Pokémon Card Madness: McDonald’s Japan Promo Sells Out in a Day Amid Chaos

August 14 2025, by XPJon King of Kinglers, 1 min reading time

A planned three‑day Pokémon TCG promo at McDonald’s Japan ended within 24 hours when collectible cards packed with Happy Meals sparked long lines, scalping and even food waste.  Fans hoping to snag the exclusive cards were left disappointed as the chain apologized for the early end, underscoring how intense Pokémon demand can be.

Japan’s Happy Meal promo for the Pokémon TCG wasn’t supposed to cause a riot, but that’s exactly what happened.  McDonald’s Japan planned to give out a run of exclusive promo cards with Happy Meals for three days from August 9–11.  

Instead, the whole campaign collapsed in less than 24 hours because demand was so crazy.  In a notice posted to its website, McDonald’s apologized for cutting the promotion short and urged fans not to call stores looking for leftover stock.

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Reports coming out of Japan sound like something straight out of a Pokémon episode.  Lines wrapped around the block, scalpers bought armfuls of Happy Meals and tossed the food to snag the cards, and some people were caught selling unopened boxes of promos on auction sites.  Even store employees allegedly pocketed packs to resell.  By the time most regular customers heard about the promotion, it was already over.

In short, what was meant to be a fun three‑day promo turned into a one‑day frenzy. McDonald’s Japan’s early apology underscores how unpredictable card-collecting hype can be.

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