# Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum

> The museum stopped its Pokémon card giveaway after 16 days following safety incidents.

- Owner: The Pokémon Company International and Van Gogh Museum
- Kind: Moment
- Sector: Toys & collectibles
- Seed date: 2023-09-28
- Peak date: 2023-10-18
- Spread Score: 40 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Real-world spectacle, Scarcity drop, Controversy, Press loop, Resale market

## Summary

Crowd footage from the Pokémon presentation circulated on X and Reddit. Pokémon Center sold out, and the museum stopped its card giveaway after safety incidents. The museum later reported distributing 120,000 treasure-hunt copies.

## Timeline

- 2023-09-12 — Pokémon (X) — Pokémon teased a collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
- 2023-09-27 — Van Gogh Museum (X) — The museum announced a Pokémon art hunt with a promotional card, subject to availability.
- 2023-09-28 — Van Gogh Museum and Pokémon (Retail) — The Pokémon presentation opened to visitors in Amsterdam.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/pokemon-van-gogh-museum

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum.” Case HIS-00966. Spread Score v1.2: 40/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00966