The latest collaboration between Pokémon and a major cultural institution is almost here, as “Pokécology” arrives at the Natural History Museum in London, England, from Monday 26th January to Sunday 19th April. A pop-up shop in the museum’s Cranbourne Boutique shop will sell exclusive Pokémon merchandise, including a promo card for visitors who make a qualifying purchase.
What Promo Card Will Be Available at the Natural History Museum/Pokémon Pop-Up Shop?
The card, pictured above, which visitors to the Pop-Up Shop will be given free with purchases is Pikachu at the Museum, which shows Pokémon’s de facto mascot having a wonderful time at the Natural History Museum. Sounds easy enough to get your hands on, right? Except admittance to the Pokémon Pop-Up Shop in the museum is invite only, and there are no slots available at all. So if you haven’t booked already, unfortunately you won’t be able to pick this card up from the museum itself. Oh, and one more thing; the card is oversized, which does make it less attractive to Pokémon collectors, and is perhaps a deliberate tactic to dissuade scalpers from getting their hands on all of these cards and preventing genuine fans from getting to own a unique piece of Pokémon history-in-the-making.
That fate befell the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat card, a collaboration with Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum. That card now sells for astronomical prices, and the handling of its availability at the event was highly controversial.
Will the Pikachu at the Museum Be Available Beyond the Natural History Museum?
Apparently, some retailers, including the Pokémon Center will have items from the Pokécology collection available online, as will the Natural History Museum’s own online store. To deter scalpers, items are available in limited quantities per customer, and the museum’s website states the following regarding the Pikachu at the Museum card:
“Oversize Pokémon TCG promo card featuring Pikachu at the Museum will be available as a gift with purchase at The Pokemon x Natural History Museum pop-up shop and are limited to 1x per customer only. It will then be available at select retailers nationwide as a gift with purchase from Friday 30 January 2026. It is not available online.“
It’s ultimately unlikely that these measures will deter scalpers, but just by making Pikachu at the Museum larger than the standard sized Pokémon card, hopefully eager Pokémon fans will have more of a chance to get their hands on it.
Check out our guide to the current most valuable Pokémon cards, and our list of the most valuable Pokémon cards with art by renowned clay artist, Yuka Morii.
