McDonald's 'Pokémon' Happy Meal Is Officially Confirmed, And It's Sooner Than You Think

Published Oct 29, 2026, 12:01 PM EDT Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories. McDonalds will sell Happy Meals with a selection of 15 cards and a surprise that's been MIA for years now Graphic: Polygon Sign in to your Polygon.com account The internet has been buzzing with rumors of an impending McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meal, and the fast food chain has finally confirmed that the promo is happening. Here's when you can start purchasing the special McDonald's Pokémon collaboration and what you can expect from the prizes inside. What Pokémon cards are in the 2026 McDonald's Happy Meal? As previously reported, the McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meal will come packaged inside a vibrant yellow box shaped like Pikachu's head. The boxes will contain two random Pokémon cards, and now we can confirm what those cards will look like. The McDonald's cards will be reprints of popular Pokémon characters like Jirachi, Snorlax, Eevee, and Pikachu. These cards feature artists collectors will recognize, such as Kodama, Miki Kudo, and DOM. You can get a sneak peek of the cards below, though McDonald's card reprints have historically used a holofoil finish. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Pokémon Happy Meals will also include actual toys rather than just cards. These plastic toys are mini Happy Meal boxes shaped like iconic Pokémon characters, including Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. Though many of these aspects leaked ahead of time, McDonald's has officially confirmed the promotion — and shared specific timeframes for when the product will be available worldwide. The United States, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, New Zealand, and Spain will all get the Pokémon Happy Meal starting in November 2026. The majority of the remaining regions will start the promotion in December, but Ireland and the U.K. won't begin sales until February 2027. McDonald's has been partnering with Pokémon since 2011, but the marketing campaigns have been particularly explosive in recent years. The burger chain has struggled to keep up with demand and become the center of card-related chaos. In Japan, some restaurants had to call the police on customers. Some people ordered large quantities of Happy Meals just to get the prizes and then threw the food away. McDonald's now has plenty of experience dealing with Pokémon-related frenzy, so these days you can purchase the toy separately from the Happy Meal.