McDonald’s Japan × Pokémon Card “Happy Meal” Frenzy — Explained Simply
Easy-to-Understand Explanation
On August 9, 2025, McDonald’s Japan started selling a special Happy Meal that came with limited-edition Pokémon trading cards. It was supposed to be available until August 11, but due to unexpectedly high demand, most stores sold out within just one day.
The main reason was simple: Pokémon cards are extremely popular worldwide. Many customers started lining up early in the morning, including those who bought multiple times and even some visiting tourists. On online flea market apps like Mercari, the cards were resold at high prices — sometimes thousands of yen for a single set, or tens of thousands for bulk listings.
McDonald’s tried to control the rush by limiting purchases to five sets per person and working with Mercari to remove resale listings. However, resale still continued, and many people on social media felt the measures were not enough.
Some extreme cases emerged where buyers threw away the hamburgers after taking just the card, raising concerns about food waste and bad manners.
As a comparison, Nintendo took stronger measures when releasing the “Nintendo Switch 2” console. They required conditions like “at least 50 hours of gameplay” or “online membership for one year” for lottery sales. Also, proof of purchase with personal information was necessary for warranty, making it harder for resellers to profit — and deterring buyers from secondhand listings.
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