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Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum has fired four of its employees in relation to the embezzlement of a collectible Pokémon trading card featuring Pikachu wearing a hat.

To celebrate its 50^th anniversary in September 2023, the museum partnered with Pokémon to hold a ‘Pokémon Gogh’ exhibition featuring many of the series’ lovable monsters drawn in the style of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings. There was also an exclusive range of Pokémon merchandise developed for the event available through the museum’s shop and webstore including t-shirts, bags, and postcards, all of which sold out days after opening.

This Pokémon X Van Gogh exhibit led to ‘total madness’ among visitors, with collectors flocking to the museum shop to grab as much merch as they could.

However, among the merchandise was limited-edition Pokémon trading card, ‘Pikachu with Gray Felt Hat’ which led to charges of embezzlement against at least four employees and their subsequent firing from the museum.

Dutch newspaper Het Parool reports that certain members of operational staff landed in trouble around the Pokémon exhibition, including security guards and clerks whom were suspended in mid-December and now face charges of embezzlement as a result. The employees were found to be in breach of the museum’s procedures and code of conduct after they leaked the exact location to find a marked box of the cards, suspectedly to resell online at extravagant prices taking advantage of their limited availability, a practice known as scalping.

The ‘Pikachu with Gray Felt Hat’ cards currently sell on eBay for anywhere between €150 – €500 apiece.

A spokesperson confirmed that the employees involved would not be returning to their jobs at the museum.

References

Ramdjan, T. (2024) Vier Medewerkers van Gogh museum Weg na Wangedrag Bij Pokémonexpo, Het Parool. Available at: https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/vier-medewerkers-van-gogh-museum-weg-na-wangedrag-bij-pokemonexpo~be629fc7/ (Accessed: 26 January 2024).

Van Gogh, M. (2023) Pokémon X van gogh museum, Van Gogh Museum. Available at: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about/collaborate/van-gogh-museum-brand-licenses/collaboration-license-partners/van-gogh-museum-x-pokemon (Accessed: 26 January 2024).

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