Is McDonald’s Bringing Back Pokemon Happy Meals? Here’s What We Know

A lot of the time, Happy Meals aren’t just for kids. I mean, yes, they’re obviously for kids, but when these McDonald’s meals hit that sweet spot of appealing to both little ones and the adults who pay for them, hitting up the latter with pure nostalgia, they have an undeniable appeal. So far this year, though, one kid-and-adult-friendly franchise has eluded the Happy Meal space, despite months of rumors swirling about it coming back. We’re talking, of course, about Pokemon Happy Meals, which have been on everyone’s lips since January. 

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So…where are they? Are they coming back? What’s the deal? We’ve got all the info you need right here.

Pokemon Happy Meals: Catch ‘Em All, If They Actually Appear

The rumor mill started right at the top of 2026. Back then, Instagram sources and publications like The Street began to state that McDonald’s would be reviving its long-time collaboration with Pokemon, which began way back in 1999, for the anime franchise’s 30th anniversary. The last time McDonald’s had collab’ed with Pokemon had been the year before, and as with so many of its Pokemon Happy Meals, the upcoming one was allegedly going to contain Pokemon cards that could be traded with your pals. 

It was originally thought that these Happy Meals would drop in February, but when February came…they were nowhere to be seen. Then, March arrived, and…nothing. Over the last few months, McDonald’s has been focusing on Super Mario Galaxy and Stranger Things Happy Meals, but those Pokemon cards? They’re eluding us. 

So…Where Is This Collaboration?

To be honest? We don’t know. As of the end of April, everything’s gone a little quiet, although some outlets are picking up on the fact that maybe McDonald’s hasn’t given up the ghost on it yet, and that perhaps it’s just taking a little time to get the collaboration into gear. Given that Pokemon’s anniversary has been and gone, though (the first games were originally released on February 27, 1996), it could just be the case that this collaboration…never materialized. Perhaps they couldn’t agree on what to do with it. Perhaps Pokemon had different plans. Hey, perhaps it never existed in the first place.

We still have seven months left of 2026, though, so there’s still some time for both companies to come up trumps. We really hope so: We voted Pokemon cards some of the best Happy Meal toys of all time, and it’d be a shame if they didn’t come back in such a big year. Until then, adults can have their fill of McDonald’s KPop Demon Hunters meals—which are firmly for adults, guys.