There’s a reason the Pokémon Fossil Museum Special Exhibit has been selling out at Chicago’s Field Museum since it debuted on May 22.
The exhibit succeeds in seamlessly uniting the worlds of Pokémon, from the popular Pokémon video game series, and paleontology. It gives visitors the opportunity to compare fossil Pokémon with ancient life forms found in real-world fossils.
Fossils of dinosaurs and other ancient life forms, plus scientific casts of Field Museum icons like SUE and the Chicago Archaeopteryx, are displayed next to similar fossil Pokémon, including Tyrantrum and Archeops. How fossils are found and studied in the Pokémon world and our real world is also a major feature of the exhibit.
The Field Museum marks the first stop for the exhibit outside of Japan. It will remain at the Chicago staple through April 11 of 2027.
The Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition was created by the Field Museum in Chicago, the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, and The Pokémon Company International. Northern Trust is a presenting sponsor of the exhibit with Accenture being an official sponsor. The project was partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism.
Here are my top 5 pieces from the exhibit:
5. SUE cast
This skull cast is from the Field Museum’s famed 66-million-year-old T. rex SUE. At 90% intact, SUE is the most complete adult T. rex ever discovered. Found in South Dakota, SUE’s actual display is on the upper level (2nd floor) of the museum. The dino has long been one of Chicago’s biggest attractions and is definitely worth checking out. There’s even a great 24-minute movie about the discovery and curation of SUE at the Field Museum’s 3D theater on the ground level.
4. Archeops and Archen
Archeops
Height: 4′07″ (1.4 m)
Weight: 70.5 lbs. (32.0 kg)
Type: Rock and Flying
Archen
Height: 1′08″ (0.5 m)
Weight: 20.9 lbs (9.5 kg )
Type: Rock and Flying
Archen and Archeops are Rock and Flying Fossil Pokémon introduced in Generation V.
3. Aurorus
Height: 8’10″ (2.7 m)
Weight: 496.0 lbs (225.0 kg)
Type: Rock / Ice
Aurorus is a quadrupedal, dinosaurian Pokémon that looks like a sauropod.
2. Tyrantrum fossil
Height: 8 feet, 2 inches (2.5 m)
Weight: 595.2 lbs (270.0 kg)
Type: Rock / Dragon
Tyrantrum is a Rock and Dragon Fossil Pokémon introduced in Generation VI, known as the Despot Pokémon. It evolves from Tyrunt starting at level 39 during the day. It features a massive jaw resembling a Tyrannosaurus rex with a king-like crown of feathers.
1. Camarasaurus femur
It was pretty incredible to see an actual thighbone from 155-145 million years ago. The fossil was discovered in Wyoming. Camarasaurus was a large herbivore with a heavy body, a short blunt snout, spoon-shaped teeth, and a relatively long neck and tail.
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