McDonald’s Is Reportedly Adding Pokemon Cards To Happy Meals
"Ronald McDonald, I choose you". "Quick Grimace, use your Big Mac attack". With the Pokemon Company promising the franchise's 25th Anniversary would be one to watch, the gaming giant might be putting the big in Big Mac, thanks to rumours McDonald's is going to start adding Pokemon cards to Happy Meals. Question, is 31 too old to try and order a Happy Meal? Even 25 years after we first put on our caps and stepped out into Pallet Town on a mission to topple the Elite Four, the Pokemon name is arguably stronger than ever.
Branching out from those pixelated days on the Game Boy, Pokemon has gone on to spread into anime, trading cards, console games, stores, and even a live-action movie. Much like Team Rocket's ability to constantly come back, the name "Pokemon" is one that refuses to go away. To be honest, we're totally here for it. While Pokemon Cards first launched in Japan in 1996, they hit the rest of the world with the iconic Wizards of the Coast version in 1999. Those of a certain age will remember spending every hard-earned penny and bit of Tooth Fairy money on Pokemon Cards - hoping to get an elusive shiny Charizard.
Are Pokemon Cards being added to Happy Meals?
According to a leak from PokeJungle (via @PkmnTrainerAbel), the Golden Arches are celebrating this milestone in style by adding packs of Pokemon Cards to Happy Meals. We haven't been this excited since they reintroduced Teenie Beanie Babies to Happy Meals. Further details are backed up by PokeBeach, which claims the promotion will kick off in the USA on February 9 and include a variety of Poke-themed additions. Alongside stickers and what looks like a frame to display your cards, each Happy Meal will come with four (out of a possible 25) Pokemon Cards.
We've seen Pokemon Cards before in Happy Meals, with previous ones including one out of a possible 12 cards. Each card will come printed on the McDonalds holofoil paper and have a special 25th Anniversary stamp in the corner. Interestingly, there appears to be a number of different Pokemon from across the generations. As well as spotting the staple Pikachu, the artwork implies the likes of Snivy, Cyndaquil, and Scorbunny will be collectable - giving focus to all the various starter Pokemon. If the leaks are to be believed, the Pokemon Company is really upping the ante with its anniversary celebration.
News of a McDonald's collab comes just weeks after The Pokemon Company officially announced it was re-releasing the original starter packs in a supersized form for the anniversary. Elsewhere, the fact a rare Blastoise card just broke the record as the most expensive Pokemon Card ever sold proves there's still plenty of love for Pokemon TCG.
McDonald's is no stranger to Pokemon crossovers, while the most recent expansion to Pokemon TCG was a re-released version of the Sun & Moon Trading Card set. Still, nothing beats the OG cards from all those years ago. Gone are the days when you'd constantly have to swap and save to complete a set of McDonald's toys, with the fast food favourite now offering you the chance to purchase Happy Meal toys separately. It gets rids of a lot of the excitement when it comes to collecting, but hey, at least you know you'll be able to "catch 'em all".
Collecting Pokemon Cards again through Happy Meals is great news, but Pokefans will be dying to know whether the release is limited to the USA. Ronald McDonald is yet to give the official word, so let's hope this is a worldwide rollout that won't force the rest of us to watch from the sidelines as Americans have all the fun. Given how addictive both Pokemon Cards and Happy Meals can be, this could be a dangerous mix. We can feel the little kid inside us already bouncing around the McDonald's Play Palace with Happy Meal in-hand.
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Images via The Pokemon Company | McDonald's
