For many, the iconic McDonald's "Happy Meal" is a core childhood memory. Beyond the food, those special toys and giveaways were pure magic. Remember back in May when the Chiikawa and Minecraft: The Movie promos dropped? They were absolutely devoured by fans, selling out almost immediately after launch.
Today (July 15), McDonald's Japan took to X (formerly Twitter) to tease its next Happy Meal lineup for August, featuring none other than everyone's favorite, Pokémon! The initial reveal? Exclusive collaboration cards from the "Pokémon Trading Card Game." Naturally, netizens went wild, already bracing themselves for another epic scramble.
According to the official preview, Pokémon toys will start appearing in Happy Meals from August 8. But here's the kicker: from August 9 to 11, you can also snag limited-edition Pokémon cards, all featuring original McDonald's collaboration artwork. Each Happy Meal purchase guarantees you "one Pikachu card & one random card from five others," meaning you'll walk away with two cards per meal.
While the full toy lineup hasn't been unveiled yet, official images already give us a peek at Pikachu and Charmander designs. The other characters and the complete toy roster are still under wraps, but we're sure they're keeping us on the edge of our seats. Get ready for some exciting reveals!
Given Pokémon's massive popularity, many netizens are already worried about resellers sweeping up the stock, predicting another fierce battle for these coveted items. With the insane Chiikawa phenomenon happening just two months ago, it's hard not to feel a sense of déjà vu.
Japan McDonald's really keeps the Happy Meal waves coming, one after another. Even with a month's notice, like with Chiikawa, stock was completely wiped out in a single day. Whether McDonald's can effectively tackle the reseller problem this time around remains to be seen.