Pikachu is now the McDonald’s Happy Meal Box, but not in Japan

https://ift.tt/DQGEPcB Casey Baseel

Pokémon Happy Meals come in an adorable yellow box that’s making those of us in Japan green with envy.

The Pokémon franchise and McDonald’s pretty regularly team up with each other for cool Happy Meal collaborations. Just last month, for example, McDonald’s branches in Japan were giving out Pokémon-themed summer festival toys in their “Happy Sets,” as Happy Meals are called here.

But now Pokémon and McDonald’s have gone a step further, with a Happy Meal that doesn’t just have Pokémon goodies inside the box, but where the box itself is the most famous Pocket Monster of all: Pikachu!

pika pika pic.twitter.com/89ckh6mkP2

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) September 18, 2023

In a twist on the usual scenario for anime/video game tie-ups, this actually isn’t a case of “Japan gets all the cool stuff.” These Pikachu-boxed Happy Meals are currently appearing at McDonald’s branches in the U.S., for which the Happy Meal includes four Pokémon cards and a Pokémon sticker sheet. The Pokémon Happy Meals are on sale now, and will be “available at participating locations while supplies last,” McDonald’s says.

▼ It appears the Pikachu box Happy Meals are also available in Ireland, as shown in this commercial from that branch of the chain.

Between this and the unexpected inclusion of footage from The Devil Is a Part-Timer anime in McDonald’s U.S. advertising, there’s a lot of Japanese pop culture being served on the side at American branches of the Golden Arches. We can’t deny feeling a little jealous that we’re not getting these Pikachu boxes in Japan right now, so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that they make their way to Pokémon’s home country at the next opportunity, while consoling ourselves with our Spy x Family Happy Meal toys.

Source: Twitter/@McDonalds (1, 2, 3)
Top image: McDonald’s
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