The wacky Pokémon exhibition that puts Poké-fossils alongside real fossils is coming to the United States

The Pokémon Fossil museum has announced a special exhibition at Chicago's Field Museum that will open its doors in May 2026. The exhibition puts fantasy fossils of Pokémon alongside real fossils, and invites viewers to compare and contrast.

In the case of the Chicago field museum, that means things like SUE the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is one of the world's best-known fossils and has a good case for being the most impressive T.Rex fossil ever found. It's the biggest by far, 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip, as well as being one of the most complete fossils of this type with around 90% of its bones. Attendees will be able to compare SUE to the T-Rex inspired Pokémon Tyrantum's fossil remains.

Chicago also boasts the Chicago Archaeopteryx, which was crucial in revealing the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. It'll be displayed next to the Pokémon Archeops. So while trainers may well be pulled in by all the Poké-fun, there's no arguing with the exhibition's paleontological bona fides.

The Pokémon Company notes that this "marks the first time the exhibition will travel outside of Japan" though its also refers to the Chicago special exhibition as a tour stop: so don't be surprised to see this turning up elsewhere in future years.

Regardless, ever since 2022 The Pokémon Company and Toyohashi Museum of Natural History have operated an online virtual tour of the exhibit. Don't think too hard about taking a virtual tour of fake fossils, and just have a play around on the website: it's a great diversion, and perfect for dino-mad kids (and grown ups) who also love Pokémon.

The Pokémon Fossil special exhibition opens its doors on May 22, 2026, and you can book tickets on the Chicago Field Museum's website.