Van Gogh Museum has safety issue with Pokémon cards
Listen to the story (Kenyan accent)
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has decided to stop giving out a limited-edition Pokémon card for safety reasons.
The card was part of an exhibition about Vincent Van Gogh's connections to Japanese art and culture.
Videos on social media showed crowds of people rushing to the museum's shops to buy Pokémon merchandise. The museum said this created an "undesirable situation."
The museum also said that the decision to stop giving out the card was only because of "a small group of individuals."
The museum hopes that visitors can now enjoy the exhibition in a "safe and enjoyable manner." They also said that the decision was made for the safety of staff and visitors. However, the museum did not say what kind of safety problems there were.
The limited-edition card features the Pokémon character Pikachu posing like Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat.
Some video game websites reported that people were buying the cards at the museum and then reselling them for much higher prices. People have found the cards on websites for as much as €8,060 ($8,500).
The limited-edition cards were also available in the museum's shop on the opening day of the exhibition, September 28. The cards sold out immediately.
The Van Gogh Museum said that people in the UK, US, and Canada can still buy the card online. They also said that it will be available in some Dutch shops starting next year, but not at the Van Gogh Museum.
Vocabulary24 words
- Decide
- to choose something; make a choice from many different options; select
- Give out
- to distribute; to give to many people; To hand something to someone
- Limited-edition
- Something made in only a small number, not many available.
- Part of
- connected to/with; involved with; to be included
- Exhibition
- A show where things are displayed for people to see
- Social media
- Websites and apps that allow people to communicate and share information online (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc.)
- Crowd
- A large group of people gathered together in one place
- Rush
- To move quickly; to act or do urgently
- Merchandise
- Things that are for sale, like toys or clothes
- Undesirable
- Something that's not wanted or not good
- Situation
- condition; circumstance; state of affairs; the way it is; event; occurrence
- Decision
- a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities/options; choice; ruling;
- Individual
- a single person or thing; a person
- Manner
- way; method; the way in which something is done or happens; mode; process
- Staff
- The people who work for a company or organization
- Character
- A made-up person or creature in a story
- Pose
- a way of standing or sitting, especially in order to be photographed, painted, or drawn; position; (models pose for pictures)
- Self-Portrait
- A picture of yourself that you draw or paint
- Report
- to tell other people about something; to share information; announce; explain
- Resell
- to sell something again, usually after buying it from someone else
- Available
- able to be used: ready for use; accessible
- Sell out
- When all the items or tickets available are bought and there are none left
- Immediately
- without any delay; instant; done at once
- Dutch
- from or related to the Netherlands;
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Van Gogh Museum _____ Amsterdam has decided to stop giving out a limited-edition Pokémon _____ for safety reasons.
The card was _____of an exhibition about Vincent Van Gogh's connections to _____ art and culture.
_____ on social media showed crowds of people rushing to the museum's _____ to buy Pokémon merchandise. The museum said this created an "undesirable _____."
The museum also said that the _____ to stop giving out the card was only because of "a small group of _____."
The museum hopes that _____ can now enjoy the exhibition in a "safe and enjoyable manner." They also _____ that the decision was made for the safety of _____ and visitors. However, the museum did not say what kind of safety problems there _____.
The limited-edition card features the Pokémon _____ Pikachu posing like Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat.
Some _____ game websites reported that people were buying the cards at the _____ and then reselling them for much higher prices. People have _____ the cards on websites for as much as €8,060 ($8,500).
The limited-edition cards were also _____ in the museum's shop on the opening day of the _____, September 28. The cards sold out _____.
The Van Gogh Museum said that _____ in the UK, US, and Canada can still buy the card online. They also said that it will be available in some Dutch _____ starting next year, but not at the Van Gogh Museum.
Discussion questions
- Do you think the museum made the right decision to stop giving out the card? Why or why not?
- Why do you think people were rushing to buy Pokémon merchandise at the museum? What could be the reasons?
- How do you feel about the practice of reselling limited-edition items at much higher prices?
- If you were in charge of the museum, what safety problems might you have been concerned about regarding the card's distribution?
- Do you collect any limited-edition items or trading cards? If so, what do you collect, and why?
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