[UPDATE 12th August 2025] McDonald’s latest Pokémon promotion in Japan began on Saturday and was scheduled to run until Monday, August 11. However, overwhelming demand forced the campaign to end after just one day.

The frenzy was fueled by a special Pikachu card included in Happy Meals, a fresh printing of the fan-favorite character featuring an exclusive McDonald’s stamp. Its scarcity quickly drove up resale prices on the secondary market, prompting thousands of customers to rush to McDonald’s locations nationwide.

Soon after, reports surfaced of people purchasing massive amounts of food solely for the cards, then discarding the untouched meals on the street. Allegations also emerged of employees illegally selling boxes of the cards. Faced with the chaos, McDonald’s Japan pulled the plug on the promotion early.

The original article is as follows:

McDonald’s Japan’s latest Pokémon card promotion has taken an ugly turn, with scalpers buying Happy Meals in bulk just for the exclusive cards, and leaving piles of untouched food behind.

The campaign, which features adorable burger-themed Pokémon artwork, quickly caught the attention of collectors and resellers. Instead of enjoying the meals, some buyers discarded them on the streets, sparking outrage online over blatant food waste.

Scalpers Target the Promo

Reports from Japanese social media show unopened Happy Meals abandoned in public areas. Twitter user @fx_masaozi3 shared that it’s likely buyers purchased meals purely for the cards and threw the food away without eating.

中身が入ったままのマックの袋が捨てられてました💦
おそらくハッピーセットのポケモン欲しさに大量買いして食べずに捨てたのかもしれませんが酷すぎますね😣 pic.twitter.com/CV9QWiUmI8

— まさ@おじさん (@fx_masaozi3) August 9, 2025

This behavior mirrors past Pokémon TCG product launches, where resellers rush to grab stock for quick profits. The Mega Evolution set earlier this year saw similar “minutes-to-eBay” reselling chaos.

From Waste to Resale

The waste issue isn’t the only controversy. According to a Reddit post, some scalpers managed to acquire full cases of the Pokémon promo card packs sent to McDonald’s stores, later listing them online for over ¥11,000.

While that particular case didn’t involve throwing away food, it further highlights the growing problem of unethical reselling practices.

Calls for Change

Putting Pokémon cards in McDonald’s Happy Meals was always a bad idea in Japan. Resellers are having a field day and dumping the food in the process. What a waste. 😭 https://t.co/CCG6QTgaDJ

— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) August 9, 2025

Fans and community members are urging McDonald’s to place stricter purchase limits to prevent both waste and scalping. Others lament that promotions like these, once meant for children, are now dominated by opportunistic resellers.

The McDonald’s Pokémon card promotion may have been intended as a fun, collectible event, but the resulting waste and profiteering have cast a shadow over it.