Pokemon and McDonald’s are collaborating to bring new collectibles to customers, including a thematic Pikachu timer and other goodies, for a limited time. However, the new Pokemon collab with McDonald’s is exclusive to just one region as of this writing.
Throughout the years, McDonald’s has collaborated with different game companies to bring toys and other collectibles to customers worldwide. In the US, gaming franchises such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Minecraft have teamed up with McDonald’s at various points. However, Pokemon has remained one of McDonald’s mainstay collaboration partners across the globe, with collectible figures and trading cards being among the more popular choices.
McDonald’s Japan Reveals New Pokemon Goods
With Pokemon‘s 30th anniversary in full swing, McDonald’s and The Pokemon Company revealed a new “Summer Chance Bag” in Japan that will come with different collectibles. The key item from the new Pokemon collection is the Popping Pikachu Potato Timer. This item features the Mouse Pokemon inside a toy bag of McDonald’s French fries. Once the timer hits zero, Pikachu will appear from the French fry bag. The other collectibles featured in the Summer Chance Bag include Pokemon cups and storage pouches. Each cup and pouch is themed around Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Additionally, when each cup is filled with a cold drink, the colors change to a deeper hue. Each Summer Chance Bag comes with coupons that can be exchanged for specific McDonald’s Japan food items, such as a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets. One in every 10 Summer Chance Bags will include a gold McDonald’s Card as a bonus prize.
The Pokemon Summer Chance Bag will cost ¥3,900, or roughly $24.12. Due to the high demand for Pokemon-themed products, a lottery for the Summer Chance Bag is currently being held until Monday, July 20 via the McDonald’s Japan mobile app. Winners can then purchase and pick up their Summer Chance Bags at any McDonald’s Japan location of their choice between July 27 and August 2. As part of the ongoing collaboration, McDonald’s and Pokemon will introduce more food items throughout July. Starting July 16, Pokemon-themed burgers will be revealed, along with new Happy Meals on July 31. Although Pokemon TCG cards have been featured in past McDonald’s collaborations, it is currently unclear if that will be the case with this latest crossover.
All McDonald’s Japan locations will become official PokeStops in Pokemon GO, giving trainers another way to celebrate the ongoing collaboration throughout the summer. However, a similar event for the 2025 team-up between McDonald’s and Pokemon in Japan was marred by controversy. After Pokemon TCG packs were scalped from McDonald’s Happy Meals across Japan, McDonald’s issued an apology to Pokemon fans and vowed to crack down on scalpers.
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Additionally, The Pokemon Company has taken its own steps to counteract scalping within the Pokemon TCG. Given that some vendors in Japan have required government-issued IDs to be shown when purchasing specific Pokemon products, it is plausible that similar measures will be taken throughout the McDonald’s collaboration. It remains to be seen what other surprises McDonald’s and Pokemon have in store.
Sources: Dexerto, McDonald’s Japan