McDonald’s Japan has abruptly cancelled its highly anticipated Pokémon trading card promotion less than 24 hours after its launch, after scenes of mass food wastage and scalper-driven chaos began doing the rounds on social media.
The promotion, which began on Friday and was scheduled to continue till Monday, allowed customers who purchased a Happy Meal, priced at a little more than 500 yen (£2.50), to receive a special Pikachu trading card along with one of five other Pokémon cards.
However, demand overwhelmed stores across Japan, and the chain announced that distribution had effectively ended at many locations by late Friday.
In a brief statement on their website, McDonald’s Japan cited “higher‑than‑expected sales” and “sincerely apologised for not meeting the expectations of customers”.
“Please refrain from contacting stores regarding stock availability,” the statement ended.
However, reports on social media and local media seemed to suggest that resellers were primarily to blame for the sales. People described long queues, mobile ordering abuse where the same individual used multiple accounts to bypass the imposed five‑meal limit per person, along with pictures of unopened Happy Meals left scattered in restaurants or dumped on the streets immediately after the card was retrieved.
“I feel sorry for the crew making the burgers. The crew's smiles looked so sad. Is this really okay?” one person asked on X, formerly Twitter, along with a picture that showed a row of discarded meal packages.
これが今のマックです。
— ウマしか🦌Twitch (@sikasika1122) August 9, 2025
あまりにも酷いと思いませんか？
バーガーを作るクルーさんが可哀想
クルーさんの笑顔が悲しそうでした
本当にこれでいんですか#マクドナルド #ハッピーセット #ポケカ #転売ヤー pic.twitter.com/iXCJv0ltZt
Another described the scene in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, writing: “The chaos of early morning Shibuya. As a result of McDonald's burgers and fries being scattered on the street, it seems a grand pigeon feast is being held. We kindly ask that you take responsibility for finishing the food you purchase and take your trash with you.”
早朝の渋谷のカオス。
— スミレンジャーZ（愛称スミレちゃん、元スラウザーです） (@iijNWqUQ7i41630) August 9, 2025
マクドナルドのバーガーやポテトが道にばら撒かれた結果、ハトの大宴会が開かれている模様。
買った食品は責任持って食べきっていただきたいし、ゴミは持ち帰っていただきたい。 pic.twitter.com/VYLo2Fte26
Campaign Asia additionally reported that tensions in some outlets escalated to the point where customers called the police amid confrontations with suspected scalpers, while another video on X allegedly shows a customer attempting to buy 40 packs of the Happy Meals.
マクドナルドで中国人(と思われる)がハッピーセット1人5セットまでなのに40個買ってる事に対し、店員ではなく日本人の「お客さん」が注意したと話題に
— まっつんtype3.0 (@san_san_san333) August 9, 2025
#ハッピーセット
#ポケモンカード
#転売
#転売ヤー pic.twitter.com/f4AhWpyE54
The backlash was particularly jarring due to Japan’s waste culture, where citizens are typically expected to carry their rubbish home due to a widespread lack of public trash bins. This practice, which stems from both post-war civic norms and reinforced after the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attacks, resulted in many on social media asking why and how Japanese people were willing to discard entire meals in public.
Individual “Burger Pikachu” cards and booster packs began to be listed online on reselling websites for several times the cost of the Happy Meal, some going up to thousands of yen.
Some social media users posted screenshots of the cards being listed for as much as 2,555,400 yen (£12,782). Another posted a video from the store where “over 100 people are lined up in front,” along with another picture of a reselling website with prices from for the cards starting from 300 yen (£1.50) and going up to 9,999 yen (£50).
これがメルカリの実情。
— AZ1m2@レジスタ (@Az1Ks033535) August 11, 2025
メルカリは、対策なんて一切考えてない。自分達の利益にさえなればOKなんだろうな…。
メルカリなんぞは使わないに越したことはない。
あそこは転売ヤーの巣窟です。#転売ヤー#転売ヤー撲滅運動 #マクドナルド#ポケモン#ポケカ#メルカリ pic.twitter.com/AE1Hp9J5lD
On eBay, a search showed the McDonald’s special Pikachu card listed for anywhere between $44 (£32) to $28.10 (£21), as well as other packs containing 10-20 random Pokémon trading cards being sold for nearly $250 (£185).
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