Exhibit combining Pokémon and real fossils opens at Chicago Field Museum
"Gotta catch 'em all" is a catchphrase that both Pokémon enthusiasts and paleontologists on the hunt for fossils can relate to.
Now, fans of the beloved megafranchise and dinosaurs alike can convene at the Chicago Field Museum for the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition -- a display that brings the worlds of Pokémon and paleontology together.
The exhibit, developed by Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science, aims to connect real science to the popular fantasy world, which is partially inspired by real prehistoric animals, Arjan Mann, assistant curator of fossil fishes and early tetrapods for the Chicago Field Museum, told ABC News.
Daisuke Aiba, a researcher at the Fukada Geological Institute in Tokyo, conceptualized the exhibit, which became widely popular in Japan.
Aiba "really loved" Pokémon and wanted to integrate both that world and the real world natural history influences, Mann said. The collaboration, which also included the Tokyo Museum and The Pokémon Company, adapted the exhibit to an American audience, he added.
Visitors will be able to view dozens of Pokémon sculptures -- such as Tyrantrum and Archeops -- alongside real-world fossils. Those include a head cast of SUE the Tyrannosaurus rex, the largest fossil at the museum, and the Chicago Archaeopteryx, a rare fossil that reveals the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds.
The exhibit will feature several other plant and animal specimens. The 300 million-year-old Tully Monster, dubbed the state fossil because it has been exclusively found in the Mazon Creek fossil beds in northeastern Illinois, will also be on display.
"This really truly is spanning the entirety of paleontology and our fossil natural history, so it will be representations of every type of fossil, even amber, in the exhibit," Mann said.
"Professors" from the Pokémon world will be featured, along with franchise mascot Pikachu, who will be playing the role of excavator, according to the museum. Fossils featured in the color red are real, while those labeled in blue are from the Pokemon universe.
This marks the first time the exhibit is viewable outside of Japan, the birthplace of the Pokémon franchise, since its opening there in 2021.
"This is a really good example of science and natural history working with pop culture to showcase how cool and influential both are to us as humans," Mann said.
Thousands of people are waiting in online queues for tickets, with the museum website indicating a "high level" of interest in the exhibit.
The exhibit opened Friday and will run through April 11, 2027.
