The Pokémon Fossil Museum which first began in Japan in 2021, is now coming to Chicago’s Field Museum on May 22nd, 2026.

Pokémon Fossil Museum to Debut in North America at Chicago’s Field Museum

See a variety of Fossil Pokémon side by side with real-world fossils next year. Ready your paleontology gear, Trainers! A new learning experience opens its doors at Chicago’s Field Museum on May 22, 2026—the Pokémon Fossil Museum! The Pokémon Fossil Museum is a special exhibition that started in Japan, comparing Fossil Pokémon with ancient lifeforms found in real-world fossils. The exhibition makes its North America debut at Chicago’s Field Museum, and 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.


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?

The Chicago tour stop in 2026 marks the first time the exhibition will travel outside of Japan—keep the Field Museum’s website handy so you don’t miss future updates!

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/pokemon-fossil-museum-to-debut-in-north-america-at-chicagos-field-museum

Press Release - Pokémon Fossil Museum Special Exhibition to Make North American Debut at Chicago's Field Museum

CHICAGO – Pokémon Fossil Museum, the Japanese special exhibition that compares beloved characters from the popular video games to real-life dinosaurs and other ancient animals, will be making its North American debut at the Field Museum in Chicago next year.


The subject of the exhibition is “fossil Pokémon,” which are characters that can only be revived from fossil-like states. Developed by Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science and The Pokémon Company International, the exhibition aims to teach visitors about paleontology by connecting Pokémon characters to the real, stranger-than-fiction animals that actually lived on Earth many millennia ago.

"Professor Fossil” from the Pokémon world, his helper “Excavator Pikachu," and Field Museum scientists will help visitors explore the exhibition and take a close look at the fossils from each world.

The exhibition is a natural fit for the Field Museum, which houses many famous fossils, including SUE the T. rex, the most complete adult Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found.

“The fact that Pokémon is rooted in real science is not something that most of us think about,” said Jaap Hoogstraten, Head of Exhibitions at the Field Museum. “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.”

Pokémon Fossil Museum will open at the Field Museum on May 22, 2026. Updates will be available online at fieldmuseum.org/pokemon.

The Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition was created by the Field Museum in Chicago, the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, and The Pokémon Company International.

Source: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/about/press/pokemon-fossil-museum-special-exhibition-to-make-north-american-debut-at-chicago