Thinknoodles Plays Pokémon Wonderlocke: the first Wonder Trade and a tearful goodbye to Grubbin
Nearly half an hour of strategic Pokémon gameplay commentary. Genuine game knowledge, not just chaos.
Episode two of Thinknoodles' Pokémon Wonderlocke series, a self-imposed challenge run with its own strict rules, and it's proper strategic gameplay commentary rather than shouty chaos. It's a long watch at nearly 28 minutes, but a good one for a Pokémon-literate kid who actually follows the strategy rather than just wanting noise.
At a glance
Will it actually calm them down?
Great on Rainy days (flat, weary)Scores measure how reliably this video moves a child toward a settled, regulated state. In the Piko app, kids tell us their weather and we do the matching automatically.
Which kids will love it?
Why it works
Shots average 4.5 seconds and our review flags loud music and bright colours, a fairly restrained sensory profile for gaming content, landing at moderate overall intensity. Safety scores at the very top of our scale.
The appeal here is genuine game literacy: a Wonderlocke run adds self-imposed rules (each Pokémon is traded away rather than caught normally, raising the stakes), and Thinknoodles talks through the strategy and the rules as he goes. For a child who already knows Pokémon well, that's real depth, not just spectacle.
Our review is clear about who this doesn't suit: children sensitive to high-energy presenters, and very young or Pokémon-new viewers who might find the mechanics genuinely confusing. This is a video for the fan, not the newcomer.
When to reach for it
- The Pokémon-literate kid who follows the strategy. Real rules, real stakes, genuine gameplay depth.
- The long car journey with a dedicated fan aboard. Nearly 28 minutes of sustained, strategic commentary.
- Not for a Pokémon beginner. Our review flags the mechanics as potentially too complex for a very young or new-to-Pokémon viewer.
Sensory & SEN notes
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Questions parents ask
What is a 'Wonderlocke'?
A self-imposed challenge format some Pokémon players use: extra rules layered onto the normal game, in this case built around trading. It rewards viewers who already understand the basics.
Does my child need to know Pokémon already?
Ideally yes. Our review flags the mechanics as potentially too complex for a very young or Pokémon-new viewer to follow easily.
Is the presenter loud?
Enthusiastic and energetic, and our review flags this as something to know if your child finds high-energy presenters overwhelming.
What age suits this best?
Our scoring points to roughly 8 to 11, matching an established Pokémon fan with the patience for a longer, strategy-focused video.
40+ checks per video, with a final pass from the review desk · Scored 17 July 2026 · We do not host videos; playback is via YouTube's official embed.