• McDonald's Japan ended a Pokemon promotion on the same day due to chaos and food waste.
• Customers flooded restaurants to buy Happy Meals, resulting in fights and discarded food.
• The promotion's failure is characterized by social media backlash and systemic issues of card reselling.

A promotional campaign by McDonald's Japan offering limited-edition Pokémon cards with Happy Meals was abruptly canceled after just hours due to chaos and food wastage. The promotion started on August 11 and was intended to run for three days, but overwhelming demand led to numerous incidents of fights and food being discarded outside restaurants, prompting police intervention, according to South China Morning Post and Channel News Asia.

The promotion featured popular Pokémon cards alongside Happy Meals, igniting a wave of interest from collectors and fans. However, many consumers were reported to be resellers who purchased meals in bulk only to discard the actual food. The situation escalated as unverified images surfaced on social media, highlighting plastic bags filled with uneaten food abandoned outside McDonald's outlets, according to CBS News and Channel News Asia.

McDonald's Japan acknowledged the backlash, apologizing and stating that their preparations had been inadequate. The company vowed to impose stricter purchase limits and discontinue online ordering to prevent future reselling abuses. Furthermore, they expressed concerns over the “food abandonment” situation, which goes against their commitment to providing enjoyable dining experiences for families, according to South China Morning Post and CBS News.

As the promotion ended, it inadvertently heightened the value of the Pokémon cards, leading to resale prices soaring online, with some listings reportedly reaching hundreds of dollars despite the Happy Meal itself costing around 510 yen. Social media reactions included frustration over the inability to purchase Happy Meals due to resellers, with one user lamenting: “I couldn't buy a Happy Meal for my daughter because of these people,” highlighting the broader social impact of the debacle, according to CBS News and Channel News Asia.