Free Trial

McDonald's Japan's Pokemon card Happy Meals promotion comes to an unhappy end

People stands outside a McDonald's store in Tokyo, March 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

Key Points

  • McDonald's Japan has canceled its Happy Meal promotion featuring Pokemon cards due to excessive food waste caused by resellers.
  • The meals sold out in just one day, with customers discarding food after purchasing solely for the collectible cards.
  • In response, McDonald's plans to implement measures like limiting meal purchases and potentially blocking service to customers who don’t follow the rules.
  • Collecting Pokemon cards is popular, leading to some being resold online for hundreds of dollars, which attracted unusually large crowds to McDonald's stores.
  • Looking to export and analyze McDonald's data? Unlock 5 Weeks of MarketBeat All Access for Just $5. Claim Your Limited-Time Discount.

TOKYO (AP) — Fast-food chain McDonald’s Japan has canceled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologizing after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving trash outside stores.

The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports.

Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores.

“We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to ‘offer a fun dining experience for children and families.’ We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate,” the company said in a statement Monday.

McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation from happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules.

“We vow to return to the basics of what lies behind the Happy Set, which is about helping to bring smiles to families so we can contribute to the wholesome development of the hearts and bodies of children, who are our future,” the company said.

Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $1,000 or more.

Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald’s stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online.

McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($3.40).

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Should You Invest $1,000 in McDonald's Right Now?

Before you consider McDonald's, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and McDonald's wasn't on the list.

While McDonald's currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

These 7 Stocks Will Be Magnificent in 2025 Cover

Discover the next wave of investment opportunities with our report, 7 Stocks That Will Be Magnificent in 2025. Explore companies poised to replicate the growth, innovation, and value creation of the tech giants dominating today's markets.

Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.

Featured Articles and Offers

Recent Videos

3 Stocks With Explosive Upside
September Slowdown: 3 Stocks to Buy When the Pullback Comes
3 Overlooked Stocks Riding the AI Data Center Boom

Stock Lists

All Stock Lists

Investing Tools

Calendars and Tools

Search Headlines