Mathieu Galante, Licensing Director, EMEA, The Pokémon Company International: When considering collaborations for Pokémon, we look for partners that can bring the brand to life in ways that feel authentic, inspiring and unexpected. The Natural History Museum shares a sense of wonder and fascination with the living world – values that sit at the heart of Pokémon – which made for a natural fit.

The Natural History Museum’s Cranbourne Boutique has been transformed into a Pokémon pop-up shop experience – and it’s extending its run! Can you talk us through some key aspects of the experience?
Claire Bevan, Head of Retail and Customer Contact, Natural History Museum: We are so happy with how the on-site experience has been received by fans. Working with Pokémon has been very collaborative and we both wanted the experience to create joy, delight and surprise visitors – and to blend our brands to create a museum-like experience centred around some fascinating Pokémon.

While developing the space, we decided to keep some elements under wraps until closer to the time, like the gallery and trading card, which was a nice surprise for fans. One of my favourite aspects of the pop-up is the beautifully designed window featuring handmade Pokémon models. I’ve looked at it so many times, and I can still discover new details!

“Designs drew directly from elements like the Museum’s ceiling tiles, books and botanical sketches.”

The product slate accompanying the product is beautiful. What steered where you went product development-wise?
Mathieu: Our development process is always very collaborative, and we quickly found a shared creative vision with the Natural History Museum. The Museum offers a wealth of inspiration – from its recognisable building to its extensive archives –which enabled us to create a collection that appeals to a wide range of fans.

Designs drew directly from elements like the Museum’s ceiling tiles, books and botanical sketches. By utilising their scientific expertise and translating it into the Pokémon world, we were able to create something special. A highlight is the Pikachu plush, which features a playful take on the Museum’s iconic architecture. It’s a unique product and it’s been great to see how excited fans have been about it.

Claire: Yes, we had a very strong direction from the initial ideas we explored as part of the collaboration – viewing Pokémon through the lens of the Natural History Museum, reimagining them on Victorian nature journals, scientific diagrams and even on our ceiling tiles. As part of any collaboration, several experts in the Museum are enlisted to help curate and deliver a product range. From our product development masters in our Licensing team, to some of our 400 world-leading researchers advising on the scientific accuracy of our designs, the range is a testament to the work and legacy of both brands. The products developed very naturally from those ideas and our focus was on creating a truly bespoke range, featuring a range of loved Pokémon that would appeal to all ages and budgets.

And what is a product highlight for you Claire?
Claire: It’s so hard for me to pick a favourite, but I would have to say the Pikachu at the Museum plush – as well as the scientific drawings range featuring Pikachu and fossil Pokémon, which really encapsulate the connection between our brands.

Terrific. And what are some north stars to successful collaborations between brands?
Mathieu: We always consider if there are meaningful links between the Pokémon world and a partner’s identity, and whether the experience will resonate with fans. Even for a pop-up, it’s essential that the quality and storytelling feel true to Pokémon, while still offering something fresh and unexpected. The goal is to create both a “wow” surprise moment, as well as “that makes sense!”. Bringing the theme of ‘Pokécology’ – inspired by the Japanese publication of the same name – to life with the Natural History Museum was a great example of this coming together. Through the lens of evolution, adaptation and ecology of the Pokémon world, we were able to create some beautiful art panels, merchandise and an impressive model installation at the front of the shop – which delighted museum visitors.

“We always consider if there are meaningful links between the Pokémon world and a partner’s identity.”

Max: When approaching a brand collaboration, you must remember that every collaboration is unique and should be approached in this way. When we pitched and started discussions, we ensured that we researched the brand, what the synergies were and how we could build a narrative that works for both brands’ strategies.

Storytelling is also key to how we approached this and, in doing so, we wanted to show how creative working with a heritage brand can be. Both the Museum and Pokémon have such rich stories to tell and combining this allowed us to create something that potentially no one would have expected, that thrills the fanbase for both brands.

How did you go about ensuring both brands had ‘equal footing’ in the partnership?
Maxine: Large projects like these take a lot of time and an incredible amount of people behind-the-scenes to create and realise, so to ensure that all parties involved were content with the narrative and concept, we ensured that we worked closely together at every step of the planning phase.

It is important that both brands are represented and it shows a true collaboration. By combining the incredible world of Pokémon alongside the Museum’s iconic building and pioneering natural research, we created a range that celebrates both.

And Pokémon is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year Mathieu. Does that give you extra ‘license’ to embark on these types of creative collaborations?
Mathieu: Reaching a milestone like 30 years is an incredibly special and rare achievement. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate with long-standing fans while welcoming new ones. While it is exciting, we must be even more considered about quality, creativity and staying true to what Pokémon means to so many people.

Pokémon has remained strong for so long because we’re thoughtful about how the brand shows up. We’re fortunate to have ongoing interest from potential partners, but we’re always looking ahead and focused on finding the right fit.

Image credits: ©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum

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The special branded area promotes the Pokémon range and offers a ‘photo-friendly environment’ for fans, while screens will also feature promotional content from the different Pokémon brand pillars. The launch forms part of the year-long celebration for the brand’s 30th anniversary.

“We are delighted to team up once more with Selfridges for this exciting and unique space,” said Mathieu Galante, Senior Licensing Director (EMEA) for The Pokémon Company International.

“We are set for an amazing year as we celebrate our 30th anniversary, and this takeover is an early highlight within our retail celebrations. We’re sure fans old and new will be thrilled with what’s on offer when they visit this fun and vibrant Pokémon pop‑up.”

The takeover follows successful collaboration with Selfridges in 2021 at its three UK stores, which marked the climax to celebrations for Pokémon’s 25th anniversary.

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According to Circana figures, Pokémon had its best-ever year in the UK, claiming the number one position for the first time, up from number three last year, enjoying 45% growth year-on-year, achieving a 3.7% market share. Elsewhere, in Germany Pokémon moved up to number one from number two, with 59% growth YOY and a 5.5% market share.

In another strong year in Italy, Pokémon retained the top spot, with 70% growth YOY and a market share of 7.1%. In France, it was the top Circana toy property too, boasting 59% growth with a market share of 8.6%. Pokémon was also number one in both Belgium and the Netherlands. It saw 141% growth YOY in the Netherlands, with 8% market share, while growth in Belgium was 59% with a 5.7% market share.

“We are delighted that our ever-expanding, diverse global fanbase continues to treasure Pokémon and seek out ways to engage and connect with the brand,” said Mathieu Galante, Senior Director of Licensing EMEA for The Pokémon Company International.

“We work hard to maintain our reputation for innovation and quality, and to offer exciting and relevant new products and experiences designed to thrill them and keep Pokémon at the forefront of popular culture. Last year, our vibrant programme of activity yet again created a massive buzz and intense demand, stimulating another year of vigorous sales. With 2026 being Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, we have a hugely exciting year ahead, with an extra-special raft of launches, collaborations, events and experiences to celebrate in style and to build on 2025’s robust performance at retail.”

Simon Benton, Vice President of Global TCG Sales, added: “Pokémon’s continued success as a global toy brand and cultural phenomenon — with appeal that spans generations — has driven another exceptional year. Demand for Pokémon products remains incredibly strong, and we’re working hard to increase manufacturing capacity so we can meet the needs of fans around the world.

“By continuing to collaborate closely with our retail partners and distributors, we’re bringing Pokémon to life in engaging and exciting ways across multiple categories. Their ongoing support is helping to fuel our momentum, with Pokémon now number one in six key territories across Europe.”

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Launching later this year, design details include a ‘first of its kind’ animated mouth moving feature, as well as soft to the touch body and lightning-bolt tail.

“This launch represents an extraordinary milestone for Wow! Stuff,” said Dawn Lavalette, Managing Director at Wow! Stuff.

“Bringing Pikachu into the Puppetronics family is a dream collaboration and a testament to our team’s passion for quality and innovation. We are excited to introduce fans to a new, truly magical way of experiencing Pokémon during such a special anniversary year.”

Mathieu Galante, Senior Licensing Director at The Pokémon Company International, added: “We are excited to see Pikachu come to life through WOW! Stuff’s impressive Puppetronics technology.

“The result captures Pikachu’s personality with authenticity, charm and playfulness, offering fans a fresh and interactive way to engage with the Pokémon world.”

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Pokémon became the number one property in Italy for the first time, and also maintained its top position in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It also consolidated its position in the top three in the UK and Germany and achieved its highest-ever annual position in Spain, according to figures recorded by Circana.

In Italy, Pokémon reached the top spot with 30% growth year on year and its market share rose by 35%. It also had four items in the top 50 products of the year in the region. While in France, Pokémon achieved 9% growth year on year and in Germany, the brand maintained its number two position, with a 0.5% gain in market share.

“Our reputation for innovation and quality, and the brand’s sense of adventure, friendship and fun, continues to resonate with our expanding and diverse global fanbase,” said Mathieu Galante, Licensing Director EMEA for The Pokémon Company International.

“We are always looking for fresh and relevant ways to connect and engage with them, and last year’s packed programme of activity, which included exciting new products and launches across our whole portfolio, once again created enormous buzz and immense demand, producing another year of vigorous sales. As we approach Pokémon’s 30th anniversary in 2026, we are gearing up with more exciting activity throughout the year designed to thrill our fans, keep Pokémon at the forefront of popular culture and build on 2024’s robust performance at retail.”

Simon Benton, Vice President of Pokémon TCG Sales for Europe, added: “Pokémon TCG continues to set the benchmark in this category, with another terrific year in 2024.

“We have worked tirelessly with our amazing retail partners and distributors to promote our products — TCG in particular – to consumers in an increasingly competitive and challenged retail environment and, helped by their fantastic support, Pokémon continues to enjoy robust success. It’s now the number one Circana property in four countries and is also performing strongly in other key territories, and we have some great things in store planned for fans throughout 2025.”

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A year later, I joined The Pokémon Company International in London to set up the licensing operations for the EMEA region… Initially, that was as Senior Market Development Manager EMEA – and since 2018 I’ve been Licensing Director EMEA.

Amazing. You’ll have to tell me what you’ve been eating! Now, in 2026, Pokémon reaches its 30th anniversary… Why do you think it remains so phenomenally popular?
Pokémon is a multi-generational, evergreen brand with an enormous and loyal global fanbase. It’s very inclusive, with a philosophy that remains relevant and aspirational: promoting the power of friendship, the importance of working hard, never giving up and the thrill of exploration… Its characters are adorable and playful, the imagery is colourful and stylish, and it’s full of adventure and fun.

With its varied key pillars – video games and apps, TCG, animation, consumer products, Play! Pokémon events – there’s something that appeals to everyone. Because it stays true to its original ethos, it retains the loyalty of its original fans, while the innovation and adaptability that keeps it fresh and relevant makes it appealing to whole new generations. With a continuous pipeline of exciting new content, alongside immersive and memorable experiences for fans, Pokémon remains vibrant, relevant and at the forefront of entertainment.

In what ways has the brand expanded over the last year or so?
The enormous impetus from our 25th anniversary celebrations shows no signs of abating! From a host of new releases from our existing partners to fresh collaborations with intriguing new ones, there’s ever more out there for fans to discover and enjoy. For example, last April we unveiled monpoké, a delightful expression from the Pokémon brand featuring curated, Pokémon-branded baby and toddler offerings.

Activity continues to grow in newer areas such as our ever-expanding collection of apps and our music collaborations – Jax Jones and Ed Sheeran being notable recent examples. We continue to utilise the latest tech developments to offer immersive experiences for fans and to create more ways for them to interact, such as our Pokémon Sleep app. We’re constantly seeking partnerships to connect with our audience in new and diverse ways, such as our ongoing sporting connection with the English Schools FA, with whom we run the Primary School Cup, and cultural events like our recent partnership with the Van Gogh Museum.

I’ll be sure to include some pictures of this stuff, Mathieu, because it’s so wide ranging…
Thank you! In addition, we’re creating more special events and activations in-store, including more pop-up stores. The new animation, Pokémon Horizons – which launches its second season on the BBC in January – brought a fresh buzz to the animations, which can now be seen in 177 countries…

All of this has led to dynamic media interest and social media activity, from influencers and celebrity fans as well as our own platforms, keeping our profile sky-high. Reflecting this, sales continue to soar.

Amazing. Let me ask you this: how do you and your team keep the brand fresh?
Rather than expand our list of licensees, we look for innovative ways to create stand-out moments. These can include fashion collaborations, retail promotions – especially for FMCG – in-store activations such as our take-overs in Rinascente, Harrods, Galeries Lafayette, El Corte Inglés and KaDeWE. There are also unexpected partnerships with Mini – the BMW Group – and Baccarat; cultural events such as our link-up with the Van Gogh Museum, and associated in-game activity too.

And on that… Some more of Pokémon’s recent collaborations include Bonpoint, Skinnydip and Clarks. What makes them ideal partners for you?
Pokémon is constantly looking to innovate and connect with its audience in new and diverse ways. Fashion allows us to offer a wide variety of quality products across all budgets and styles to bring fans young and old closer to the brand, while also attracting new ones. Pokémon’s broad global appeal offers opportunities across the whole fashion industry – and the iconic brand provides endless inspiration for designers, many of whom are Pokémon fans themselves.

A good collaboration needs to be true to Pokémon’s values and truly understand our incredible audience. We’re very protective of our brand, and we do everything possible to ensure that our products resonate with our fans, while always striving to continue to surprise and delight them – for example, you wouldn’t immediately associate Clarks or Skinnydip, say, with Pokémon.
We’re constantly looking for brands that can connect with our fans of all ages and demographics, because Pokémon isn’t just for kids… So our collections span both adult and kids’ footwear, apparel and accessories.

Is there anything that unites them all?
Each of our collaborations is considered for creative and design capabilities and their distribution reach. We look for high-calibre partners keen to explore innovative ideas. As well as those you mention, we’ve had successful collaborations with a diverse range of partners including Adidas, A.P.C, Axel Arigato, Balmain, Bobby Abley, Charli Cohen, Converse, Eastpak, Fendi, Jeremy Scott, Iceberg, Irregular Choice, Longchamp and Puma.

Each collaboration is carefully tailored to what the fans want, so some will be very bold with prominent and colourful imagery, while others will be more subtle yet still evoking the spirit of Pokémon.

Great stuff. I’m sure it differs from project to project, but what – broadly speaking – is the creative process when licensing Pokémon?
We’re looking for brands that share our bold and adventurous outlook on life, and who offer quality, wearability and sustainability while demonstrating creativity, fun and innovation. We’re both approached and we approach others, but it’s crucial to consider how Pokémon fits with the brand, and how they appear on products…

We look for creativity: for us, a design is just right when they interpret designs and Pokémon in a new way that adds rather than detracts to the look and feel of the brand. When our fans express their love for the collaboration and they sell out quickly, then we know we’ve got it right! But having a great collection isn’t enough – we’re always searching for new ways to shout about it, meaning that standout marketing support at retail and beyond is important too. We love creating buzz and excitement, so we need all our collaborations to tell a story that speaks to our fans and keeps them engaged and enthused.

And how important is it, Mathieu, to promote and celebrate creativity in licensing?
Essential. Our fans are discerning and love the brand. We need to honour this by providing them with innovative and creative products and collaborations that continue to surprise them, while remaining true to the brand.

Great stuff. What’s next for Pokémon?
We’re looking forward to another action-packed year in 2025. This year sees the eagerly awaited release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series launching exclusively on Nintendo Switch. It features an exciting new adventure within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.

We’re also planning more imaginative collaborations, and embracing new technologies to create exceptional and memorable experiences for fans. It’s shaping up to be another exciting year! Looking further ahead, we were delighted by the reaction to the news that The Pokémon Company International and multi-award-winning independent studio Aardman are collaborating on a special project for 2027. The collaboration will see Aardman bringing their unique style of storytelling to the Pokémon universe in brand-new adventures.

Fantastic stuff. And to wrap this up, tell me, what’s the one question I could’ve asked you today but didn’t?
Who is your favourite Pokémon?

That would be interesting… What’s the answer?
That’s a bit like asking a parent to choose their favourite child!

Ha! Then I’m glad I didn’t ask! Thanks, Mathieu.

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The partnership – celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum – takes place at the museum until January 7th and includes a gallery of Van Gogh pieces reimagined with a Pokémon twist. This includes Pikachu shown in a work inspired by Self-portrait with Grey Felt Hat and Snorlax and Munchlax in a work inspired by The Bedroom.

The Van Gogh Museum Shop – inside the museum and online – and The Pokémon Centre online store will also feature an exclusive range of Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum merchandise featuring the art of the collaboration.

Elsewhere, young visitors at the Museum will also have access to a ‘How to draw Pikachu’ video and Pokémon activity sheets. Once participants complete the activity, they can hand in their completed leaflet for a special Pikachu x Van Gogh Museum promo card.

The collaboration will also be used to teach visitors about the connection between Van Gogh and Japan, and about how inspiration can go in two directions.

“This collaboration will allow the next generation to get to know Vincent van Gogh’s art and life story in a refreshing way,” said Emilie Gordenker, General Director of the Van Gogh Museum.

“The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company have drawn on many years of educational expertise to create a special experience for children, their supervisors, and we hope many others at the Van Gogh Museum.”

Mathieu Galante, Director of Licensing at The Pokémon Company International, added: “We are always looking for fantastic partners that we can create unique and joyful experiences with for Pokémon fans, and we have genuinely found that in working with the Van Gogh Museum.

“There is a strong link between the inspiration behind Pokémon and the inspiration behind some of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous work. With this collaboration we really hope that we can see children discovering and immersing themselves into the world of art through the incredible works of Van Gogh and Pokémon.”

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The range spans tees, dresses, hoodies, knitwear, denim shorts, a denim jacket, denim short dungarees, swimwear and accessories.

“Pokémon is instantly recognisable and loved globally,” said Anne Bradford, Commercial Director of Poetic Brands.

“The twenty-somethings who grew up with the brand, are now the fashion forward ASOS customer, so the collaboration has the perfect synergy. Gen Z is also seeking nostalgic comfort in a pre-social media era, as they reminisce about old, joyful times while gaming, and therefore ‘gamerstalgia’ is trending.

“We’ve really enjoyed bringing these iconic characters to the ASOS collection and are looking forward to seeing the designs being worn by fans.”

Mathieu Galante, Licensing Director EMEA at The Pokémon Company International, added: “We are thrilled to launch this Nineties-inspired cross category collection in partnership with Poetic Brands and ASOS. The diverse apparel range has something for everyone across ASOS’s core market of young adults.”

Check out the collection here

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