The Tamesis
London’s Natural History Museum is hosting a Pokémon pop-up store later this month, and the event has proven popular enough to have sold out of limited-time tickets before it even opened.
according to london timeoutthe pop-up will take place at the museum’s Cranbourne Boutique from January 26 to April 19, after being postponed due to demand.
The collaboration, titled “Pokémon Ecology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology,” includes exclusive merchandise designed around the overlap between the Pokémon universe and the museum’s scientific collection, including apparel, stationery, enamel pin sets, art prints, and an oversized “Pikachu in the Museum” collector’s card distributed with purchase.
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Interest has been strong. pause Despite the lengthy exhibition run, tickets for the pop-up sold out almost immediately, with limited opportunities for returns and a small number of items expected to be sold online through the museum store later in January, reports said.
The partnership reflects a broader trend of museums seeking to reach younger and more international audiences through brand partnerships tied to global entertainment, fashion and collectibles franchises.
The Natural History Museum isn’t the first institution to discover just how fervent Pokémon fans can be. When Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum launched its own Pokémon collaboration in 2023, demand for the limited-edition merchandise skyrocketed. Shoppers packed the museum store, items sold out almost immediately, and coveted promotional cards began to appear on resale sites, selling for hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars.
The consequences didn’t end there. The museum later suspended four employees for misconduct related to Pokémon cards, including accusations that staff members shared inside information about ticket acquisitions and diverted merchandise intended for visitors.
Distribution of promotional cards was eventually halted due to crowd control concerns, and the museum admitted the response exceeded expectations.
With this precedent in mind, London’s Natural History Museum may want to ensure it has adequate security on hand. Pokémon fans tend to arrive with more pent-up energy than over-leveled Pikachu, and Amsterdam has shown what can happen when that enthusiasm grows unchecked.
