Starting on Saturday, August 9, McDonald’s Japan launched a special collaboration with one of the world’s most popular game franchises. The plan was that for three days, the fast-food chain’s Happy Meal — known here as Happy Set — would come with two exclusive Pokemon cards. Customers were limited to purchases of no more than five sets per person and McDonald’s Japan shared information with the online marketplace app Mercari to help prevent the reselling of the cards.

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Pokemon Happy Meal Campaign Lasts Just One Day 

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. The campaign lasted just one day as several outlets ran out of the cards. Some customers reportedly used multiple accounts to bypass the five‑meal limit. It wasn’t that they were very hungry or buying for a large family, they just wanted to get hold of the prized possessions: an original illustration of Pikachu eating a burger, in addition to one randomly selected card, as these items have a large resale value. 

Footage spread online of chaotic scenes at stores that had to cope with extremely long lines and bulk buying. One video on X allegedly shows a customer attempting to purchase 40 Happy Meals, leading to a confrontation with other people in the line. The hysteria also led to food waste as some people purchased the set meals just to get hold of the cards. Once they received them, they left the uneaten food in the restaurant or dumped it on the street.

McDonald’s Japan Issues an Apology 

On Saturday, McDonald’s Japan posted an apology on its website for “not meeting the expectations of customers.” The reason, the company said, was due to “higher‑than‑expected sales.” Realizing this was an insufficient response, the fast-food chain released a statement on Monday: “McDonald’s does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Set for the purpose of resale, nor the wasting or disposal of food. This incident clearly goes against our long-standing philosophy of providing a fun dining experience for children and families, as well as our values as a restaurant. We sincerely acknowledge that our response was inadequate.” 

A similar situation occurred in May, when McDonald’s Japan released its Happy Meal collaboration with the popular character Chiikawa. Social media posts showed scalpers bulk-ordering the meals solely to acquire the limited-edition toys to resell them. After getting hold of the item, they abandoned the food. The toys then appeared on resale websites for about six or seven times their original retail price. The special collaboration set meals sold out within two days. 

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