McDonald’s Japan announced that its next Happy Meal (known in Japan as Happy Set) collaboration will be with Sanrio, celebrating My Melody and Kuromi’s anniversaries.
Recently, these meal collaborations have been synonymous with chaos, frustration and controversy. The release of Chiikawa toys in May sparked bulk ordering from resellers, who quickly listed the limited-edition toys online at a massive markup. This consequently also stoked the fires of xenophobia on social media as people looked for someone to blame for “tarnishing childhood traditions.”
Just this August came the hectic dispersion of exclusive Happy Set Pokemon cards. The campaign ended prematurely less than 24 hours later as, again, scalpers managed to bypass the purchase limits and got ahold of stacks and stacks of trading cards to resell. The Happy Meal hysteria also led to a lot of food waste as hoarders seemingly purchased the sets solely for the toys and abandoned the rest of their orders — causing massive outrage as photos and videos of McDonald’s staff having to dump the uneaten food went viral.
Now as McDonald’s prepares for My Melody’s and Kuromi’s anticipated collection scheduled to start on September 12, the company is trying to learn from past experiences and taking preventative measures to keep the peace.
New Rules To Prevent Resellers and Food Waste
In its campaign announcement, McDonald’s gave an official statement acknowledging the past disastrous releases.
“McDonald’s does not tolerate the abandonment or disposal of food,” it said. “We strictly prohibit the purchase or resale of Happy Meals, purchases for other profit-making purposes, and customers who do not abide by the above rules and etiquette.”
To prevent bulk purchases, this upcoming collection has new rules:
- Happy Meals will only be sold in-store (at the register or on touchscreen kiosks) or drive-thru on September 12.
- Mobile orders, McDelivery and other food delivery services will not be available for Happy Meals on September 12.
- Happy Meals are limited to three units per customer.
- Multiple purchases by the same customer are prohibited.
- Happy Meals come with one random toy. These toys cannot be exchanged.
- Toys will be sold while supplies last.
McDonald’s Japan stated that it will assess the results of release day on September 12, and will determine if any additional rules should be implemented for the rest of the event period.
My Melody and Kuromi’s Toy Lineup
My Melody and Kuromi’s Happy Meal collection will drop in two phases. The first installment is scheduled to run from September 12 to September 25. Part one includes a My Melody plush toy, a drawstring pouch, a multi-function stand and a hair comb.
The second phase will run from September 26 to October 9. It includes a Kuromi plush toy, a letter set, a spoon and fork set, a bubble wand and a mystery toy.
After October 10, if any toy stocks remain, all Happy Meal prizes from both phases will be available.
