New merchandise proves it’s impossible for the beloved Pocket Monster icon to not look cute.

Edvard Munch’s The Scream is one of the most instantly recognizable paintings of all time. More than a century after the Norwegian artist first unveiled his signature creation, it remains arguably visual media’s greatest representation of all-consuming, perception-altering desperation.

But take another look at The Scream, and you start to realize that it also has some surprisingly cute underpinnings. The exaggerated expression, the silly shape of the mouth, and the way the screaming subject has its hands stretched out along its cheeks would be adorable with a different model, like, for instance, Pikachu.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is set to open a Munch retrospective later this month, when The Scream comes to Japan. Coinciding with the exhibition’s October 27 opening is the release of a The Scream Pikachu Pokémon Card Game card case. While Pikachu does indeed look to be under some sort of duress, we have to admit that his dismay is heart-meltingly cute, and the same goes for Eevee, who also stars in a special The Scream card case.

▼ While they’re technically for Pokémon cards, you could just as easily store any similarly sized cards in the 450-yen (US$4) cases..

Of course, a special Pokémon card case is only going to make fans also want some special Pokémon cards, and so five species of Pocket Monsters are also getting The Scream-inspired card versions. When used, they slap a confused status on all battle Pokémon in play by both you and your opponent.

▼ In contrast to the still-cute Pikachu and Eevee, Mimikyu looks legitimately disturbing in its The Scream version, and even stands menacingly in the background of the Rowlet card.

▼ Psyduck often looks a little out of sorts, but is especially panicked here.

The Pikachu and Eevee card cases will be offered for sale through the Pokémon Center Online and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s gift shop. As for how you can get your hands on the cards, Mimikyu is included as a free bonus with the purchase of either card case. Eevee, Rowlet, and Psyduck are a little trickier to catch, as you get your choice of one of the three cards when purchasing two or more Pokémon card game expansion packs at Pokémon Center or Pokémon Store retail outlets (starting November 2). The details for how to get the Scream Pikachu are yet to be revealed, but hopefully won’t involve the sort of outright theft that The Scream has been the target of in the past.

Source: Kai-You, Pokémon Card Game official website
Top image: Pokémon Card Game official website
Insert images: Wikipedia/Coldcreation, Pokémon Card Game official website