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As reported by PokeBeach, the promotion was always going to be on the short side; the Pokemon cards were only supposed to be offered for three days in total. However, stock ran out within about 24 hours. All of the reports sound very similar to the situation that played out in North America a few years ago, with long lines, tons of food being thrown out by those that just wanted the cards, and cases of card packs being sold on sites like eBay.
Following a truly chaotic 2021 Happy Meal TCG promotion in North America, The Pokemon Company and McDonald’s have collectively done a much better job meeting demand for follow-up promotions. The Pokemon Company seems to be printing a lot more cards, and there are also stricter limits placed on what restaurants are able to sell. This has all worked out pretty nicely, so hopefully McDonald’s locations in Japan are able to similarly adapt if they decide to do this again in the future. Of course, the promise of a card with exclusive art might have played a role in the massive interest seen in Japan.
As of this writing, The Pokemon Company and McDonald’s have not confirmed whether this exclusive Pikachu card will be released outside of Japan. Appropriately enough, the card features an image of Pikachu reaching for a burger, and an image of the McDonald’s logo can be seen. It seems like a very safe bet we’ll see this arrive at some point locally, but there’s no way of knowing when. Since we already had a card promotion in the U.S. earlier in 2025, it stands to reason that we won’t see another Pokemon Happy Meal until sometime next year.
