background and stamp, for the 2023 New Year's event. During the overlap period with the Mitten Decor event, postcards can have either the winter or New Year's design.
February 6th, 2023 to February 26th, 2023 Postcards collected during this period have a special Valentine's-themed background and stamp, for the 2023 Valentine's event.
March 1st, 2023 to March 31st, 2023 Postcards collected during this period have a special St. Patrick's-themed background and stamp, for the 2023 St. Patrick's event.
April 1st, 2023 to April 30th, 2023 Postcards collected during this period have a special Easter-themed background and stamp, for the 2023 Easter event.

Gallery

Event Postcards Stamps
Standard A standard postcard backing in Pikmin Bloom. A bronze mushroom battle postcard in Pikmin Bloom. A standard postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom. A standard postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom. Weird that these are named after the seasons, they aren't constrained by timeframe.
A silver mushroom battle postcard in Pikmin Bloom. A gold mushroom battle postcard in Pikmin Bloom. A standard postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom. A standard postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom.
Mother's Day 2022 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Mother's Day 2022. An event stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for Mother's Day 2022.
Father's Day 2022 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Father's Day 2022. An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Father's Day 2022.
Halloween 2022 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Halloween 2022. An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Halloween 2022. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for Halloween 2022. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for Halloween 2022.
An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Halloween 2022. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for Halloween 2022.
Year-End Holidays 2022 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for winter holidays 2022. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for winter holidays 2022.
New Year's 2022 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for  New Year's 2023. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for New Year's 2023.
Valentine's 2023 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Valentine's 2023. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for Valentine's 2023.
St. Patrick's 2023 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for St. Patrick's Day 2023. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for St. Patrick's Day 2023.
Easter 2023 An event postcard in Pikmin Bloom, for Easter 2023. An event postcard stamp in Pikmin Bloom, for Easter 2023.

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Flag of Japan Japanese ポストカード?
Posutokādo
Postcard
Flag of Germany German Postkarte Postcard
Flag of Brazil Portuguese (NoA) Cartão-postal Postcard
Flag of Mexico Spanish (NoA) Carte postale Postcard