McDonald’s Pokémon TCG Happy Meal Promotion Reportedly to Launch With 15 Cards and Collectible Mini Boxes

McDonald’s upcoming Pokémon TCG Happy Meal promotion is taking shape, with 15 collectible mini Happy Meal box toys, a 15-card trading card set and a newly reported launch date in the United States.

According to PokéBeach, the promotion will run in the U.S. from November 10 through December 14. Each Happy Meal will include one of 15 plastic toys designed as miniature Pokémon-themed Happy Meal boxes, along with two random Pokémon TCG cards from a 15-card set.

The back of each miniature box will also function as a card frame, giving collectors a way to display one of the cards that comes with the promotion. PokéBeach reports that this will be the first time since 2018 that a McDonald’s Pokémon Happy Meal promotion has included plastic Pokémon toys.

The trading cards will reportedly once again be reprints of existing Pokémon TCG cards, but with McDonald’s-specific numbering. Three cards have been reported so far: Metagross from Temporal Forces, Palafin from Obsidian Flames and Hawlucha from Scarlet & Violet. The complete checklist has not yet been revealed, and PokéBeach says it is also not yet known how many cards will receive a holographic treatment. Previous McDonald’s Pokémon promotions have typically included six holo cards, often using the familiar confetti holofoil pattern, but that configuration has not been confirmed for the new set.

The latest information also clears up an earlier report about the promotion’s launch date. In September, CollectiblesNews.com reported that the Pokémon TCG Happy Meal promotion was expected to begin November 5 in the United States. PokéBeach has now clarified that November 5 is actually the launch date for Australia. After speaking with multiple stores, the site reports that the U.S. promotion will begin Tuesday, November 10.

Canada will get the promotion first, running from November 3 through December 7. Australia follows from November 5 through December 9, while the U.S. version runs November 10 through December 14. Additional countries are also expected to participate, although their dates have not yet been announced.

The new format is notably different from recent McDonald’s Pokémon TCG promotions, which generally centered on four-card booster packs containing one holo and three non-holo cards. This time, the collectible toy itself is a larger part of the promotion, with 15 different mini Happy Meal box designs to find and each one serving as a display frame for a card.