The Pokémon exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam attracted a crowd of people eager to snag exclusive merchandise and resell it at a high price.
The unusual collaboration between Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was supposed to be a unique experience for fans and art enthusiasts. However, what started as a promising opening day on September 28 quickly turned into total chaos.
Numerous people rushed into the museum to buy coveted merchandise in large quantities – only to sell their finds at inflated prices.
Chaos at Pokémon x Van Gogh Exhibition
What kind of merch are we talking about? Among the merchandise are plush toys, t-shirts, bags, and much more. The limited availability Pikachu collector card called Pikachu with Felt Hat
is particularly sought after, as it is distributed as a reward for completing a special task at the museum.
You can see the horror on X here:
Many are now reselling the Pokémon merch at inflated prices on platforms like ebay, especially the Pikachu card. This card was not collected by all fans, but is being offered at extremely inflated prices. A glance at ebay shows that the Pikachu card is listed for up to 900 euros.
You can see the coveted card here:
How are fans reacting? The reactions of Pokémon fans to this development are marked by frustration and anger.
- AntaraelDulacre emphasizes (via X):
Scalpers are the reason we can’t have nice things. […] Videos circulating show adult men (and women) fighting for Pokémon merchandise in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which was an initiative to spark children’s interest in art.
- JoeMerrick writes (via X):
This makes me so sad. […] I’ve seen so many who wanted to go, just to get tickets and merchandise for resale.[…]
- Tickled Pickles reports (via X) that some wanted to steal his card:
I was there today and the card was awesome, but when I came out, I was almost attacked by vultures trying to buy or even steal my card.
The art exhibition can still be visited at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam until January 7, 2024. It remains to be seen how the museum and The Pokémon Company will respond to the situation.
In Japan, adults are buying Pokémon cards away from children: Some stores are now banning sales to adults.
