Aussies race to McDonald’s for sell-out Pokémon meal after chaotic scenes in Japan: ‘This is so sad’

Pokémon fans have flocked to McDonald’s Australia to get their hands on the collectible cards – after the Happy Meal range led to wild scenes in Japan.

The fast food chain launched its new kids’ Happy Meal offering, featuring 15 Pokémon cards, including seven foil versions, and keychains to collect.

However, many customers have expressed disappointment after visiting their local restaurants, only to be told the Happy Meals are sold out. 

One Sydney fan visited a McDonald’s store inside Chatswood Westfield just one day after the promotion started – but was greeted by a sign that read: ‘Fully sold out of Pokémon Happy Meal toys. Sorry for the inconvenience.’

‘Now is this a sign of scalpers buying Happy Meals or kids really wanting McDonald’s,’ they said.

Many unhappy diners said they were annoyed they missed out, while others shared that their young kids were looking forward to collecting the cards. 

‘Sad, everything would have been okay if people limited themselves to a total of one or two of each, but of course you got people going location to location trying to buy out each place every time,’ one said.

‘That’s so sad. I was planning on getting some for my son next week because we likely would be getting Maccas anyway. Like Pokémon is already aimed at kids, a Happy Meal, even more so,’ another explained.

‘I was planning to try and collect all 15 of the toys, with the cards just there for novelty so it’s awful I had to change my plans literally instantly. I feel bad for real customers, the little ones in particular,’ one added.

The promotion is expected to run until December 9. 

Many fans feared the collectible cards may not be around for long as thousands, including resellers, rush to buy the meals. 

‘Scalpers suck all the fun out of life,’ one said. 

‘There’s a full set of the cards currently on sale on eBay for $140 and a sealed case of 150 toys and 300 cards for $1,550,’ another shared.

The latest Happy Meal launch comes more than a year after McDonald’s Japan was forced to cancel its Pokémon promotion early as demand spiralled out of control.

Shocking pictures emerged on social media showing mountains of uneaten Happy Meals dumped outside McDonald’s stores in Tokyo after fans and resellers removed the Pokémon cards from the boxes and discarded the food. 

‘We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food,’ a Japanese spokesperson for McDonald’s said at the time.

‘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 spokesperson added: ‘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 Pokémon Happy Meals collaboration has since returned to McDonald’s globally. However, there are no signs of it coming back to Japan any time soon.