August 12, 2025
SINGAPORE – A promotional deal in Japan involving McDonald’s and Pokemon ended prematurely on Aug 9, as reports of card resales and food wastage poured in from disgruntled social media users.
From Aug 9 to 11, those who bought the fast-food chain’s Happy Meals – a set meal targeted primarily at children – were to also receive a pack of exclusive Pokemon cards.
Such collectible cards have seen a global resurgence of interest since the Covid-19 pandemic, with new launches sometimes accompanied by scenes of chaos.
Each Happy Meal was bundled with a pack of two random picks from a pool of cards exclusive to the promotion. PHOTO: POKEMON/THE STRAITS TIMES
Following the start of the promotion, pictures have surfaced online of bags of food left unclaimed in McDonald’s Japan stores, or left haphazardly outside them.
“We regret to inform you that the distribution of Pokemon cards to customers who purchased the Pokemon Happy Meal, which was scheduled for three days only from Aug 9 to Aug 11, has ended at many stores due to higher than expected sales,” said McDonald’s Japan in a statement on Aug 9.
“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.”
The statement did not address criticisms of McDonald’s Japan’s lack of crowd management or the improper allocation of stock, or the incidences of food wastage that had risen from the promotion.
Many social media users denounced those who bought the Happy Meals only for the cards while leaving the food behind, sharing images of rows of unclaimed bags of meals lined up on tables at the stores, with only the card packs taken out.
Others shared photos of piles of Happy Meals dumped haphazardly outside the outlets they were bought from and stuffed into the baskets of parked bicycles nearby.
“Early morning chaos in Shibuya. McDonald’s burgers and fries scattered on the streets, turning into a feast for pigeons. We ask customers to take responsibility for the food they buy and properly dispose of trash,” said an X user.
The post was accompanied by a video of flocks of pigeons pecking at presumably food scraps next to crumpled McDonald’s bags.
“I don’t know if you want to resell Happy Meals, but isn’t it a bit much to keep buying them all up like this every time? And throwing away the burgers is just way too immoral, seriously, I wish something could be done about it. What a waste,” said another X user, posting a video of two individuals dumping bags of Happy Meals into rubbish bags.
Happy Meals cost slightly more than 500 yen (S$4.35) per set, with an order limit of five meals per person during the Pokemon promotion.
However, this did not appear to deter some buyers, who reportedly circumvented the limit by using multiple mobile accounts to place orders.
The cards have been put up for sale on e-commerce platforms for several times the price of the meal.
In January, the police had to disperse a large crowd – reportedly 1,000-strong – at Singapore Changi Airport’s Jewel that had gathered at the Pokemon Centre there for the launch of the latest card set. The launch was eventually cancelled due to safety concerns.
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