Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum collaboration

General
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552

Hi everyone!

As promised I hereby recount my adventure at the van Gogh museum over the days. On the 28th, I arrived around 13:00 and was immediate greeted by a bustling crowd. The museum had inadvertently combined the distribution of the Pokémon Adventure map and the promo card at a single desk, creating a long line. Though eager to explore the museum, my desire for the card let me to join the queue. This unique ‘phase’ of the event allowed attendees to acquire multiple cards by swapping cloths and rejoining the line for another Adventure map. This created a lively atmosphere, with everyone hoping for an extra card.

As I ascended the staircase to the museum, I noticed a group huddled around a section of the downstairs shop, waiting for it to be restocked. This was the scene of the video of some people going black Friday crazy. I have to say the scene was both chaotic and even a bit amusing.

Once upstairs, I activated my audio guide and embarked on a leisurely stroll through the museum. The upper floor, adorned with stunning art pieces by Vincent and other artist, provide a serene contrast tot the earlier chaos. Amidst my exploration, an announcement echoed through the halls: the museum was altering the promo card distribution method. They cleverly turned the group entry on the first floor into an exit, where attendees could exchange the Adventure map for the coveted promo card. This change, while allowing for an extra card for most, encouraged people to leave, restoring a more relaxed atmosphere to the museum.

The second day proved significantly smoother. Arriving at 11:00, I found shorter lines, indicating improved organization. In the museum shop, there was a brief wait, but I managed to secure one of the last plushies available for the day. The girl behind the register told me that they restock the items every morning. I took my time exploring the artworks I had missed the previous day and apricating my favourites once more.

To obtain the promo card, visitors still had to exit through the group entry. At the register (outside), handing in the Adventure map granted access to the coveted promo card. Overall, my museum experience was immensely satisfying, especially on the second day, showcasing the museum’s ability to adapt and enhance the event’s enjoyment for everyone.

I tried to capture the event in two short video’s which are available though the following links (sorry for the quality, I am not really a video guy).

Part 1: https://youtu.be/hr2o3tfCyQo
Part 2: https://youtube.com/shorts/GpRn0vjYuYk

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Edit:
I noticed that the sealed promo card had text in both Dutch and French. I wonder if the cards in the UK and US will have the same languages.

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Edit 2:
I forgot to mention that there were indeed some CharizardBaller69’s outside the museum, offering between €50-€100 for a card or plush, but they weren’t pushing me into selling. I kindly declined there offer and that was it.

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553

I don’t understand why it is allways to few items, out of stock within few second.

Why don’t Pokemon just make items so that everybody can get things? Don’t they want to sell, or do they support scalping?

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554

The people on Discord defending scalping should read this, but given their lack of empathy, it probably wouldn’t change anything.

Glad that you got your card and some of the merchandise available.

Pity the museum staff who absolutely didn’t sign up for this shitshow of scum descending upon the museum and for visitors who went there for Van Gogh’s art. It’d probably discourage any further collaboration when you’re attracting all the wrong kind of people who don’t care about the actual purpose of the museum.

I really like the promo but my interest in it has dampened significantly since its tied to the stench of these lowlifes. TPCi are also to blame with yet another incoherent, amateur hour release. The way they keep making the same mistakes makes it seem like it’s intentional. They should be fired before something worse happens like a crowd crush.

edit: also read @rainbowgym 's post about how the employees would want to quit if it continued like this for the duration of the collaboration. Obviously it’s not in a scalper’s nature to care about others, but for those excusing scalping or making fun of others complaining about it, maybe reflect on how this kind of behaviour affects others who are forced to deal with this amount of antisocial behaviour.

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555

It doesn’t habe to be endless just accept orders for a week or so and then build to that demand.

Can even still do the limits ok 2 per person max of this item etc and after the window closes produce that many and ship them out like japan did.

The 25th anniversary gold box in japan had people waiting like a year after ordering to get it filled but it got done. Could do the same with any over hyped releases.

Hell could even do what they did today as a hype dog mad rush shit show and then offer more stock as build to order for a limited window to meet the remarkable demand.

They get the money hype and attention now and also dont piss off there fanbase every few weeks when these same issues occur.

556

They can’t just produce one item. Production takes time and there are thousands of different items they need to produce every year. If they just produced these then they couldn’t produce other items.

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557

Sad if thats true because i was hoping to see the plushies there when i go next month, but seems like it will be a nice experience regardless.

Glad to hear its smoother on the second day

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558

Heard from an acquaintance who was at the museum today that people had been standing outside waving 50 euro notes and trying to persuade the children who had received the card to sell.

Scary behavior

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559

This reminds me of that time when I went to the SDCC Conan O’Brien show back in 2016. After the show ended, everyone in the audience was given a free Funko Pop. I had never even seen a Funko Pop before, but just thought it was a cool gift for the event.

There were people near the exit of the venue who were basically doing the same thing. They were waving money and telling everyone they’d pay $50 per Funko. I imagine this behavior is pretty common for special event items

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560

Yet mods like @pfm will screenshot comments critical of scalping behaviour onto Discord for people to pile on.

1.1 Bullying is not tolerated. Targeted insults, memes, jokes, or similar acts are only acceptable insofar as it is enjoyed by all participants. If you are asked to stop, you are expected to stop immediately.

Well done.

1 Like
561

it’s been like 2 hours since the main release and already the card is sub-$90

8 Likes
562

Its been one day and the card is already sub $100. Pokemon center orders haven’t even shipped. There are 1200 listings on ebay. I think the card might drop, just a hunch.

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563

You’re sending mixed signals

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564

Does the scalping really matter when the price will drop in a week? Once the prices go back down then scalpers will have less interest in stocking up and then granny and her grandson will be able to get the card. Just be patient.

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565

I’ll gladly pay $75 when it drops there to not have to deal with the pokemon center

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567

That can be arranged

568

It’s not about the price of the card. It’s the behaviour of the people and how it affects others around them. That’s what I’m criticizing but people can’t seem to separate the two.

Pokebeach also posted recently about a distributor of a Target being jumped outside before restocking and refused to come back. This is how they behave, so what is there to defend?

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569

Can I least get a mug with it

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570

Totally missed the update this morning, but by the looks of this thread I really only missed the stress of getting nothing on the Pokémon center lol

Looking forward to scalpers undercutting each other over the next couple weeks.

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571

Humans are gonna human… It sucks to see people behaving like complete animals at the mere prospect of a bit of cash, but that’s just what the world is like I guess

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572

Best i can do is deck box

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