Pokémon Card Frenzy Turns McDonald’s Meals into Mayhem

A limited-edition Pokémon card giveaway at McDonald’s Japan sparked nationwide chaos as collectors and resellers flooded stores, buying Happy Meals in bulk to resell the cards online. The rush led to long queues, food waste, and frustration from parents who couldn’t get meals for their children. Dubbed the “Unhappy Meals” fiasco, the incident forced McDonald’s to apologize, pledge stricter purchase limits, and push e-commerce platforms to crack down on profiteers.