Pokémon Fossil Museum will move from Chicago to Denver next year
The Pokémon Company has announced that the Pokémon Fossil Museum will open at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on May 28, 2027. The exhibition, which features large models of Fossil Pokémon alongside real fossils and casts, will close in Chicago on April 11, 2027. Its merchandise shop, including the Excavator Pikachu plush, will also move to Colorado.
The exhibition first appeared in Japan before traveling to the United States. Its American debut was at Chicago’s Field Museum, and Denver will serve as the second U.S. host. The Chicago run ends April 11, 2027; Denver opens May 28, 2027. A related London display at the Natural History Museum has less fossil-Pokémon emphasis and different merchandise. The Denver museum’s website accepts interest registrations.
The accompanying shop will relocate from Chicago to Colorado. It carries exclusive items, including the Excavator Pikachu plush. The exhibition pairs life-size Fossil Pokémon models with real fossils and casts, using signs to explain how fossils are discovered and studied in both the real world and Pokémon’s world.
The move could extend the exhibition’s reach to new regional audiences, drawing Pokémon fans and families into a science museum while giving Denver a possible tourism and membership boost. Chicago visitors and collectors may feel the loss of the shop and its exclusives, though the London and Japanese versions show the concept can travel. If successful, such crossovers may encourage museums to use popular entertainment to spark curiosity about paleontology and natural history.