Pokemon’s Van Gogh Pikachu cards are reportedly being cancelled
This is why we can't have nice things. The Pokemon Company is a Goliath of the gaming world, being one of the most recognisable brands out there. Unfortunately, an attempt to merge Pocket Monsters and culture hasn't gone well - with scalpers typically ruining the fun for everyone else.
Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary with a love of all things Japanese. This included a love letter to Pokemon, with an exclusive felt hat Pikachu Pokemon card. There was also other merch like an adorable plush, but for collectors, this rare card became a must-have.
Van Gogh Pikachu Pokemon cards apparently being cancelled
The museum shop found itself stampeded with customers in real life, while the online shop became a nightmare. It presumably gave the organisers more of a headache than Van Gogh cutting his ear off, and while lessons have been learned, it sounds like the drama isn't over yet.
After the debacle at the museum, there was a chance to nab the felt hat card through the Pokemon Center website on October 17. It came as a freebie alongside TCG orders over $30, and although we were told the promo would run until October 31, it was soon marred in the same trouble as the previous release.
There are numerous reports that the cards were out of stock within an hour, with subsequent orders now being cancelled amidst fears The Pokemon Company oversold. A Reddit thread on the issue had popped up, and by the looks of it, it's not an isolated case. Many say their order still reads as "received" and hasn't been updated.
"Literally got my order 8 mins in. Still says received, if I don’t get the promo this will be the second time Pokémon Center has hosed me. Smh," says one worried fan. Another added, "They hit a goldmine for offloading all the unwanted extra inventory, no chance they take all that sh*t back and refund money."
Pokemon has a scalping problem
Click to enlargeYou don't have to search far to find the Van Gogh Pikachu, although you'll likely have to pay through the nose if you want to own it. Over on eBay, there are a slew of cards, all going for more than $100/£100.
Grumbling about the whole sordid saga, someone concluded, "I'd be DAMNED if I buy one off the secondary market when I got an order on both waves and got both cancelled. F**k all that noise, the resellers can have them if they expect a $100 price tag."
While we're promised that Pokemerch will eventually return to the Van Gogh museum, the Pikachu card is out for the count. The failure of the Van Gogh collaboration means we're unlikely to get a Monet-themed Lotad card or Psyduck recreating Edvard Munch's The Scream anytime soon. Alas.
