This Happy Meal left more frowns than smiles.
A special Pokémon TCG Happy Meal campaign in Japan has come to an abrupt end after overwhelming demand led to chaotic scenes, rampant scalping, and piles of uneaten food. The limited-edition promotion, which was meant to run for three days from 9 to 11 August, sold out in most stores in under 24 hours.
Originally scheduled to run from 9 to 11 August 9, the campaign featured six collectible Pokémon cards bundled exclusively with Pokémon-themed Happy Meals, priced at ¥500 (around US$3.50).
However, demand quickly exceeded supply, forcing many McDonald’s locations to end distribution ahead of schedule. Despite a purchase limit of five sets per customer, some buyers, reportedly including those from outside Japan, found ways to exploit loopholes by placing multiple mobile orders, reselling the cards for over ¥2,000 (more than US$13).
McDonald’s issues apology as stocks vanish
In a machine translation of the official statement posted on the official McDonald’s Japan website on 11 August, the company confirmed that the Pokémon card distribution had ended ahead of schedule due to “higher-than-expected sales” and apologised to disappointed customers.
“We sincerely apologise for not being able to meet the expectations of our customers who were looking forward to the product due to the early end of distribution. Please refrain from contacting stores regarding stock availability,” the statement read.
The promotion was originally planned to allow customers to receive a pack of Pokémon trading cards with each Pokémon Happy Meal purchase. However, demand quickly spiralled out of control, with some fans buying dozens of meals solely for the cards and discarding the food.
Scenes of chaos and food waste abound during the promo period
Videos posted on X(formerly Twitter) captured heated arguments in stores over the five-meal-per-person limit, abandoned bags of untouched burgers, and even police involvement when angry customers found that the cards had already run out.
One such scene, posted by @bcfe70bord, showed footage of a customer (supposedly a foreigner) speaking with police because they wanted a refund for their Happy Meal after there were no more Pokémon cards to go with it.
“Bad foreigners, get out of Japan! Japanese kids are sad because they can’t get their Pokémon cards,” the machine translation of the post said.
Some other images that went viral over the weekend showed stacks of card packs alongside piles of discarded Happy Meals, sparking criticism over the level of waste. “Maybe, I kind of figured out it would turn out like this,” a machine translation of a post by @houjosouun read.
Another X user, @pooh_yan0131, showed screenshots of the prices of the cards online, as online listings from scalpers bloat the price of the card by more than two times the original price. They also claimed that they could not hear anyone in line speaking in Japanese.
Many fans have since called for stricter sales limits in future promotions to prevent scalping and reduce food wastage.
McDonald’s Japan outlines steps to prevent future incidents
After apologising for the early end of the promotion, McDonald’s Japan followed up with a more detailed response addressing the chaos surrounding the campaign. An X post shared by @PokeGuardian showed screenshots of the official statement and its machine translation.
The company confirmed that some customers had bought large quantities of Pokémon Happy Meals purely for resale value, which led to overcrowding in stores, confusion among staff and customers, and even bags of uneaten food being thrown away. They extended their apology not just to disappointed customers, but also to store employees, nearby residents, and shop tenants affected by the disruption.
The company made it clear that bulk buying for resale purposes and discarding food go against its long-standing aim of “providing a fun dining experience for children and families.”
Admitting that their response fell short, the company said it would be taking stronger measures to avoid a repeat of these events.
Planned changes include stricter purchase limits for certain Happy Meals during peak demand, possible restrictions on mobile ordering and delivery, and refusing service to customers who try to bypass limits or intimidate staff. Those with a history of similar behaviour could even have their McDonald’s app membership cancelled.
The company also said that it is in discussions with flea market app operators to help curb scalping and inflated resale prices. McDonald’s said that it would keep reviewing how these promotions are run, taking on board feedback from customers and staff, and staying true to what the Happy Meal was meant to be.
