McDonald's Japan Ends Pokemon Card Promo
A Pokemon TCG promotional collaboration between McDonald's Japan and The Pokemon Company was abruptly cut short on August 9, 2025 — just hours after launch — due to overwhelming demand, food waste, and rampant scalping.
What Happened
The promotion offered a special Pikachu promo card with a McDonald's stamp bundled with Happy Sets. Within hours, locations were overwhelmed. Customers bought meals in bulk solely for the cards. Images on social media showed piles of uneaten Happy Meals discarded in restaurants and on sidewalks. Police were called to restore order at some locations.
McDonald's Response
McDonald's Japan apologized and announced stricter purchase limits for future promotions, including tighter per-person restrictions and potential online order restrictions for promotional items.
A Growing Pattern
This echoes a similar cancellation in Singapore in January 2025. When exclusive Pokemon cards meet fast food, secondary market demand overwhelms the family-friendly experience. It highlights just how powerful the Pokemon brand remains.
Shop Related Products
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