Pokémon Fossil Museum

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Pokémon Fossil Museum
Poster for the National Museum of Nature and Science's hosting of the exhibit (art by Hitoshi Ariga [ja]) featuring Pikachu at the center, with various Pokémon on the left and real-life prehistoric animals on the right
StatusActive
GenreExhibition
Begins4 July 2021 (2021-07-04)
CountryJapan
Organized byNational Museum of Nature and Science and host museums
PeopleDaisuke Aiba (general supervisor)
Websitewww.kahaku.go.jp/pokemon/index_en.html

The Pokémon Fossil Museum (

fossil Pokémon, along with the actual fossils of the real-life prehistoric animals and other organisms on which they were based.[1][2][3] The exhibit was created by the National Museum of Nature and Science and The Pokémon Company
.

The Pokémon Fossil Museum opened at the Mikasa City Museum in Mikasa, 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 the Hofu Science Museum in Yamaguchi Prefecture from 9 November 2024 to 24 February 2025.[1]

In July 2022, a virtual tour of the exhibit was made available online, with virtual reality (VR) headset compatibility.[2][4][5]

The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, will host the exhibit in its first stop outside of Japan from May 22, 2026 to April 11, 2027.[6]

Overview

The

fossil Pokémon" is used to refer to both ancient Pokémon brought back to life from extinction by resurrecting their fossils, and their evolutions.[7]

Designed to educate children about fossils and

Relicanth and coelacanths.[5] Throughout the exhibit are images of "excavator Pikachu", a Pikachu wearing a hat with a fossil motif.[5][8]

History

Entrance to the exhibit in the National Museum of Nature and Science in 2022

The Pokémon Fossil Museum was proposed and its development overseen by Daisuke Aiba, a senior researcher for the

Biological illustrator Genya Masukawa[13] and artist Hitoshi Ariga [ja][7]
provided the illustrations for the exhibition.

The exhibition first opened at the

ribbon cutting attended by Toyohashi mayor Koichi Sahara, representative students from Futagawa Elementary School, and a costumed mascot of excavator Pikachu.[8] Additionally, four Pokéfuta (manhole covers decorated with drawings of Pokémon) were unveiled, with intentions to place them around the city.[8]

That same month, a

Oculus Quest 2.[3][4]

Attendance and reception

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.[15] 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 by The 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.[16]

On 18 December 2022, the total number of visitors to the exhibit at the Ōita Prefectural Art Museum surpassed 10,000; the 10,000th family to attend received a stuffed toy as a souvenir.[17] On 5 January 2023, the total number of visitors to the Ōita exhibit surpassed 30,000.[18]

On 18 February 2024, the total attendance for the exhibit at the Iwate Prefectural Museum reached 30,000 visitors.[19]

Melissa T. Miller of Nerdist, in an article about the virtual tour of the exhibit, wrote that it successfully demonstrates the influence of zoology 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]

Dates at museums

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][14]
National Museum of Nature and Science Ueno, Tokyo, Japan 15 March 2022 19 June 2022 [1][20]
Toyohashi Museum of Natural History Toyohashi, Japan 16 July 2022 6 November 2022 [1][8]
Ōita Prefectural Art Museum Ōita, Japan 10 December 2022 24 January 2023 [1][21]
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]

See also

  • PokéPark — a travelling theme park that existed in 2005 and 2006

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "巡回展「ポケモン化石博物館」Pokémon Fossil Museum". Kahaku.go.jp. National Museum of Nature and Science. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Dinsdale, Ryan (13 July 2022). "Pokémon Fossil Museum Virtual Tour Lets You See the Japanese Exhibit For Yourself". IGN. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Blakemore, Erin (23 July 2022). "These Pokémon 'fossils' are intended to teach about real fossils". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Kuhnke, Oisin (14 July 2022). "You Can Now Visit Japan's Pokemon Fossil Museum Virtually". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Miller, Melissa T. (19 July 2022). "Take a Virtual Tour of Pokémon Fossils on Display in Japan". Nerdist. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  6. ^ https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/pokemon-fossil-museum-to-debut-in-north-america-at-chicagos-field-museum
  7. ^
    Oricon News (in Japanese). 24 June 2021. Archived
    from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "話題の「ポケモン化石博物館」が豊橋に！ 「カセキポケモン」をとおして古生物学を楽しく学ぼう" [The much-talked-about "Pokémon Fossil Museum" is now in Toyohashi! Let's have fun learning about paleontology through "Fossil Pokemon"]. PRTimes.jp (in Japanese). 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  9. Oricon News (in Japanese). 20 April 2021. Archived
    from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  10. ^ "＜伸びゆく君へ＞やりたい仕事、自分の中に答え 三笠市立博物館主任研究員・相場大佑さん". Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  11. ^ "ポケモン少年の夢叶う！「ポケモン化石博物館」大盛況のワケ". NHK.or.jp (in Japanese). 27 March 2024. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  12. ^ "ポケモン少年の夢叶う！「ポケモン化石博物館」大盛況のワケ". NHK.or.jp (in Japanese). 27 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  13. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived
    from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  14. ^ a b ""ポケモン化石博物館"が国立科学博物館ほかで開催決定。カセキポケモンと実際の化石の違いを見比べて学べちゃう！". Famitsu (in Japanese). 7 January 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  15. ^ "ポケモン企画展が来場１０万人突破 豊橋市自然史博物館で開催中" [Pokemon Special Exhibition Surpasses 100,000 Visitors at Toyohashi City Museum of Natural History]. Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  16. ^ "「ポケモン化石博物館」観覧者13万8995人". Higashiaichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 18 November 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  17. Yahoo! News (in Japanese). 18 December 2022. Archived
    from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  18. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). 10 January 2023. Archived from the original
    on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  19. ^ "｢ポケモン化石展｣来場3万人　盛岡､岩手県立博物館でセレモニー". Iwate Nippo (in Japanese). 19 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  20. Time Out Tokyo (in Japanese). 4 March 2022. Archived
    from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  21. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). 10 December 2022. Archived from the original
    on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.

Further reading
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pokémon_Fossil_Museum&oldid=1294972889"