Van Gogh Museum pulls its Pokémon promo card after opening day chaos

Fans planning to see the Pokémon exhibit at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam may want to take note that they can no longer purchase the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card from its gift shop. The museum has updated the exhibit FAQ to notify visitors that it has removed the limited edition card from its offerings to ensure that they can enjoy their day "in a safe and enjoyable manner." It explained that it had to make "the difficult decision" after "a small group of individuals... created an undesirable situation." The museum didn't elaborate beyond that, but as Polygon reports, people descended upon the museum's gift shop when the exhibit opened in September.

Based on the videos that came out, pandemonium broke out at the shop as visitors fought over merchandise to buy. A good chunk of the buyers may have been scalpers, as well, seeing as there's now a bunch of the Van Gogh-style Pikachu cards being sold on eBay.

The Pokémon account on X announced right after the exhibit opening that the franchise merchandise sold at the Van Gogh museum had sold out. In a newer announcement, it said that fans shopping at Pokémon Center in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada will soon receive one of the limited edition Pikachu cards with their trading card orders worth at least $30, at least until supplies last. The card will also be sold through participating retailers in the Netherlands early next year, but it won't be sold at the museum gift shop again. That said, the Van Gogh-inspired Pokémon paintings will remain available for viewing until the exhibit leaves the museum on January 7, 2024.