A brand new Pokemon pop-up store will probably be coming to the London Pure Historical past Museum in early 2026, and followers of all issues pocket monsters can anticipate unique objects to be offered right here. Can followers additionally anticipate to compete for this stuff with scalpers who view alternatives like this as a chance to make some fast money? If earlier Pokemon occasions are any indicator, most likely.
The Pokemon Firm will probably be celebrating the historical past of the 30-year-old franchise with this occasion. “There may be such an exquisite alignment between Pokémon and the Pure Historical past Museum–we’re clearly each huge followers of the pure world and its evolution and variety,” director of business and customer expertise for the museum Adam Farrar stated (through Eurogamer). “We hope this collaboration will spark pleasure and curiosity within the creatures round us, each on the earth of Pokémon and Earth.”
Whereas scalping is a concern, the museum is trying to forestall this by requiring guests to say free tickets that’ll be offered online starting October 1. The pop-up store is scheduled to run from January 26 via March 22, and it will provide clothes, equipment, and extra merchandise on the market. The merchandise that’ll probably be wanted probably the most will probably be an unique plush toy of Pikachu hugging the museum.
That is the primary time that an official Pokemon store has been held inside a British museum, however it’s not the primary museum to host Pikachu and buddies. Again in 2023, The Pokemon Firm just lately collaborated with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A special-edition Pokemon card of a Pikachu sporting a grey felt hat–similar to considered one of Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portraits–was supplied to guests alongside Pokemon artwork prints and T-shirts, however the card offered out shortly each in-person and on-line.
On the Van Gogh Museum, attendees reported that adults descended on the occasion to buy as a lot merchandise as attainable with out even visiting Pokemon exhibit, and on-line, quite a few scalpers bragged about their hauls. This wasn’t the primary time {that a} Pokemon collaboration attracted the eye of scalpers, as again in 2021, flippers descended on a McDonald’s Blissful Meal promotion that supplied a number of Pokemon goodies for followers to gather.