Over the last few years, Pokemon cards have been a staple of McDonald’s Happy Meals here in North America. At this point, the promotions have become a near yearly affair, and after some headaches back in 2021, McDonald’s seems to have gotten things mostly under control. In Japan, Pokemon cards have been a much rarer sight at the restaurant chain, with several years passing between promotions. That changed earlier this month, with a promotion that included an exclusive new Pikachu card. McDonald’s locations in Japan were quickly overwhelmed by demand, and the promotion was forced to end earlier than expected.
Videos by ComicBook.com
As reported by PokeBeach, the promotion was always going to be on the short side; the Pokemon cards were only supposed to be offered for three days in total. However, stock ran out within about 24 hours. All of the reports sound very similar to the situation that played out in North America a few years ago, with long lines, tons of food being thrown out by those that just wanted the cards, and cases of card packs being sold on sites like eBay.
Following a truly chaotic 2021 Happy Meal TCG promotion in North America, The Pokemon Company and McDonald’s have collectively done a much better job meeting demand for follow-up promotions. The Pokemon Company seems to be printing a lot more cards, and there are also stricter limits placed on what restaurants are able to sell. This has all worked out pretty nicely, so hopefully McDonald’s locations in Japan are able to similarly adapt if they decide to do this again in the future. Of course, the promise of a card with exclusive art might have played a role in the massive interest seen in Japan.
As of this writing, The Pokemon Company and McDonald’s have not confirmed whether this exclusive Pikachu card will be released outside of Japan. Appropriately enough, the card features an image of Pikachu reaching for a burger, and an image of the McDonald’s logo can be seen. It seems like a very safe bet we’ll see this arrive at some point locally, but there’s no way of knowing when. Since we already had a card promotion in the U.S. earlier in 2025, it stands to reason that we won’t see another Pokemon Happy Meal until sometime next year.
High demand for cards has become a pretty big problem for The Pokemon Company. New sets have been selling out almost immediately, in large part due to resellers grabbing up products with the intention of flipping them on sites like eBay. The Pokemon Company has increased production to meet demand, and has instituted several changes meant to deter resellers. We’ve seen this play out through moves like implementing a queue on the Pokemon Center website and limiting the amount of cards that can be distributed at a time through official TCG vending machines.
Are you hoping to see this exclusive card come to locations in the U.S.? Have you been frustrated by all the issues with Pokemon cards lately? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
