A museum exhibiting “real"Pokémonfossils will be opening in Chicago a year from now. Fossil Pokémon have long been a part of the series, first featured all the way back in Generation 1’sPokémon Red and Blue, and the concept of bringing recreations into real life has been used inprehistoricPokémonexhibitsbefore.
According to thePokémonwebsite (viaNintendo Life),the Pokémon Fossil Museum will open in Chicago’s Field Museum on July 01, 2025, just over a year from now. “Real” Pokémon fossils will be displayed next to actual fossils held in Chicago, including the famed T. rex skeleton Sue and the Chicago Archaeopteryx. Fossil Pokémon featured in the exhibit will include Tyrantrum and Archeops.
Pokémon Fossil Museum Will Open In Chicago In 2026
The Exhibit’s First Time Outside Of Japan
The Pokémon Fossil Museum coming to Chicago in May 2026 marksthe first time the exhibit has left Japan. Fans could previously see thePokémon Fossil Museum through a virtual tourwhen it was held at the Toyohashi Museum of Natural History. There is no indication from The Pokémon Company of how long the exhibit will remain in Chicago’s Field Museum, only that it starts on July 08, 2025.
The announcement promises that"you’ll see vibrant Pokémon models side by side with extinct lifeforms from the Field Museum’s collection.“The Field Museum has long been known for its extensive fossil and artifact collection, the most famous of which is arguably Sue, one of the most complete T. rex skeletons to ever be unearthed.
Our Take: A Great Way To Encourage Learning About Natural History
It Gets People Interested In Real Fossils
The Pokémon Fossil Museum is a very clever idea, and it’s wonderful that it’s coming to North America next year.Pokémonas a franchise seemingly recognizes that it has the opportunity to promote learning within its fandom, andputting Pokémon fossils in direct comparison with real fossils is a great way to encourage people of all ages to learn about natural history.
Anupcoming Pokémon ecology bookis another example of the franchise drawing parallels to real-life science. Pokémon may not be real, but the brand has a wealth of passion from its fans, which can be leveraged to broach real topics like natural history and biology. We can only hope that thePokémonFossil Museum’s exhibit in Chicago, being billed as its “North America debut,” is just the start of a larger tour across the Pacific.
