Pikachu at the Museum Pokémon card might be super effective against resellers

5 days ago 9

The special card will have limits on purchase, and tickets to the pop-up are already sold out

A limited edition and oversized Pikachu Pokemon card, which is being released as promotion for the Pokécology book. The card will be a part of a collaboration with London's Natural History Museum.

To mark the arrival of the coolest pocket monster book ever, The Pokémon Company is teaming up with London's Natural History Museum for a pop-up shop that will hawk a variety of exclusive items. Fans can expect products like stationary, plushes, and artwork inspired by the Natural History museum available for purchase. For collectors, the big-ticket item here is the limited-edition Pikachu card that will be handed out as a gift with purchase at the pop-up. The shop will be available on-site and online from Jan. 26 to April 19.

Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology is a highly anticipated tome full of beautiful artwork that depicts Pokémon in their natural habitats. It's basically what you might expect Pokémon professors to produce after trainers collate all that data for them, or what Darwin might've drawn up had the Galapagos been full of Pidgeys and not finches. Part of the fun is that the book treats Pokémon seriously, like a subject worth scientific inquiry. Author Yoshinari Yonehara and illustrator Chihiro Kinoshita both have animal behavior and ecology doctoral degrees.

A selection of items available for purchase at London's Natural History Museum, which is celebrating the release of a coveted Pokemon ecology book.

The Pokémon Company routinely releases special cards to celebrate big tournaments and collaborations with brands. Many of these promo cards tend to center around the electric rodent that doubles as the franchise mascot. What sets this latest museum card apart is its unusually large size. The Pokémon Company did not immediately share exact dimensions for the card, but its distribution is guaranteed to be limited and fans can only get one card per purchase.

A Pokémon Company press release states that some of the items in the pop-up will be sold outside the museum, including the card. But a wider release will only be available at select retailers in the United Kingdom. Fans will not be able to get the card online through the Pokémon Center shop. Reseller interest is inevitable, but it sounds like they're going to have a hard time hoarding mass quantities this time. If you're feeling left out, perhaps you might want to check out the Pokémon Fossil exhibit coming to Chicago later this year?

"All profits from purchases made in the Museum shop and from its online store, including Pokémon products, support the Natural History Museum’s charitable mission, including the work of 400 scientists conducting research and finding solutions to the planetary emergency," the press release says.

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