McDonald’s Japan Ends Pokémon Card Happy Meal Craze Amid Food Waste Uproar
So here’s what’s been going on in Japan — McDonald’s recently launched a special Happy Meal campaign, or “Happy Set” as it’s called there, that came with not just a toy, but also a coveted Pokémon card. These weren’t just any cards; some of them can sell for hundreds of dollars online, so the hype was real. As soon as the promotion began, stores were swarmed by customers. And not just kids or families — a lot of the buyers were adults and collectors looking to cash in. The meals sold out in just a single day.
But here’s where things took a very ugly turn. Reports started surfacing that resellers had been buying huge quantities of these meals just for the cards, then dumping the actual food outside the restaurants. Imagine piles of untouched burgers and fries left to rot on the sidewalk. Naturally, this sparked outrage. McDonald’s Japan quickly stepped in and made the decision to cancel the campaign altogether.
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In a public statement, the company apologized, saying that abandoning and wasting food went completely against their long-held philosophy of creating a fun dining experience for children and families. They admitted that their preparations for the campaign hadn’t been sufficient, especially considering how popular these cards are.
The company also explained that it would be taking steps to prevent this kind of chaos in the future — possibly limiting how many meals one person can buy, ending online orders for special promotions, and even refusing service to customers who don’t follow the rules. They emphasized that the Happy Set is supposed to bring smiles to families and help support the healthy development of children, not fuel a frenzy that leads to food waste.
For context, Pokémon cards have an almost cult-like following worldwide. Some of the rare ones can sell for over $1,000, so it’s no surprise that people were trying to get their hands on them. In Japan, the Happy Set usually sells for around 510 yen, or about $3.40, which made it a cheap way to potentially score something valuable — at least in theory.
But instead of joyful kids enjoying their meals and toys, what was left was a mess — both literally and figuratively. McDonald’s Japan has been serving Happy Meals for more than 40 years, but this episode is a reminder of how quickly good intentions can be overshadowed by greed and hype.
In the end, the promotion may have brought excitement, but it also brought an abrupt lesson in what happens when a collectible craze meets fast food — and how fast it can all fall apart.
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