McDonald’s Japan cancels third wave of Chiikawa meal sets amid toy reselling chaos

McDonald’s Japan has cancelled the planned third wave of Happy Sets featuring Chiikawa toys after some consumers bought large quantities of meals just for the toys, discarding the food.

This move follows the launch of the Happy Sets, a collaboration with the popular anime Chiikawa and Minecraft, which sparked a frenzy among fans and potential scalpers.

In an announcement on McDonald’s Japan’s official website, the company said that the first and second editions of the Chiikawa and “A Minecraft Movie” Happy Sets have been discontinued at many locations due to high demand. As a result, the third wave, originally set to begin on 30 May, will not be available for sale.

Meanwhile, the Happy Meals available will include picture books, illustrated books, or other previously released toys. McDonald’s Japan has apologised to customers for the early end of the promotion and asked customers to refrain from inquiring about the stock at stores.

“To deliver food to as many children as possible, we ask that each person purchase a maximum of four Happy Meal sets, including both ‘Minecraft: The Movie’ and ‘Chiikawa’ types. Please refrain from purchasing for resale or other commercial purposes,” the announcement reads.

McDonald’s Japan launched the CHIIKAWA meal, featuring CHIIKAWA and Minecraft toys, on 16 May, but many outlets sold out within just two days. Despite limiting purchases to four sets per order, chaos erupted, with fans and potential scalpers leaving uneaten meals behind in stores. The second wave, scheduled for release on 23 May, introduced four new toys, sparking another surge in demand.

Online footage from X reveals piles of leftover breakfast meals at McDonald’s stores in Japan, with some people leaving the food untouched on countertops, in-store, or even throwing it in the trash, taking only the toys. Moreover, photos depict alleged scalpers filling large plastic bags with numerous Happy Meal toys.

This situation has also hindered regular customers from placing orders, with items frequently sold out and wait times extending up to 30 minutes. Many Japanese citizens have condemned this wasteful behaviour, leading to widespread calls for McDonald’s to end the promotion soon.

On the other hand, the Chiikawa toys from McDonald's Japan's Happy Meals are being resold online on platforms such as eBay, as confirmed by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. While the Chiikawa meal is priced around HK$30, complete sets of “Chiikawa” toys are being sold on second-hand marketplaces for around HK$380 to HK$780.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to McDonald's Japan for a statement. 

Don’t miss: IKEA HK takes a jab at alleged Chiikawa scalpers with social post

In fact, the Chiikawa frenzy has also taken regions outside Japan by storm. For example, in Hong Kong, Harbour City teamed up with local lifestyle brand NIKO-NIKO to present the city’s first Chiikawa-themed pop-up store in April. Nearly a thousand fans lined up outside the mall to purchase limited-edition items, according to local media reports such as HK01 and The Standard. The first round of sales attracted over a thousand people who waited overnight. 

During the second round of Chiikawa merchandise sales, the organizers implemented measures to deter scalpers and queue jumpers by asking those in line questions related to Chiikawa. Anyone who answered incorrectly was asked to leave.

Photo courtesy: X account @FreeAll_protest

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