McDonald’s Japan delayed toy promotion after Pokémon’s complaints

McDonald’s Japan postponed the promotion of toys for a children’s menu after complaints that the recent Pokémon submission led to the disposal of a pile of food, with the cards being sold for profit.

The fast food giant said on Thursday that his collaboration with the popular manga title with pirate theme “One piece” will no longer work.

Earlier this month, the distribution of the McDonald’s Giveaway of Limited-Edition Pokémon with its Happy Set dishes led to long tails and buying bulk.

Photos shared online showed food bags discarded on the street and complaints that cards are sold online for profit. The show was planned to last three days, but many retail outlets exhausted the cards of the first.

In a statement on her McDonald’s Japan website, she said she had “postponed” one Piece’s promotion, which is due to start on August 29 as part of “Reviewing Happy Set initiatives.”

Customers will now receive toys that accompanied previous Happy Set dishes, the company said.

The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency said it was on McDonald’s that it should improve its sales strategy and take steps to improve food waste.

One piece is a long -standing series of comics and an animation program in which a pirate boy fights rivals while looking for a treasure known as “one piece”. The comics were launched in 1997, with the animation series coming two years later.

Several related games and toys are extremely popular in Japan.

McDonald’s had similar problems with other campaigns in the past, including cooperation with the Chiikawa series, which was also directed at online resale.

After Pokémon’s debate, McDonald’s Japan made a public apology and promised to take steps to prevent such problems in the future.

Pokémon cards are extremely popular with children, but they also attract elderly fans and collectors, with billions printed and some sales for tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

One of the cards from the recent promotion, including the popular Pikachu character, is currently listed on an online auction site for over £ 25,000 ($ 33,000).

Last week, McDonald’s told local media that he was reviewing his distribution after Pokémon’s campaign led to “large -scale purchases for resale, which caused congestion or food to be abandoned.”

It states that it terminates the promotion and will impose a restriction on the number of happy dishes that can be purchased by customers.