Pokémon and McDonald's are teaming up to give customers new collectibles, including a themed Pikachu timer and other goodies, for a limited time. However, the new one Pokémon collaboration with McDonald's is exclusive to only one region at the time of writing.
Over the years, McDonald's has partnered with various gaming companies to bring toys and other collectibles to customers worldwide. In the US, game franchises such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehogand Minecraft has teamed up with McDonald's on various occasions. However, Pokémon has remained one of McDonald's mainstay partners worldwide, with collectible figures and trading cards being among the more popular choices.
McDonald's Japan unveils new Pokemon merchandise
With Pokémon30th anniversary in full swing, McDonald's and The Pokemon Company revealed a new “Summer Chance Bag” in Japan that will come with various collectibles. The key article from the new Pokémon collection is Popping Pikachu Potato Timer. This item contains the Mouse Pokémon in a toy bag of McDonald's fries. When the timer reaches zero, Pikachu will appear from the fringe bag. The other collectibles in the Summer Chance Bag include Pokémon cups and storage bags. Each cup and bag is themed around Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. Additionally, as each cup is filled with a cold beverage, the colors change to a deeper shade. Each Summer Chance Bag comes with coupons that can be exchanged for specific McDonald's Japan food items, such as a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets. One of ten summer chance bags will contain a gold McDonald's card as a bonus prize.
The Pokémon The Summer Chance Bag will cost 3,900 JPY, or roughly $24.12 USD. Due to the high demand for Pokémon-themed products, a Summer Chance Bag lottery is currently being held until Monday, July 20 via the McDonald's Japan mobile app. Winners can then purchase and collect their Summer Chance Bags at any McDonald's Japan location of their choice between July 27th and August 2nd. As part of the ongoing collaboration, McDonald's and Pokémon will be introducing more foods throughout July. Starting July 16, Pokémon-themed burgers will be revealed, along with new Happy Meals on July 31st. Even if Pokemon TCG card has featured in previous McDonalds collaborations, it's currently unclear if that will be the case with this latest crossover.
All McDonald's Japan locations will become official PokeStops in Pokémon GOwhich gives coaches another way to celebrate the ongoing collaboration during the summer. But a similar event for the 2025 team-up between McDonald's and Pokémon in Japan was marred by controversy. After Pokemon TCG packaging was scaled from McDonald's Happy Meals across Japan, McDonald's issued another apology Pokémon fans and vowed to crack down on scalpers.
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Additionally, The Pokemon Company has taken its own measures to discourage scalping within Pokemon TCG. Given that some vendors in Japan have required government-issued IDs to be shown for specific purchases Pokémon products, it is likely that similar measures will be taken throughout the McDonald's partnership. It remains to be seen what other surprises McDonalds and Pokémon have in stock.
Sources: Dexerto, McDonald's Japan
