| Pokémon Fossil Museum | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Poster for theNational Museum of Nature and Science's hosting of the exhibit (art byHitoshi Ariga [ja]) featuringPikachu at the center, with various Pokémon on the left and real-life prehistoric animals on the right | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Exhibition |
| Begins | 4 July 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| Country | Japan |
| Organized by | National Museum of Nature and Science and host museums |
| People | Daisuke Aiba (general supervisor) |
| Website | www |
ThePokémon Fossil Museum (Japanese:ポケモン化石博物館,Hepburn:Pokemon kaseki hakubutsukan) is atravelling exhibition based on thePokémon media franchise, displaying illustrations and "life-size" sculpted renditions of the skeletons offossil Pokémon, along with the actualfossils of the real-life prehistoric animals and other organisms on which they were based.[1][2][3] The exhibit was created by theNational Museum of Nature and Science andThe Pokémon Company.
The Pokémon Fossil Museum opened at theMikasa City Museum inMikasa, Hokkaido, Japan, on 4 July 2021, and remained there until 20 September.[1][4] It has since travelled to other museums, and is currently on display at theTokushima Prefectural Museum inTokushima Prefecture from 4 October 2025 to 28 December 2025.[1]
In July 2022, avirtual tour of the exhibit was made available online, withvirtual reality (VR) headset compatibility.[2][4][5]
The Pokémon Fossil Museum's last appearance in Japan will be at the Mie Prefectural Museum from 17 January 2026 to 5 April 2026.[1]
The Field Museum inChicago, Illinois, will host the exhibit in its first stop outside of Japan from 22 May 2026 to 11 April 2027.[6][7]
ThePokémon media franchise, created bySatoshi Tajiri in 1996, is centered on fictional creatures called "Pokémon". In thePokémon video games and related media, the term "fossil Pokémon" is used to refer to both ancient Pokémon brought back to life from extinction by resurrecting their fossils, and their evolutions.[8]
Designed to educate children about fossils anddinosaurs, the Pokémon Fossil Museum features "life-size", three-dimensional sculpted models of the skeletons of fossil Pokémon, along with illustrations of the Pokémon and diagrams of their fictional skeletal structures;[2][3][9] alongside the Pokémon are illustrations and actual excavated fossils of their real-life prehistoric counterparts, with informational signs providing facts about the animals and organisms upon which the Pokémon were based.[2] The layout of the exhibition is intended to allow visitors to compare the fictional Pokémon with their real-life inspirations.[9] Some of the comparisons featured in the exhibit includeOmanyte andammonites;[2]Aerodactyl andpterosaurs;[2][5]Archen andArchaeopteryx;[8]Tyrantrum andTyrannosaurus;[3][4]Aurorus andAmargasaurus;[10] andBastiodon andceratopsian dinosaurs likeTriceratops.[2] Also featured are fossil Pokémon based onliving fossils—extant taxon that cosmetically resemble related species from the fossil record—such asKabuto andhorseshoe crabs, andRelicanth andcoelacanths.[5] Throughout the exhibit are images of "excavatorPikachu", a Pikachu wearing a hat with a fossil motif.[5][9]
The Pokémon Fossil Museum was proposed and its development overseen by Daisuke Aiba, a senior researcher for theMikasa City Museum,[8][11][12] who conceived the idea in 2019.[13] In an interview withOricon, Aiba stated, "Since I was a child, I have loved Pokémon andpaleontology," and explained that he and the other organizers of the exhibit wanted to introduce paleontology to children through the use of fossil Pokémon.[8]Biological illustrator Genya Masukawa[14] and artistHitoshi Ariga [ja][8] provided the illustrations for the exhibition.
The exhibition first opened at theMikasa City Museum inMikasa, Hokkaido, on 4 July 2021, and remained there until 20 September.[1][4] It then moved to the Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe inŌda, Shimane, from 9 October 2021 to 30 January 2022,[15] before travelling to the Toyohashi Museum of Natural History inToyohashi, where it opened on 16 July 2022.[9] Due to rain, the opening ceremony was held inside the building, and featured aribbon cutting attended by Toyohashi mayor Koichi Sahara, representative students from Futagawa Elementary School, and a costumed mascot of excavator Pikachu.[9] Additionally, fourPokéfuta (manhole covers decorated with drawings of Pokémon) were unveiled, with intentions to place them around the city.[9]
That same month, avirtual tour of the Pokémon Fossil Museum was made available online.[2][4][5] As well as being able to virtually explore the exhibition using a smartphone or computer, there is an option to navigate it using avirtual reality (VR) headset, with the website recommending the use of theOculus Quest 2.[3][4]
On 10 October 2022, the total number of visitors to the Pokémon Fossil Museum at the Toyohashi Museum of Natural History surpassed 100,000, with the 100,000th family to attend being given a commemorative gift.[16] By the time the exhibit ended its 99-day run at the museum on 6 November 2022, the total attendance count was estimated at over 138,000; this broke previous record for the number of visitors to a special exhibition at the Toyohashi Museum, held byThe World of Dinosaurs Revived (今よみがえる恐竜の世界,Ima yomigaeru kyōryū no sekai), which attracted 53,000 visitors in 1993 over a 57-day run.[17]
On 18 December 2022, the total number of visitors to the exhibit at theŌita Prefectural Art Museum surpassed 10,000; the 10,000th family to attend received a stuffed toy as a souvenir.[18] On 5 January 2023, the total number of visitors to the Ōita exhibit surpassed 30,000.[19]
On 18 February 2024, the total attendance for the exhibit at theIwate Prefectural Museum reached 30,000 visitors.[20]
Melissa T. Miller ofNerdist, in an article about the virtual tour of the exhibit, wrote that it successfully demonstrates the influence ofzoology on the design of Pokémon, and that, though the displays throughout the exhibit feature Japanese text, "they include enough pictures and obvious comparisons between the real-life animals and Pokémon to make it universally interesting."[5]
| Museum | Location | Opened | Closed | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikasa City Museum | Mikasa, Hokkaido, Japan | 4 July 2021 | 20 September 2021 | [1][4] |
| Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe | Ōda, Shimane, Japan | 9 October 2021 | 30 January 2022 | [1][15] |
| National Museum of Nature and Science | Ueno,Tokyo, Japan | 15 March 2022 | 19 June 2022 | [1][21] |
| Toyohashi Museum of Natural History | Toyohashi, Japan | 16 July 2022 | 6 November 2022 | [1][9] |
| Ōita Prefectural Art Museum | Ōita, Japan | 10 December 2022 | 24 January 2023 | [1][22] |
| Niigata Science Museum | Niigata, Japan | 4 March 2023 | 25 June 2023 | [1] |
| Gunma Museum of Natural History | Tomioka, Japan | 15 July 2023 | 18 September 2023 | [1] |
| 23 September 2023 | 3 December 2023 | |||
| Iwate Prefectural Museum | Morioka, Japan | 19 December 2023 | 3 March 2024 | [1] |
| Mifune Dinosaur Museum | Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan | 20 March 2024 | 23 June 2024 | [1] |
| Gifu Prefectural Museum | Seki, Gifu, Japan | 19 July 2024 | 27 October 2024 | [1] |
| Hofu Science Museum "Solar" | Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan | 9 November 2024 | 25 February 2025 | [1] |
| Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum | Fukui Prefecture, Japan | 8 March 2024 | 25 May 2025 | [1] |
| Nagasaki City Dinosaur Museum | Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan | 7 June 2025 | 21 September 2025 | [1] |
| Tokushima Prefectural Museum | Tokushima Prefecture, Japan | 4 October 2025 | 28 December 2025 | [1] |
| Mie Prefectural Museum | Mie Prefecture, Japan | 17 January 2026 | 5 April 2026 | [1] |
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