People Swap Happy Meals to Get Pokémon Cards
Bruno Pferd 
Key Takeaways
Created with AI - we're still experimenting, so apologies if it misses the mark
- Uncontrolled demand for limited Pokémon trading cards led to a frenzy, causing McDonalds Japan event cancellation early.
- Long lines and disrupted operations resulted from customers purchasing numerous Happy Meals for the cards, inconveniencing other patrons.
- Some customers discarded the food, showing no interest in the meal itself but only in the cards.
- McDonalds Japan apologized to affected customers and cancelled the event on August 9th, two days ahead of schedule.
Uncontrolled Pokémon Card Frenzy Forced Early McDonald’s Japan Event Cancellation
McDonald’s Japan partnered with The Pokémon Company for a promotional event that quickly escalated, lasting only a few hours instead of its planned three days. The rapid escalation stemmed from customers purchasing numerous Happy Meals to acquire limited Pokémon Trading Card Game cards, many of which were then immediately resold online. Social media captured videos and photos showing long lines outside McDonald’s restaurants across Japan, with some customers buying up to 40 Happy Meals each. This not only disrupted operations but also inconvenienced other patrons, including those uninterested in the cards. Further videos revealed individuals discarding the food, interested only in the cards. Shortly after these incidents, the exclusive cards began appearing on auction sites. This prompted McDonald’s Japan to prematurely cancel the event on August 9th, two days ahead of its scheduled end on August 11th. The company subsequently issued an apology to both customers interested in the cards and those affected by the widespread disruption.
About the Author
Jonathan Dubinski 
Marcus Thompson 
Carlos Mendoza 
