Starting tomorrow, May 22nd, The Pokemon Company will debut its latest museum collaboration. Following the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands and the Natural History Museum in the UK, Chicago's sprawling Field Museum will host the Pokemon Fossil Museum.
The temporary exhibit will “provide a one-of-a-kind experience that celebrates discovery, imagination and our natural world by inviting comparisons between fossil Pokémon and the fossils of our world.” This, one can hope, will facilitate a ton of new business.
However, while there will be Pluses and Pins galore, there's no need to panic, as the collaboration won't feature special promo Pokemon cards.
The Pokemon Company has clearly learned its lesson from the Van Gogh Museum disaster. Crowds from all over Europe flocked to the Netherlands to get Pikachu on a Gray Felt Hat card. This led to disruptions and fights at the museum, resulting in the promo being pulled and four employees losing their jobs. That card is now worth over $1,000, and apparently, in the state of the Pokemon TCG that it is, Pokemon is playing it smart.
The Pokemon Fossil Museum will be at the Chicago Field Museum, home of Sue, the world's most complete T. rex fossil. It will run from May 22, 2026 to April 11, 2027, and will compare fossil Pokemon like Tyrantrum to the world-famous Sue. I was only there last January, so I'm very sad that I missed it.
There will be some pretty cool merchandise available at the event, including Excavator Pikachu plushes, mugs, pins, clothing and more. What there won't be, however, is a new promo card. The event will feature trading card accessories, including playmats, but no actual promo cards will be available. Of course, given the play at the Van Gogh Museum, it makes a lot of sense, but there's a lot of good, creative potential that we're missing out on.
The event will be ticketed, and merchandise will be “periodically restocked.” However, all items will be subject to a purchase limit of five items, including one Excavator Pikachu, and will only be available “while supplies last.”
- Created by
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Satoshi Tajiri
- First movie
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Pokemon: The First Movie
- The latest movie
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The Pokemon Movie: Secrets of the Jungle
- First episode air date
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April 1, 1997
- video game(s)
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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon GO, Pokemon GO, Pokemon Sk, Pokemon Unit, Pokemon Scarlet, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Masters EX, Pokemon TCG Live
