McDonald’s Japan scraps Happy Meals with Pokemon cards after grownups get greedy

Tokyo — McDonald’s Japan has decided to cancel their highly anticipated Happy Meal campaign featuring Pokemon cards after facing backlash for the excessive waste generated by resellers who were only interested in the collectible cards. The campaign, which was aimed at children, included a toy and a Pokemon card in each Happy Set. The demand for these sets was so high that they sold out within a day, leading to mounds of discarded food outside McDonald’s stores across Japan.

The company issued a public apology, stating, “We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy of providing a fun dining experience for children and families. We acknowledge that our preparations were not adequate in this instance.”

McDonald’s Japan is now working on implementing measures to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future. This includes limiting the number of meals that can be purchased by a single individual, discontinuing online orders, and potentially refusing service to customers who do not comply with the rules. The company expressed their commitment to returning to the core values of the Happy Set, which is to bring joy to families and contribute to the well-being of children.

The popularity of collecting Pokemon cards extends beyond just children, with adults also avidly seeking out rare cards that can fetch prices upwards of $1,000. The overwhelming demand for the Pokemon card Happy Sets led to large crowds gathering outside McDonald’s outlets, causing inconvenience to regular customers and resulting in the resale of the cards at exorbitant prices online.

Social media was flooded with complaints about the long lines at McDonald’s and photos of uneaten meals being discarded in plastic bags. The campaign, dubbed “Unhappy Meals” by some, received criticism for prioritizing the interests of resellers over genuine fans of Pokemon.

One disgruntled customer commented, “I couldn’t buy a Happy Meal for my daughter because of these people,” while another remarked, “I’m sure there are adult Pokemon fans who genuinely want the cards, but these resellers are truly embarrassing.”

McDonald’s has been serving Happy Meals for over four decades, with the standard price in Japan being 510 yen ($3.40).