Yes, this app exists. Free on iPhone.
Turn real animals into Pokémon-style cards
Photograph any animal — your cat, a pigeon, a moth on the porch light — and dobudex redraws it as a collectible pixel-art card: real species, six battle stats, a signature trait, and a rarity the whole community earns together.
Download on the App StoreFree to try on iPhone · Android is on its way
A real scan — a small white from the vegetable patch, trait: Cabbage Garden Nomad.
Photo in, card out
Four photos from Merijn’s camera roll, run through the exact same pipeline the app uses — same species ID, same sprite generation, same card build.
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The sink loaf survives the pixels — collar, white paws and all. Trait: Silent Pounce Specialist.
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Sit, stay, sprite — harness, tongue and forest path included. Trait: Loyal Pack Bond.
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A species the catalog had never seen — identified at 100%, card built on the spot.
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Shot underwater, mouth agape — still a 95% ID. Trait: Graceful Filter Feeder.
Eighteen species. Ten days. Two people.
Eighteen species scanned by two dobudex accounts in the first ten days of July — no safari, just walks, a field, and one spider that was already in the house. Sixteen of the cards hang below; the small white opens the page, and the cat gets a section of its own.
Even the house fly got a card — Compound Vision Reflex, 95% confidence. That’s the point: everything counts.
Not a filter — a transformation
A filter would smear pixels over your photo and call it a day. dobudex does something slower and better: Vision AI first names the real species, then redraws your animal from scratch as collectible pixel art.
The card it lands on is built from real data — the scientific name, six battle stats tuned to the species, a signature trait, a biology fact worth repeating, and a rarity tier earned from how often the whole community has scanned that species. Your name and the catch date are printed at the bottom, because you caught it.
Curious what every line on a card means? The real-life Pokédex page takes one apart, pin by pin.
Start with the animal on your couch
The single most-scanned species in dobudex so far? The domestic cat. Your pet is a legitimate catch: it gets its own one-of-a-kind sprite, species-tuned stats, and a trait like Silent Pounce Specialist — printed on a card with your name as the one who caught it.
Then the game starts pulling you outward. Once the cat is card #001, the sparrow outside is #002, and the heron at the pond on your commute is suddenly worth the detour.
FAQ
Is there an app that turns animals into Pokémon?
Yes — dobudex, free to try on iPhone (Android is on its way). Photograph any real animal and it becomes a Pokémon-style pixel-art card: the real species, six battle stats, a signature trait, and a rarity earned from how often the community has scanned it.
Can I turn my cat or dog into a Pokémon-style card?
Yes — pets absolutely count. The single most-scanned species in dobudex so far is the domestic cat. Your cat gets its own sprite, stats, a trait like Silent Pounce Specialist, and a card with your name on it.
Is it just a filter over my photo?
No. Vision AI first identifies the real species, then the animal is redrawn from scratch as pixel-art — and the card carries real data: the scientific name, six stats tuned to the species, a signature trait, a biology fact, and an earned rarity tier.
Does it work on insects and other small animals?
Yes, anything you can photograph is identified at species level: butterflies, moths, damselflies, snails, spiders, even a house fly. Some of the best cards on this page are animals most people walk straight past.
Is dobudex free?
It’s free to download and try. After your free scans, an optional Explorer subscription keeps you scanning — but every game feature (the stats, rarity, traits, and your Dex) is identical on the free and paid tiers. The subscription only buys more scans.
I want to scan Pokémon trading cards — is this that?
No — dobudex turns live animals into new cards; it doesn’t recognise Pokémon TCG cards. If you’re after collection tracking or card prices, search the App Store for a TCG card scanner instead.
Is dobudex affiliated with Pokémon or Nintendo?
No. “Pokémon-style” describes what the cards feel like, nothing more. dobudex is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, or GAME FREAK.
Weighing your options? We’ve honestly compared all twelve apps that turn real animals into a collection.
Your first card is in the room with you
Or just outside the window. Go check.
Download on the App StoreFree to try on iPhone · Android is on its way
Reading this on a laptop? Point your iPhone camera here.