TOKYO: McDonald’s Japan has cancelled its upcoming “One Piece” manga promotion after a similar Pokemon campaign caused chaos and food waste concerns.
The fast-food chain announced the cancellation in a brief Thursday statement just days before the promotion’s scheduled Friday launch.
The campaign would have distributed “One Piece” game cards with Happy Set meals, the Japanese equivalent of Happy Meals.
This decision follows widespread criticism of McDonald’s recent Pokemon trading card promotion that triggered bulk buying and reselling.
Long queues formed at outlets as customers purchased multiple meals specifically to obtain the limited-edition cards for online resale.
Social media platforms flooded with complaints from families unable to purchase meals and images showing bags of discarded, uneaten food.
The Pokemon promotion was intended to run for three days but many locations exhausted their card supplies on the very first day.
Some Japanese social media users sarcastically renamed the promotion the “Unhappy Meals” campaign due to the resulting frustrations.
McDonald’s Japan has faced similar issues with previous collaborations, including problems with their “Chiikawa” manga series promotion that suffered from online resale complications.
The company issued a public apology following the Pokemon incident and promised to implement measures preventing future occurrences.
Instead of the cancelled “One Piece” cards, Japanese Happy Meal customers will now receive previously available toy options.
Pokemon cards remain extremely popular among both children and adult collectors in Japan, with some rare editions selling for millions of dollars.
The cards’ popularity has even led to unusual criminal incidents in generally low-crime Japan, including store break-ins and physical altercations over the collectible items. – AFP