The Natural History Museum in London is set to host a Pokémon pop-up shop later this month, an event that has already proved popular enough to sell out timed entry slots well ahead of its opening.
According to Time Out London, the pop-up will run from January 26 through April 19 inside the museum’s Cranborne Boutique, following an extension prompted by demand.
The collaboration, themed “Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology,” includes exclusive merchandise designed around the overlap between the Pokémon universe and the museum’s scientific collections, including apparel, stationery, enamel pin sets, art prints, and an oversized “Pikachu at the Museum” collector card distributed with purchases.
Interest has been intense. Time Out reported that tickets for the pop-up sold out almost immediately, despite the extended run, with only limited opportunities for returns and a small selection of items slated to be made available online through the museum’s shop later in January.
The collaboration reflects a broader trend among major museums seeking to attract younger and more international audiences through brand partnerships tied to global entertainment, fashion, and collectables franchises.
The Natural History Museum is not the first institution to discover just how fervent Pokémon fandom can be. When Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum launched its own Pokémon collaboration in 2023, demand for limited-edition merchandise spiraled into chaos. Shoppers crowded the museum shop, items sold out almost instantly, and coveted promotional cards began appearing on resale sites for hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars.
The fallout did not end there. The museum later suspended four employees over Pokémon card–related misconduct, including allegations that staff shared insider information about ticket access and diverted merchandise intended for visitors.
Distribution of the promotional cards was ultimately halted after crowd control concerns, and the museum acknowledged that the response had exceeded expectations.
With that precedent in mind, London’s Natural History Museum may want to ensure it has plenty of security on hand. Pokémon fans tend to arrive with more pent-up energy than an over-leveled Pikachu, and Amsterdam has already shown what happens when that enthusiasm evolves unchecked.
