Source:
ChatGPT:
Videos shared on X captured scenes described by eyewitnesses as “total war,” with shoppers pushing, shouting, and scrambling for the plushies. One user recounted children crying after being struck amid the crush, while another video showed staff attempting to control the situation with a megaphone outside the store. Similar overcrowding was reported at PokΓ©mon Centers in Yokohama and Osaka, suggesting the issue was widespread rather than isolated.
Many fans blamed scalpers for fueling the panic, arguing that resellers snapping up limited items have worsened crowd behaviour and made it harder for genuine collectors to buy merchandise fairly. The incident reignited long-standing frustrations within the PokΓ©mon fan community over scalping, particularly in Japan’s collectibles and trading card market.
Less than a day after the incidents, The PokΓ©mon Company announced that the anniversary Pikachu plush would be made available for online purchase in the near future, easing concerns that fans had permanently missed out. This move was widely welcomed as a way to reduce pressure on physical stores.
The chaos contrasts with recent signs of cooling demand in Japan’s PokΓ©mon resale market, where some card shops have reportedly closed due to declining sales, raising speculation that the long-running “PokΓ©mon bubble” may be deflating. Observers hope the anniversary turmoil proves to be an exception driven by celebratory hype, rather than a return to routine scarcity and reseller-driven disorder.
Comments:
Aiyo it's just collectibles mah... π
