{
  "id": 17084270,
  "title": "McDonald's 'Pokémon' Happy Meal Is Officially Confirmed, And It's Sooner Than You Think",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/mcdonalds-pokemon-happy-meal-is-officially-confirmed-and-its-sooner",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T16:01:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Polygon",
    "slug": "polygon",
    "url": "https://www.polygon.com/mcdonalds-pokemon-happy-meal-dates-when-what-cards-toys-release/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rumors of an upcoming McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meal have finally been confirmed by the fast food chain. The special promo will involve a vibrant yellow box shaped like Pikachu's head, containing two random Pokémon cards. These cards will feature popular characters like Jirachi, Snorlax, Eevee, and Pikachu, with artwork from well-known artists such as Kodama, Miki Kudo, and DOM. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Happy Meals will also include actual toy mini boxes shaped like iconic Pokémon characters like Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur.\n\nThe promotional campaign will kick off in November 2026 for the United States, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, New Zealand, and Spain. Most other regions will begin sales in December, with Ireland and the U.K. starting sales in February 2027.\n\nMcDonald's has been collaborating with Pokémon since 2011, but recent marketing efforts have been exceptionally successful, leading to increased demand and chaos. In Japan, some restaurants had to call the police to handle customer situations, and some individuals even placed large orders to secure the prizes and discard the food. McDonald's now has experience dealing with the Pokémon frenzy, allowing customers to purchase the toys separately from the Happy Meal.",
  "summary": "McDonalds will sell Happy Meals with a selection of 15 iconic Pokémon cards and a surprise that's been MIA for years now",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}