About one year from now, Pokémon fans in Chicago get a chance to experience a blast from the past in the form of the Pokémon Fossil Museum, a popular traveling exhibition from Japan, which will make its North American debut at Chicago’s Field Museum.
Indeed, the Pokémon Fossil Museum, a special exhibition that originated in Japan and juxtaposes fossil Pokémon to real-world prehistoric creatures discovered in fossil form, thus a offering unique educational experience, will open on May 22, 2026, according to an announcement from May 14.
Per the announcement:
“Trainers of all ages are invited to visit and discover the incredible world of fossils, both in the Pokémon world and in our own real world.”
What Pokémon Fossil Museum entails
Notably, ‘fossil Pokémon’ are characters that can only come to life from fossil-like states, and Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science and the Pokémon Company International has developed the exhibition to teach attendees about paleontology.
As the Pokémon Company team explained, visitors will encounter the ‘life-size’ sculpted renditions of Pokémon like Tyrantrum and Archeops side by side with actual fossil specimens, including the Field Museum’s renowned SUE the T. rex and the recently acquired Archaeopteryx fossil.
According to the press release by the Field Museum, interactive elements enhancing the exhibit experience will include guides like ‘Professor Fossil’ and ‘Excavator Pikachu’ – a Pikachu donning a cowboy hat – who, along with Field Museum scientists, will provide insights into the fossils from each world.
In the words of Jaap Hoogstraten, the Head of Exhibitions at the Field Museum, the exhibit holds an extraordinary educational value, pointing out that “the fact that Pokémon is rooted in real science is not something that most of us think about,” adding that:
“By forefronting that aspect of the story, we hope that Pokémon Fossil Museum will be a pathway to science for our visitors – especially budding paleontologists.”
It is also worth noting that this is the first time the Pokémon Fossil Museum will showcase outside Japan, where it has captivated audiences since its inception in Mikasa, Hokkaido, in 2021. The exhibit will require a separate ticket in addition to general museum admission.
Featured image courtesy of Pokémon Company website.
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