by: Arnav Singhal

Sports Editor

Pokémon, a world-renowned Japanese cartoon franchise, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in January. Satoshi Tajiri developed the concept in 1996 with artist Ken Sugimori; it features cartoon creatures who possess supernatural abilities. They bond with individuals called trainers, whom they battle alongside in an attempt to become “the very best that no one ever was, “according to the theme song. The franchise began with the introduction of the 1996 Nintendo Game Boy games, Pokémon Red and Green. 

To celebrate its anniversary, Pokémon is collaborating with major brands. They are launching Pokémon-themed Happy Meals at McDonald’s, T-shirts at Uniqlo, shoes with Adidas, and building sets with Lego. However, the most anticipated collaboration is the Pokémon Pop-up at the Natural History Museum in London. 

The pop-up arrives at the museum on Jan. 26 and will run to Apr. 19. It will be located in the Museum’s Cranbourne Boutique shop and themed after Pokécology, inspired by Yoshinari Yonehara’s An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology, a best-selling Japanese Pokémon book. The Natural History Museum began hinting at the event in early September of 2025. On Jan. 7 it announced exclusive merchandise and the pop-up’s opening date. This highly anticipated event is sold out, and walk-ins are not allowed.

The museum boasts the redecoration of iconic Hintze Hall as an homage to the grass-type Pokémon, Ivysaur and Vicetreebel. It allows guests to interact with nostalgic views from the Pokémon universe and buy exclusive merchandise. The pop-up promises visitors who purchase merchandise a commemorative oversized Pokémon Trading Card Game promo card. It features Pikachu looking away in the distance in front of the interior of the museum with Pokémon bones in the background. 

While the event remains highly anticipated, some fans remain skeptical of its success due to the Van Gogh Museum incident in late 2023 when scalpers overran the museum. Eric Switzer, the Senior Features Editor for The Gamer, described the last event: “Despite sounding like a Ben Stiller sequel no one was asking for, the Pokémon riot at the Van Gogh Museum was one of the most shameful things I’ve witnessed in the history of conspicuous collecting.” The museum hopes to address scalpers by distributing the exclusive card widely at the event and allowing its purchase at select United Kingdom retailers on Jan. 30.

Though the critiques over scaling and crowd control linger, the Pokémon pop-up at the Natural History Museum stands as a celebration of the franchise’s enduring impact on pop culture across generations of youth. Along with both the franchise and museum’s growing connection to science and conservation. 

(Sources: Britannica, House of Heat, Hypebeast, Natural History Museum, Nintendo Life, Pokémon, The Gamer, University of Washington)