Pokémon's 30th Anniversary Happy Meal Toy Will Unleash Scalper Hell

Ashely Claudino·Sep 28, 2026·Source

Prepare to line up at your local McDonald's

As part of Pokémon's 30th anniversary celebrations, the company is collaborating with McDonald's once again to bring Pokémon Trading Card Game cards to Happy Meals. It's almost a certainty that scalpers will be working overtime to catch 'em all. Perhaps this will be the scalpers' next target after their disappointment with the 30th-anniversary products.

Each Happy Meal will include a four-card booster pack, containing one holographic card and three regular cards. Fans will have to find 15 different cards to complete this collection. Six cards in the collection will be special confetti holofoil cards, which will likely make them the most sought-after. While some details have been revealed, the cards themselves remain unseen as the collab is still some time away. The promotional campaign is set to run from Nov. 5 until Dec. 9.

McDonald's set to release 15 trading cards to celebrate Pokémon's anniversary

A screenshot from the Pokémon Wild Cards movie showing the protagonist playing the Pokémon TCG

This isn't the first time that McDonald's has given away Pokémon TCG cards as the Happy Meal toy option, but previous promotions haven't gone well. It is a fun idea that should work well in theory, but in practice, it is often ruined by impatient gamers and scalpers looking to profit.

This campaign lasts over a month, so Pokéfans should have plenty of time to visit their local McDonald's and collect the full set of Pokémon cards. Unfortunately, it might not be as easy as it sounds. While most fans will grab a Happy Meal here and there to get a new booster pack, others will buy Happy Meals in bulk to get them all right away. This can cause stock to run low, making it difficult for others to obtain packs. It will also lead to food waste, as many buyers will most likely not be eating all the Happy Meals they order. Additionally, scalpers are expected to buy hundreds of Happy Meals during the campaign, so they can collect as many rare cards as possible and then eventually sell them at a higher price on eBay.

If these scenarios become a reality, McDonald's will have to find a way to prevent customers from buying more than a certain number of Happy Meals per day. Otherwise, it'll become impossible for children to complete the collection.