As a lifelong Pokemon fan, I’m always intrigued by what The Pokemon Company does to showcase its brand, and it’s come up with some clever ideas over the years beyond games, merch, and anime shows/movies. For example, did you know that there was a Pokemon Fossil Museum in Japan? It’s true. The exhibition itself highlights the fossil structure of Pokemon from the games (which you find the fossils of and then “revive them”) and then compares them to the actual dinosaurs that lived long ago. It’s been a huge hit in Japan, and now, in 2026, the Chicago Field Museum will get the exhibit.
Here’s an official description of the event:
“During your visit, you’ll see vibrant Pokémon models side by side with extinct lifeforms from the Field Museum’s collection — including scientific casts of Field Museum dinosaurs like SUE the T. rex and the Chicago Archaeopteryx next to Fossil Pokémon like Tyrantrum and Archeops. How many differences (and similarities) will you spot, Trainers?”
If you don’t think you’ll be able to see the Pokemon Fossil Museum at that time, there is one other way to view it. There’s a virtual tour that you can scroll through here.
If you CAN make it to the museum, you might want to go to the Chicago Field Museum website and sign up for updates, that way you know more about when it’ll open next year.
