A McDonald’s Happy Meal is supposed to give joy. The child -friendly meals always come with a toy, some of which are quite valuable these days. In some cases, certain McDonald’s locations sell toys without a meal. In Japan, however, a toy cooperation with Pokémon led to absolute chaos: In early summer 2025, McDonald’s Japan started a Happy Meal partnership with Pokémon, where Pokémon toys accompanied the child meals. Things were out of control when collectors and resellers bought a lot of happy meals. It led to food waste because meals would be thrown out. Since the brand is preparing to launch new partnerships, purchasing rules are implemented that ensure that the same situation does not take place again. This includes limits how many happy meals can be bought at the same time, remove certain options for the delivery of homes and eliminate the ability of the customer to select a large aspect of the food.
McDonald’s Japan learned his lesson
While McDonald’s performs his new Happy Meal partnership with the Japanese entertainment company Sanrio, customers can expect less freedom with their food. On the starting day, the chain eliminates both the delivery and mobile order options to check how many happy meals assume. Happy meals will only be available by ordering Drive-Thru or personally. Happy meals are also limited to one per customer or only three happy meals per order if they buy in a group or from an account.
Perhaps the most important change of rule is that customers are not allowed to choose the toy that accompanies their food. This prevents people from buying several meals, as this eliminates the guarantee that they can receive all toys in a certain collection. McDonald’s is known to publish toys that become fan favorites, but the new rules are a reaction to the Japanese agency of consumer matters that the brand asks to take measures after the Pokémon. McDonald’s Japan also hopes to reduce the food waste created during the Pokémon start, which ultimately leads to an overall better experience for brands and consumers.
