Could I publish an image in a book of someone else's character if it is redrawn as a stuffed animal?

I am a small business owner of a publishing company. We are about to publish our first book, but as I go through it, I realize that it contains a stuffed animal version of the highly recognizable (to my target demographic) character Pikachu from the cartoon Pokemon. The image in question is hand drawn by one of our artists and does not represent the character, but is merely something that might normally be found in the situation it is in (it is located on a young teenage girl's bed and helps identify her as cute). I would like to keep it in because it does help showcase the character but I am afraid that despite Pikachu's ubiquity this is infringement, however I would like to know for sure. Thank you for your time.