The Pokémon Fossil Museum started its tour of four museums across Japan at the Mikasa City Museum in Hokkaidō. The exhibit will head to the Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe on September 20.
The Pokémon Company‘s exhibit showcases the ‘fossils’ of Pokémon characters such as Tyrantrum and Kabuto alongside real-life relics in order to introduce young visitors to palaeontology.
The attraction is similar to the Natural History Museum’s Fantastic Beasts exhibition, which draws parallels between fictional creatures and the natural world’s most spellbinding animals.
In spring 2022, the exhibit is making its way to Tokyo’s National Museum of Nature and Science before travelling to the Toyohashi Museum of Natural History in summer 2022.
Pokémon characters exhibited as ‘fossils’
Visitors will “compare Pokémon with fossils and palaeontology found in our world, discover similarities and differences, and have fun learning about palaeontology”.
Objects from the museums’ collections are exhibited beside Pokémon-themed offerings, which include models of Omanyte and Aerodactyl, as well as life-sized fossil displays of Pokémon such as Bastiodon and Tyrantrum.
The Pokémon Fossil Museum is also selling a range of official merchandise at each museum, from dinosaur-themed mugs to an archaeologist Pikachu plush toy.
Pokémon is valued at around $100bn. The touring exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the Pokémon Company, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Mikasa City Museum.
Mikasa City Museum opens Pokémon exhibit
The Pokémon Company has also partnered with Yomiuriland, Tokyo’s largest amusement park, to create a nature-driven attraction in Japan where visitors search for Pokémon.
Pokémon Wonder is an ‘amusement park’ covering 48,000 square feet of untouched forest behind Yomiuriland. It is home to 50 Pokémon hidden across two courses.
Pokémon Virtual Fest, an unfinished virtual theme park, took place last year in Japan. Users enjoyed a theme park experience with attractions, live events and shops.
Images: The Pokémon Company
