Mcdonald’s Japan Apologizes for ‘Pokémon’ Happy Meal Chaos; Promotion Leads to Bulk Purchases, Wasted Food

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:54 JST, August 12, 2025

McDonald’s Company (Japan), Ltd. has apologized for bulk purchases and food waste that occurred recently due to a promotion in which “Pokémon” trading cards were distributed to purchasers of Happy Meals.

“Pokémon” trading cards, featuring characters from the popular Japanese video game franchise, can sometimes command high resale prices on online marketplaces.

The company offered two cards with any purchase of a Happy Meal from Saturday to Monday. Customers were asked to buy no more than five sets each.

Nonetheless, bulk purchases for resale purposes caused congestion and chaos in stores and surrounding areas. There were also some instances of purchased food being discarded or just abandoned around stores.

Many stores ran out of the cards on the first day of the campaign.

The company admitted that it had failed to properly cope with the situation said it will implement measures to prevent recurrence, including setting stricter limits on the number of items individual customers can buy and refusing to sell to those who attempt to make repeat purchases.