McDonald’s Pokémon Happy Meals Return with Exclusive Promo Cards for Japanese Fans

The Pokemon Company and McDonald’s are at it again with a new promo card featuring Pikachu reaching out for a burger. The thing is, it’s only available in Japan starting August.

According to Kotaku, McDonald’s will soon sell Happy Meals that come with a Pokemon Trading Card Game pack in it. Each pack will only have two cards inside with a chance to get Fuecoco, Quaxly, Ralts, Riolu, or Sprigatito.

But above all these cards, there’s only one collectors will be targeting - the Pikachu promo card. It features the iconic Pokemon reaching for the fast food company’s burger and has the McDonald’s logo stamped on it. Fortunately, Happy Meal customers will get this Pikachu promo, along with a random card in the pack.

Apart from these TCG cards, customers can score a Pokemon-themed toy whenever they buy a Happy Meal. This will happen on August 8.

After that day, the Pokemon cards will be made available from August 9 to 11. The kicker here, though, is they’re only available in Japan. As a result, the Pikachu promo card may be sold at a more expensive price in other countries by resellers fortunate enoug to get their hands on it.

Will This Pokemon McDonald’s Promo Be Available in Other Countries?

2025 Pokemon McDonald's Pikachu — Mar 18, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Pikachu on the field dressed in a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey before the game against the Chicago Cubs during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As of the moment, there’s no confirmation whether the Happy Meal containing the Pikachu promo card by McDonald’s is going to be sold in countries outside of Japan. Even if that’s the case, there will surely be a demand for it from non-Japanese markets.

For starters, the latest Pikachu promo card will only be made available for a short period of time. This makes supply rather scarce for those wanting to get their hands on it.

Second, the card’s design cleverly blends an icon in Pikachu with the fast food company’s burger meal. This results in an eye-catching card that will entice collectors to at least get a copy within the three days of its availability.

Thanks to these facts, collectors can expect the newest Pikachu promo card to gain some momentum once it reaches the market. For now, though, there’s no telling yet how much it’ll go from a price perspective.

The State of Pikachu Promo Cards in the Market

While the upcoming Pikachu McDonalds’ promo card can’t be assessed yet, its other offerings in the market may offer some guidance. A good example that can be used is the 2023 Pokemon x Van Gogh Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat card.

According to ALT, a copy encased inside a gem-mint slab is worth $1,000 in the market right. What’s interesting about the card is that even though it has a PSA 10 population of 42,937, it still managed to reach four figures.

If the upcoming Pikachu promo card won’t have a large population out there, its PSA 10 slabs have a good chance of getting a higher price down the line. Of course, collectors should try their best to get a gem-mint grade because getting a 9 or less would greatly diminish the value.

Nevertheless, expect a lot of movement in the Pokemon Card segment of the hobby early next month. By then, there will be an idea where this Pikachu promo is going to end up in the market.