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Marking the arrival of a captivating new book Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology, a unique collaboration has been formed. Pokémon's creators alongside the Natural History Museum will launch a temporary store featuring special items. Fans can look forward to products like stationery, plushes, and artwork that are drawing from the museum's aesthetic. For collectors, however, is a limited-edition Pikachu card, given as a free bonus for the pop-up. This shop will operate from the physical location to its web counterpart between late January and mid-April.

The Book Behind the Partnership

Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology is a much-awaited tome packed with stunning artwork depicting Pokémon in their natural habitats. It's essentially is what a Pokémon Professor might publish once adventurers provide field notes, alternatively a naturalist's journal could have sketched had the Galapagos were populated by Pidgeys instead of finches. A key appeal stems from the book's scholarly treatment, treating Pokémon as worthy of subject for inquiry. Author Yoshinari Yonehara and illustrator Chihiro Kinoshita each possess doctorate degrees in animal behavior and ecology.

What Makes This Special Card Different

The company regularly to issue special edition promos celebrating major tournaments or crossover partnerships. Many of these promotional cards typically highlight the famous electric rodent who serves as the franchise mascot. What distinguishes this new museum card however, is the unusually large dimensions. Although exact measurements have not been immediately shared, its distribution will certainly be strictly limited, and customers limited to just one card with each transaction.

Curbing Speculator Interest

Per a company statement, some of the pop-up items will also be sold outside the institution itself. However, a wider release is slated for select retailers within the United Kingdom. Importantly, fans will not be able to acquire this promo via the online Pokémon Center. Although reseller interest is a given, it appears they will have trouble hoarding mass quantities this time around. For those unable to attend, consider the upcoming Pokémon Fossil exhibit coming to the Windy City later this year.

"All profits of sales made in the museum store and its web shop, which covers these items, go toward the Natural History Museum’s charitable mission. That encompasses the research of hundreds of researchers who are conducting studies to discover answers to the planetary emergency," it notes.