McDonald’s is taking precautions against Pokemon scalpers once again, even though its latest Happy Meal collaboration contains toys instead of trading cards.
The new Pokemon Happy Meals launch across Japan on August 7 as part of the franchise’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
The collection includes 12 toy designs featuring 30 Pokemon in total. All 27 starter Pokemon from the series’ nine generations are represented alongside Pikachu, Eevee, and Snorlax.
Six toys will be available during the first wave from August 7 to August 13. Another six will arrive on August 14, before all 12 enter circulation from August 21 until stocks run out.
McDonald’s limits Pokemon Happy Meal purchases
According to McDonald’s Japan, customers will be limited to six Pokemon Happy Meals per group and transaction between August 7 and August 9.
The meals will also be unavailable through third-party delivery platforms during those three days. Customers can still order through McDonald’s own delivery service.
McDonald’s has asked customers not to purchase the Happy Meals for resale or other commercial purposes. The company is also discouraging people from contacting individual restaurants to check their remaining inventory.
The restrictions come despite the new promotion offering no Pokemon trading cards. Instead, the toys include disc shooters, spinners, ring toss games, Poké Ball rollers, a sticker case, and a Snorlax name tag.
McDonald’s has good reason to remain cautious. Its 2025 Pokemon card promotion sold out in less than 24 hours after customers rushed to collect packs containing a guaranteed Pikachu and one random card.
Photos and videos showed long lines outside restaurants and large amounts of unwanted food abandoned in public. Some customers reportedly purchased the meals solely to resell the cards.
McDonald’s responded by introducing a three-meal limit for the next Pokemon toy wave, which also did not include cards.
Pokemon card scalping has plagued McDonald’s promotions for years. During the franchise’s 25th anniversary campaign in 2021, some resellers reportedly purchased as many as 100 Happy Meals, prompting The Pokemon Company to promise increased production.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
