Pokémon Happy Meal toys appear at McDonald's in Japan
Summer's here and it's time to catch 'em all at McDonald's, thanks to a new range of Happy Meal toys being released in Japan from 8 August. This time, customers will be able to find Pikachu, Eevee, the original starter trio Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur, as well as Mega Charizard X and Mega Lucario, and we were lucky enough to get a peek at all of them before the official release.
The range is being released over two weeks, starting with the first round, from 8-14 August, which includes the following four toys.
▼ Pikachu's Tail-Wiggling Dash
Pikachu rides on an electric current with a roller underneath the base so when you push it along by hand, its tail wiggles back and forth. This toy is so charming you'll find it hard to stop playing with it.
▼ Charmander's Spinning Top
Charmander's grin will immediately put a smile on your dial, and when you set it on a flat surface and give it a spin, your smile will turn into a grin as the Pokémon twirls at an impressive speed. The way the spin finishes, with Charmander striking a triumphant pose on the Poké Ball, is particularly delightful.
▼ Squirtle's Poké Ball Roller
Squirtle also shows off a 'Hey, look at me!' pose atop a Poké Ball, although this one has him moving back and forth, as if performing a balancing act while you roll the ball along by hand.
▼ Mega Lucario's Battle Disc Launcher
Mega Lucario makes his Happy Meal debut with a toy set comprising of a disc and a target, which adds an exciting game element to the series. Simply insert the disc into the base, and when you press it with your finger the disc launches powerfully toward the target. You can also swap the target out for your own figures for extra fun and excitement.
The second round of toys, available from 15-21 August, includes the following four toys.
▼ Pikachu's Poké Ball Rocking Roller
Pikachu sits atop a Poké Ball in a roly-poly, self-righting toy style. Tilt it with your finger and Pikachu rocks dramatically from side to side. The satisfying way he always stands back up despite the odds is particularly adorable.
▼ Mega Charizard X's Spinning Top
The Mega Charizard X spinner features a Master Ball design for its base, and it works just like the Charmander spinning top, so you can set them up for a spin-off against each other. Charizard is larger than Charmander, though, so spinning him feels a bit more challenging.
▼ Bulbasaur's Poké Ball Roller
After collecting the Squirtle Poké Ball roller in Round One, you'll now be able to add a Bulbasaur version to your collection in Round Two, and it's just as cute.
▼ Eevee's Shaka-Shaka Keychain
Eevee sits on a tree stump, looking incredibly sweet as the only keychain in this batch of Happy Meal toys. Whenever the main body is shaken, it makes a 'shaka shaka' ('rustling') sound that's reminiscent of a gentle maraca. With a Poké Ball shaped carabiner attached, this is the perfect toy for clipping onto a bag and carrying around with you on your travels.
Additionally, in Round Two there's a special 'Secret Toy' being released, which will only be revealed to those lucky enough to receive it.
Pokémon fans will also want to ensure they visit on 9, 10 and 11 August, because that's when those who purchase a Happy Meal will receive a bonus Pokémon card set as a limited-time weekend event. You'll get a set of two cards — one featuring an original artwork of Pikachu, plus one randomly selected from five types. Stocks are limited, so if you're interested, you'll want to act fast!
The fun doesn't end there, though, because from 22 August, Round Three begins, where customers will receive one of the nine toys from Rounds One and Two at random. This is a great way to try and catch 'em all if you missed out on your favourites in the first two weeks, which is what we did with last year's awesome release of Pokémon Happy Meal toys.
Photos©SoraNews24, ©Pokémon ©Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.©2025 Pokémon ©1995-2025 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.TM, (R), and character names are trademarks of Nintendo
● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tokyo Weekender
8 hours ago
- Tokyo Weekender
McDonald's Japan Apologizes as Pokemon Happy Meal Ends After One Day Due to Scalpers
Starting on Saturday, August 9, McDonald's Japan launched a special collaboration with one of the world's most popular game franchises. The plan was that for three days, the fast-food chain's Happy Meal — known here as Happy Set — would come with two exclusive Pokemon cards. Customers were limited to purchases of no more than five sets per person and McDonald's Japan shared information with the online marketplace app Mercari to help prevent the reselling of the cards. List of Contents: Pokemon Happy Meal Campaign Lasts Just One Day McDonald's Japan Issues an Apology Related Posts Pokemon Happy Meal Campaign Lasts Just One Day Unsurprisingly, it didn't work. The campaign lasted just one day as several outlets ran out of the cards. Some customers reportedly used multiple accounts to bypass the five‑meal limit. It wasn't that they were very hungry or buying for a large family, they just wanted to get hold of the prized possessions: an original illustration of Pikachu eating a burger, in addition to one randomly selected card, as these items have a large resale value. Footage spread online of chaotic scenes at stores that had to cope with extremely long lines and bulk buying. One video on X allegedly shows a customer attempting to purchase 40 Happy Meals, leading to a confrontation with other people in the line. The hysteria also led to food waste as some people purchased the set meals just to get hold of the cards. Once they received them, they left the uneaten food in the restaurant or dumped it on the street. McDonald's Japan Issues an Apology On Saturday, McDonald's Japan posted an apology on its website for 'not meeting the expectations of customers.' The reason, the company said , was due to 'higher‑than‑expected sales.' Realizing this was an insufficient response, the fast-food chain released a statement on Monday: 'McDonald's does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Set for the purpose of resale, nor the wasting or disposal of food. This incident clearly goes against our long-standing philosophy of providing a fun dining experience for children and families, as well as our values as a restaurant. We sincerely acknowledge that our response was inadequate.' A similar situation occurred in May, when McDonald's Japan released its Happy Meal collaboration with the popular character Chiikawa . Social media posts showed scalpers bulk-ordering the meals solely to acquire the limited-edition toys to resell them. After getting hold of the item, they abandoned the food. The toys then appeared on resale websites for about six or seven times their original retail price. The special collaboration set meals sold out within two days. Related Posts Chiikawa's Dark Lore: The Shocking Stories of Japan's Cutest Characters On This Day in Japan: Nintendo Released the First Pokemon Games McDonald's Japan Announces Neon Genesis Evangelion Toy Collaboration
SoraNews24
13 hours ago
- SoraNews24
McDonald's Japan issues official apology over Pokémon Happy Meal reseller problems
Refusal of sales and mobile app account bans to be implemented, following latest case of speculators spoiling fun for fans and upsetting regular customers. Sort of like how the Pokémon multimedia franchise has multiple branches that partly, but not perfectly, overlap, McDonald's Japan's current Pokémon Happy Meal promotion is a little complicated. The Pokémon Happy Meals went on sale August 8, with a second batch of adorable Pokémon toys scheduled to replace the initial lineup on August 15 and be available through August 21. However, for three days out of the period, August 9-11, customers who bought a Pokémon Happy Meal got not just a toy, but also an exclusive Pokémon Trading Card Game card. Needless to say, fans were excited, but unfortunately, so were resellers, who swarmed McDonald's Japan branches and snatched up as many of the cards as they could in order to flip them for profit through online auctions and e-commerce sites. This prompted angry reactions from ordinary customers and genuine Pokémon fans who were upset by the displays of greed and associated litter and waste. In response, McDonald's Japan has issued an official apology and warning through its website, which begins: An important announcement about Happy Meal sales and McDonald's response During our Pokémon Happy Meal set Pokémon card promotion, we confirmed that a portion of customers bought large quantities with the intent of reselling the cards, causing congestion and confusion at McDonald's branches and in their surrounding areas. In addition, there were instances of the associated food items being left behind at the restaurant or abandoned outside. McDonald's deeply apologizes for the inconvenience and distress caused to our regular customers, the crews working at our restaurants, residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, and the owners of the buildings in which our restaurants operate as tenants. Food waste in general is heavily frowned upon in well-mannered Japanese society, with shortages following World War II often regularly brought up as reminders of why food should be treated respectfully. And to clarify, the instances of Happy Meal food items being left behind aren't referring to someone who didn't finish each and every one of their French fries, but to resellers placing to-go orders for a half-dozen or more Happy Meals, extracting the cards and toys, and then just leaving the bags of untouched food sitting on counters or tables inside of McDonald's restaurants or dumping them on the sidewalk outside. McDonald's statement continues with: In the future, there may be instances in which we impose stricter purchase quantity limits for specific Happy Meal sets and time periods. In addition, while we acknowledge that this is an inconvenience for our regular customers, during such periods we may also place restrictions on mobile orders and deliveries. Details will be disclosed on a case-by-case basis. In addition, during such sales restriction periods, we will refuse sales to those attempting to purchase amounts exceeding the limits, lining up repeatedly to make multiple purchases, attempting to intimidate restaurant staff, or otherwise failing to abide by the rules and behave politely. Moreover, customers whose actions have clearly interfered with the provision of the promotion's services when purchasing Pokémon Happy Meals, or who have records of making bulk purchases, will have their accounts removed from the official McDonald's app, as per its terms of service. McDonald's statement closes by saying that the company is also asking for e-commerce sites' cooperation in 'implementing more effective measures to inhibit malicious hoarding as reselling to the extent possible.' It's unclear, though, how much clout is behind this request, though, as the act of reselling the cards isn't illegal, so hopefully the other countermeasures McDonald's mentions will help alleviate the problem. Source: McDonald's Japan Photo: SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
SoraNews24
2 days ago
- SoraNews24
Pokémon Happy Meal trading cards cause chaos at McDonald's branches in Japan
The Pokémon card battle at McDonald's was tougher than anyone anticipated. This past weekend, Pokémon fans in Japan had an adventure to go on, as McDonald's announced it would be giving away free Pokémon cards with its Happy Meals on 8, 9, and 10 August. For each Happy Meal purchased, customers were able to receive two Pokémon cards — one being a guaranteed standard Pikachu, and one randomly chosen from five possible varieties. With the cards being limited in quantity, fans were prepared to go into battle to get them, including our reporter Maro, who got up early in the morning on release day to catch a set of her own. While Maro knew demand would be high for the cards, she wasn't prepared for the crowds she found when she walked down to her local branch at around 7:15 a.m. Even at her quiet countryside branch, the parking lot was full of cars and there was a long line of vehicles for the drive-thru that stretched all the way down the road. This was a sight she'd never seen before, and when she stepped into the store she felt bad for the staff, who were rushing around trying to fulfill everyone's orders. It was busier than ever, yet staff did a brilliant job of serving everyone patiently with kind smiles. While there were plenty of children and families here, there were also lots of adults like Maro who were just as excited to pick up the limited-edition cards. Although she'd ordered her Happy Meal in advance through the mobile app, she still had to wait 50 minutes for her order to be ready, but at this point she was just thankful that she was able to even place an order, given that the cards were likely to run out before the weekend was over. Making the Happy Meals even more sought after was the fact that they came with one of nine Pokémon toys, which are being released over the space of three weeks. Thankfully, due to her early-morning efforts, Maro was able to receive her Happy Meal with its bonus extras, and before racing home to open her pack, she held her card set up in triumph as she left the store. After returning home, still sleepy from her early outing, Maro's mood lifted as she pulled out her breakfast. In addition to her apple juice, hotcakes, and hash brown, or 'hash potato' as it's known in Japan, Maro received… ▼ … the Charmander's Spinning Top! It looked even cuter in real life, and now the time had come for her to open the card pack and find out what mystery card she'd received. ▼ She got the guaranteed Pikachu, with Ralts as the bonus card! Cards like these are super rare, especially when the campaign ends, making them even more special in Maro's book. After admiring their beauty, she ate her breakfast while scrolling through social media, where she found that the Pokémon Happy Meal craze had gone haywire nationwide, with some stores selling out by 7 a.m., and loads of customers lining up to collect 'em all. While many customers were genuine fans, it soon became apparent that some were resellers. Photos on social media showed large amounts of uneaten Happy Meals in plastic bags, wastefully left behind by those who bought excessively just to get the cards. After seeing all the happy families in the store with their Pokémon cards, Maro felt a surge of anger toward the resellers who were buying up all the Happy Meals and depriving fans of joy by depleting stocks to turn a profit. While she's happy that big chains like McDonald's can offer exciting campaigns like this, she does hope that they'll implement measures like limiting sales to one per customer or banning mobile orders in future, so that true fans of the franchise can get their hands on these Pokémon cards the way they're meant to… and not at premium prices. Photos©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
