Fear not, the Pokémon Happy Meal returns once more in 2026, as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations. Due to start November 5, and running until December 9, you can once again expect incredibly long lines at the McDonald’s drive thru, despite just being there to pick up a banana milkshake.
First reported by PokéBeach, news of the annual promotion’s return has yet to be added to any official sites, but PokéBeach has the most reliable track record. The set, it says, will feature the usual 15 cards, available in booster packs containing four cards, three regular and one holo card. In previous years these cards have been reprints from earlier sets, mostly only distinguishable by the tiny set symbol bottom left, although previous batches have boasted some unique holo patterns.
The Happy Meal will come with one pack, and also the choice between a toy or a booklet (which U.S. customers should be delighted about—McDonald’s UK has removed all plastic from Happy Meals meaning kids get the most atrocious cardboard awfulness instead).
Bulk out your meal
Each year people get rather over-excited about the Pokémon and McDonald’s crossover, scalpers and confused collectors trying to buy up hundreds of folded boxes of tiny burgers or extra-small nugget portions just to get a four-card sealed pack of cards that never gain any value. Not only does this result in ridiculous waits for everyone else trying to get a quick meal, it also makes the packs tiresomely difficult for children to get hold of.
Things went especially badly in Japan last year, where a three day event was abandoned midway due to the chaos it caused in McDonald’s stores. Given the current frenzy surrounding the TCG, and the popularity of the 30th Celebration cards, it’ll be interesting to see how this goes in a couple of months time. There’s no word yet on which cards or Pokémon will be featured, or whether the cards will meaningfully tie in to the 30th. It’s not enormously likely, given most years the packs contain just the most banal bulk imaginable, making the fuss all the sillier.