Pokemon Happy Meals Are Officially Back In McDonald's From Today
McDonald's is giving us a reason to be "happy", as the Golden Arches are finally bringing Pokemon Happy Meals back into United Kingdom branches today (May 19). While America has been making the most of the Pokecraze since February, we've been left behind the times here in the UK. We've known that Ronald McDonald has been planning the return of the fan-favourite promotion for a while, and if it's anything like scalpers taking over in the USA, fans are sure to go wild for the latest batch of Pokemon cards.
Back in the '90s, there was nothing like tucking into your E number-filled nuggies with some fluorescent curry sauce and opening a pack of McDonald's Happy Meal Pokemon cards. Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back was out and ready to deliver one of the saddest movie moments of all time, there were still just 151 of those adorable Pocket Monsters, and no one had any idea what an Igglybuff was. These were simpler times when Happy Meals actually came with something you wanted. Keen to dish up some retro nostalgia, Pokemon cards are back.
When are Pokemon cards back in McDonald's Happy Meals?
Once upon a time, you could only obtain Happy Meal toys by actually buying a Happy Meal. Now, McDonald's has introduced a strategy where you just go up to the counter and buy whichever one you want. It takes a bit of the fun out of collecting, but still, serves as a lucrative way for the company to earn some extra money. Anticipating waves of grown adults bursting through the doors and buying up the whole stock of toys, McDonald's has issued a warning that you'll only be able to purchase "one additional toy beyond their Happy Meal allocation". That's all well and good, but the fair ordering policy says nothing about the number of Happy Meals you can buy.
Like scenes in the USA, we're expecting the Pokemon cards Happy Meal promotion to be a massive success. If this is the case, you're probably going to struggle to even get your hands on a Happy Meal at all. When Pokemon cards returned in America, there were reports of parents having to drive to multiple outlets just to feed their kids. There were complaints that adults shouldn't be allowed to buy Happy Meals, but hey, it's a free country.
What is the Pokemon cards Happy Meal promotion?
Just like years gone by, the Happy Meal Pokemon cards come in a pack of four. Like the American release, fans will be given four cards out of a possible 50. In the USA, the selection honoured the 25 starter Pokemon and included another 25 foil variants. The McDonald's UK site confirms Happy Meals will include "one pack of 4 trading cards including one holographic card, plus either stickers, a trading card box or frame".
Be warned though, stocks are already said to be "extremely limited", meaning gamers and collectors alike are getting up early and dashing to their local Golden Arches to chow down on Happy Meals. We just hope people take the latest release sensibly and don't simply chuck their food away to nab a pack of cards. A whole 25 years after the Pokemon craze first beeped its way onto the Game Boy, it's mad that the franchise is still going strong.
When it comes to Pokemon cards, there's been a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to big streamers buying up rare boxes and opening them during streams. The US Happy Meal promotion also saw a massive rise in this kind of video, so look out for your favourite Brits doing the same. Let the hunt for the Pokemon card Happy Meals begin!
Images via The Pokemon Company | McDonald's