In what might be one more of the promotional events for Pokémon's 25th anniversary, McDonald's may be bringing back Pokémon toys and Pokémon cards into Happy Meals.
The leak arises from fansite PokéJungle. They've got their fingers on the button for everything Pokémon-related, be it tea sets, official artwork, cuddly toys, statues, updates for the games, the list goes on. There's a photo of what looks like some sort of cardboard insert in a larger box, which has pop-out parts like a sticker book of starters, cute new cards depicting Pikachu, and a very enticing announcement. It's slightly cropped due to the angle of the photo, but I'll fill in the blanks for you: "4 Pokémon Trading Card Game Cards featuring Pokémon from every region with every Happy Meal."
Though McDonald's and The Pokémon Company are yet to show their hand with this collaboration, it's incredibly exciting that Pokémon Trading Card Game cards will be available in Happy Meals. The game has had a massive resurgence into popular culture of late, and this will attract even more players. Earlier this month, Blastoise toppled Charizard to become the most expensive card of all time, selling for $360,000 for its "unquestioned" historical significance to the series (it only makes sense, seeing as the former has a type advantage over the latter). And, an artist created the biggest and heaviest Pokémon Trading Game Card, sketching and painting over a wodge of corkboard, and customising the Charizard with eclectic doodles for a truly unique piece.
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At the top of the photo shared by PokéJungle is an outline of Pikachu's face, with a red "5" where their rosy red cheeks should be. This is, without a doubt, the branding for the 25th anniversary celebrations, and we should soon hear about Pokémon's return to McDonald's. The only thing that we don't know right now is whether this promotion will take place outside of the U.S. Fingers crossed, because my boyfriend loves Pokémon and McDonald's in equal measure and I wouldn't know how to break that news to him.
The Pokémon Company got the party started in early January, announcing all kinds of goodies for fans. Firstly, we watched the adorable 25th anniversary celebration video, which spotlighted every element of the series across the years gone by. Secondly, we've got the reprints of classic cards from The Pokémon Trading Card Game, rolling out every month from March. Thirdly, the company is working with "some of the biggest names in music," and Katy Perry has been revealed to be one of the "star-studded" line-up of artists producing a "yearlong campaign" of music.
Featured Image Credit: The Pokemon Company, McDonald's
