A McDonald’s Happy Meal is meant to bring joy. The kid-friendly meals always come with a toy, some of which are pretty valuable these days. In some cases, certain McDonald’s locations sell you toys without the meal. But, in Japan, a toy collaboration with Pokémon led to absolute chaos: In early summer 2025, McDonald’s Japan launched a Happy Meal partnership with Pokémon, where Pokémon toys accompanied the children’s meals. Things got out of hand when collectors and resellers began buying up loads of Happy Meals. It led to food waste because the meals would get tossed out. Now, as the brand prepares to launch new partnerships, it’s implementing purchasing rules that ensure the same situation won’t happen again. These include limits on how many Happy Meals can be purchased at once, removing certain home delivery options, and eliminating the customer’s ability to choose one big aspect of the meal.
Read more: Every McDonald’s Burger, Ranked Worst To Best
McDonald’s Japan has learned its lesson
McDonald’s Happy Meal with toy – NRien/Shutterstock
As McDonald’s rolls out its new Happy Meal partnership with Japanese entertainment company Sanrio, customers can expect less freedom with their meal. On launch day, the chain is eliminating both the home delivery and mobile ordering options, likely to help control how many Happy Meals go out; Happy Meals will only be available via the drive-thru or in-person ordering. Happy Meals are also limited to one per customer, or only three Happy Meals per order if purchasing in a group or from an account.
Perhaps the most important rule change is that customers are not allowed to choose the toy that accompanies their meal. This prevents people from buying multiple meals because it eliminates any guarantee that they can get all the toys in a given collection. McDonald’s is known for releasing toys that become fan favorites, but the new rules are in response to Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency asking the brand to take action after the Pokémon incident. McDonald’s Japan also hopes to reduce the food waste that was created during the Pokémon launch, ultimately leading to an overall better experience for the brand and consumers.
Read the original article on Chowhound.
AloJapan.com