The 30th anniversary of Pokémon is fast approaching on 27th February 2026, and it seems McDonald's will be putting Pokémon cards in its Happy Meals in a new promo similar to past events.
According to a report from PokéBeach, it will run from February into March, with exact dates depending on the country, but that's all the details known right now.
Past events — for the 25th anniversary, for example — have seen scalpers rocking up to stores and buying dozens of Happy Meals to get the cards. McDonald's in the UK put a restriction on buying more than one extra card with your meal following the frenzy in the US, but that feels like trying to stop a geyser with a bathplug.
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The Pokémon Company and Ronald have persevered, though - there was a Dragon-type collab earlier in 2025. And back in August, a three-day Pikachu event in Japan was stopped after 24 hours when demand for the card exceeded supply, with boxes of unopened cards turning up for sale online. Shifty. That one was particularly sought after, though, as the card featured exclusive artwork.
It's a shame that Pokémon cards just seem to attract a manic mix of the FOMO crowd (ask the folks at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum) and straight-up scalpers, bringing out the worst in people who ignore tornado warnings and behave atrociously to get their hands on fresh packs.
We'll see in February if TPC and McDonald's have any clever plans to combat the problem.