McDonald's Brings Pokémon Cards Back to the Happy Meal, 30 Years Later

McDonald's and Pokémon are reportedly reuniting for a Happy Meal promotion tied to the franchise's 30th anniversary, according to leaked details circulating ahead of any official announcement from either company. The rollout is staggered by country: Canada is expected to start November 3, Australia November 5, and the United States November 10, with the US run continuing through December 14.\n\nThe promotion reportedly includes 15 toys, each shaped like a miniature Happy Meal box and themed around a different Pokémon, including Pikachu, Eevee, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Umbreon. That alone is notable: it would mark the first time since 2018 that McDonald's has packed in a physical Pokémon toy rather than a paper insert or app tie-in. Every toy reportedly comes bundled with two trading cards pulled from existing Pokémon TCG sets, including Temporal Forces and Obsidian Flames, reprinted with McDonald's-specific numbering rather than sold as a traditional four-card booster.\n\nNone of this is confirmed yet by McDonald's or The Pokémon Company, and the specifics, dates, and card list could still shift before launch. But the strategic logic holds up regardless: a 30th-anniversary campaign is the rare marketing hook that works on two audiences at once, parents who grew up trading these same cards and kids discovering them for the first time, and a drive-thru is a much cheaper acquisition channel than a toy aisle for getting both of them back in the building.

Source: SoleRetriever

Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →