The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has decided to discontinue the distribution of the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card linked to its Pokémon exhibit. This decision comes as a result of safety concerns arising from the chaotic scene at the exhibition’s opening, where scalpers and fans swarmed the gift shop and rapidly depleted its entire stock.
In a FAQ section on the web page for its Pokémon exhibit, the museum wrote, “The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company International take the safety and security of visitors and staff very seriously. Recently, a small group of individuals has created an undesirable situation that has led us to take the difficult decision to remove the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card from the museum. In this way, visitors will be able to experience this special collection of Pokémon paintings and the rest of the museum in a safe and enjoyable manner.”
The museum went on to say that the card will be offered for sale on the Pokémon Center online store at a later date to those shopping at Pokémon Center (United Kingdom, United States and Canada), and it will also be accessible through select retailers in the Netherlands early next year. However, it will no longer be distributed or obtainable at the museum.
Card availability
Fans who are disappointed can find updates on the card’s availability by referring to Pokémon’s social media platforms. If they wish to request a refund for their exhibition tickets, they are encouraged to use the museum’s contact form. It’s worth noting that the card was initially included in the admission fee for the exhibition.
During the exhibition’s opening, a crowd was recorded pushing and shoving to get their hands on merchandise in the museum’s gift shop. Shortly after, the Pikachu card started appearing on auction sites at exorbitant prices.
On the following day, the Pokémon Company confirmed that all items from the Van Gogh collection had sold out. Initially, the museum had set a limit of one purchase per person, but it realised that this measure wasn’t enough to deter scalpers from exploiting the physical location.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
