New Pokemon Exhibit Could Become a Repeat Van Gogh Pikachu Fiasco

Pokemon might be popular around the world, but many of the most unique experiences will be found only in Japan. From the Pokemon Cafe to the Pokemon Sleep hotel experience, there are a lot of exciting things that we in the U.S. have to travel to enjoy. However, at least one of those in-person adventures is headed to North America in 2026. The Pokemon Fossil Museum, which has never previously toured outside of Japan, will be headed to Chicago, Illinois on May 22nd, 2026. And while that’s exciting news, it also has the potential to be a bit of a mess.

This unique exhibit brings together Pokemon models with actual fossils for a one-of-a-kind experience, and from the photos, it looks incredibly cool. Yet some fans can’t hear “Pokemon” and “museum” in the same sentence without remembering the Pokemon x Van Gogh exhibit incident. This now-infamous 2023 collab was another cool twist on bringing Pokemon together with real museum contents for a truly unique offering. The exhibit featured the work of Van Gogh alongside Pokemon paintings inspired by his work, including Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat and Sunflora in the stylings of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.” That all sounds good, except for one big issue – scalpers.

You see, the Pokemon x Van Gogh exhibit featured an exclusive line of collab merch with the Pokemon Van Gogh art. That includes the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat Promo card, a special Pokemon TCG card featuring the painting from the exhibit. Like with many rare Pokemon items, resellers assumed this limited-edition item could be worth big bucks. And so, they flooded the exhibit in an attempt to get their hands on the card. Or, several copies of the card, if they could. In fact, the issue became so severe, the Van Gogh Museum actually stopped giving out the promo cards for “safety and security reasons.” So while I want us all to be able to enjoy the Pokemon Fossil Museum’s North American debut, I’m a little afraid of what that’s going to look like.

Can Pokemon Fans Have Nice Things from the Pokemon Fossil Museum?

All this Van Gogh Pikachu card drama, mind you, was in 2023. While things have always ebbed and flowed, the Pokemon TCG market is certainly at a peak when it comes to high demand. We’ve seen fights in Costco and massive markups from local card stores for basically every new release that’s arrived since Prismatic Evolutions launched earlier this year. And that climate has me worried when it comes to the Pokemon Fossil Museum exhibit.

The exhibit making its way to Chicago should be a fun opportunity for U.S. Pokemon fans to enjoy a unique way of engaging with the franchise. By combining Pokemon fossil figures with real ones, it’s a great excuse to bring the family to the museum to learn something while also having a fun Pokemon time. But given that this is the first time the exhibit has left Japan, it’s hard to predict how it’s going to go.

RELATED: New Leak Reveals Unannounced Pokemon TCG Premium Collection

Thus far, The Pokemon Company has not announced any special tie-in merch or promo items. However, the Field Museum website invites fans to sign up for “exclusive updates” about the exhibition, and that could well mean they’ve got something of that nature lined up. Just that Pikachu in a little archaeologist hat in the logo screams future promo card or merch opportunity. Of course, the updates in question could also be as simple as when tickets go on sale. But if there’s any kind of exclusive tie-in merch with this new exhibition, it’s likely we’re going to see demand well exceed what the museum can reasonably accommodate. And that’s a huge bummer for something that should just be a cool new Pokemon adventure for fans.

Hopefully, The Pokemon Company and the Field Museum already have solid plans in place for how they’ll manage demand, whether or not any exclusive items are revealed. I certainly hope this goes over well, because I’d love to see more things like this closer to home in the future.

For those hoping to enjoy the exhibition, it will be at the Chicago Field Muesum starting on May 22nd, 2026. The exhibit will require a special, separate ticket to enjoy. These tickets are not yet on sale and will likely be available closer to the starting date.