McDonald’s and The Pokemon Company International announced that Happy Meals in the US will feature Pokemon Trading Card Game cards. These will begin appearing in late February 2025, though there is no exact date yet. It will also be accompanied by a promotion tied to the Pokemon TCG Pocket and app purchases.

When people buy the Happy Meal, they will get a pack of four themed cards. There will also be a sheet of stickers with it. Some of the included cards will feature characters like Charizard, Dragonite, Eevee, Hatenna, Jigglypuff, Koraidon, Miraidon, Pikachu, and Umbreon. These will be “legal” cards that you can use in decks and official matches.

Here are 15 of the Pokemon cards teased for the promotion:

As for the special bonus for Pokemon TCG Pocket, that kicks off at the end of February as well. People who buy a Happy Meal will also get a 24-pack of Hourglasses and 12 Wonder Hourglasses with their meal.

This McDonald’s Happy Meal collection isn’t the only big development for the Pokemon Trading Card Game. The Prismatic Evolutionsexpansion is out now, and high demand has led to availability issues for it. Trading and more boosters are also headed to Pokemon TCG Pocket.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game Happy Meal will be at McDonald’s in the US in late February 2025. Pokemon TCG Pocket is available on mobile devices.

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The latest collaboration between McDonald's Japan and Neon Genesis Evangelion has certainly been an attention-grabber. From the amusing commercials to the freshly-designed original McDonald's-themed EVA Unit UNIT-M to the transforming toys, it has been hitting all the right notes. At the heart of this unusual mash-up lie the Evangelion burgers, three special limited-time menu items. You may have seen promotional pictures of them already, but what is the reality? And most importantly, how do they taste? There's only one thing for it: I had to try them out.

In order to keep my doctor and wife from getting too upset, I properly prepared for this potentially stomach-destroying effort. Okay, I just had a light brunch and drank a lot of water, but I'm telling myself that's good enough. After finishing work for the day, I hopped in the car and headed for the nearest Makku. While I considered taking the easy way out by going through the drive-through, I wanted to check out some of the in-store signage. So in I went. I placed my order for all three burgers, then checked things out while I waited.

After taking a few pictures, I grabbed my order and drove back to my office. In total, there are three Evangelion burgers at McDonald's, each with a particular character assigned to them. Representing Shinji Ikari, we have the Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger. The enigmatic Rei Ayanami adorns the wrapper for the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo. Finally, the fiery Asuka Langley is paired with the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger. I wouldn't think too hard about how those are supposed to line up. Well, let's dig in.

Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger 4fd6m

This was the one I was the most interested in trying. The special burgers from McDonald's Japan can be hit or miss at times, but they rarely miss when they try to go spicier. This isn't a particularly fancy sandwich, but on paper it seems like it would work. The usual chicken filet patty is placed in a special fluffier-than-usual bun and topped with a slice of processed cheddar cheese, a couple of pickles, taco meat, and a sweet lemon sauce. McDonald's Japan issues a warning that this sandwich is spicy, so if you don't like spicy food you should be careful. This typically doesn't mean much, but upon opening the wrapper there was a certain spiciness wafting off of the burger.

The Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger kicked off what turned out to be a theme with these Evangelion burgers. It was quite messy to eat and its contents were prone to spilling out. The first bite I took was quite delicious. I got a good bite of pickle and taco meat, and the result was a pleasantly spicy and flavorful taste. The sweet lemon sauce had a nice tang to it, too. The chicken filet patties at McDonald's Japan can be a little bland, so having these peppy ingredients in the mix really helped out.

Sadly, the ingredients weren't evenly distributed. Some bites had no pickles and very little taco meat, and when that happened it really demonstrated how important those two elements are to this burger. My hands were in an absolute state by the time I finished this one, but that's what soap and water is for. All in all, I rather enjoyed the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger. It could have used a little more tsun in its tsundere, but overall it's one I would order again. Best burger for the best character? I guess we'll see as we continue on.

Score: Eight "ANTA BAKAs" Out of Ten

A real gap between the McDonald's Evangelion crossover marketing photo and the reality for this one, but we all know how that goes. The Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo comes off as the busiest of this bunch. You've got the same fancy bun we saw with the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger, with a thicker-than-usual beef patty. From the bottom to the top, you get some tangy steak sauce, a slice of processed cheese, a hashbrown potato patty, the aforementioned beef patty, and some garlic mayonnaise sauce. Surprisingly, this is not the highest-calorie sandwich of the three. That would be the next one.

The scent of garlic hits you as soon as you open the wrapper. And that proved to be the case for the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo as a whole. Biting into it, I found the garlic mayo overpowered every other flavor. The hashbrown pretty much melted into the rest of the burger. Since this burger is lacking any crunchy vegetables, I was hoping the hashbrown would add a bit of texture to the sandwhich. Unfortunately, it was quite soft. The hashbrown and beef patty took turns trying to fall out with each bite, too.

Ultimately, the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo sees the rest of its flavors lost in the powerful taste of the garlic sauce. I like garlic as much as the next person, but I couldn't help but feel a little empty about this burger. For how much it appears to have going on, it's completely one-note. Those who hate garlic cannot love or trust this sandwich. Rei, you got robbed. Hopefully the last of the Evangelion burgers can bring this back around. Shinji, don't let us down!

Score: Four "Objects Living a Lie" Out of Ten

Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger 3r2r1z

I'll say straight-up that I wasn't very excited by the Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger in the way I was for the other two. It's not that I was expecting it to taste bad or anything like that. The reason is that this is really just a Teriyaki McBurger with an extra pork patty and a slice of processed cheese. On top of that, McDonald's Japan has offered the Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger before without a Shinji endorsement. The only new thing here is the bun, which is the same special one used by the other two Evangelion burgers. The filling is two pork patties generously slathered in sweet teriyaki sauce, the aforementioned slice of processed cheese, some lettuce, and a large dollop of tangy mayonnaise.

If you've never had the Teriyaki McBurger before, there are a few things to know. First, it's very tasty. The sweetness of the teriyaki sauce and saltiness of the pork patty make for an enticing blend, and the mayo adds to the nasty decadence of it all. The lettuce is just there to make you feel better, as it will most likely be rendered fully limp by the time you start eating. Second, it's really messy. When you open the wrapper, it's like an explosion went off. You will get your hands dirty eating it, so plan ahead. Third, because it's such a saucy burger, the contents like to spill out of the bun. The more McDonald's tries to cram in there, the more it wants to spill out. Indeed, the second pork patty and slice of cheese in the Double Teriyaki Burger make it hard to keep a handle on.

The Double Teriyaki Cheeseburger is good, but it's just a bigger Teriyaki McBurger. The extra pork patty doesn't hurt the balance of the burger, and cheese is always welcome. Still, it feels like an opportunity was missed here. For such a big collaboration, having one of the burgers be a recycled one that wasn't very exciting to begin with is a bit of a disappointment. Surely the main character of the show deserves something a little cooler. Then again, it's Shinji. Maybe this is just what he deserves. Reliable, a little on the plain side, and if the others can't get it done then this might be your hero.

Score: Seven "Get in the Burger, Patties!" Out of Ten

Closing Thoughts on the McDonald's Evangelion Burgers 573u38

Overall, this isn't a bad batch of burgers. Sure, the Hashbrown & Beef Burger with Garlic Mayo comes off like an oily garlic ball, but McDonald's Japan has unleashed far worse before. With that said, I feel like McDonald's could have done more to lean into the theme. Despite the name, the Evangelion Burgers feel like they could have been slotted in during any number of McDonalds campaigns, and it feels like very little attempt was made to fit them to the Evangelion brand. Even so, I'll stop in and get the Mexican Cheese Chicken Burger once more before it's gone. If you happen to be visiting McDonald's Japan this month, that would be my recommendation. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go hit the treill for about six hours.

The Evangelion crossover is live at McDonald's stores in Japan now.

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HoYoVerse and McDonald’s announced that there will be a Genshin Impact crossover event that will include codes for a Wind Glider cosmetic, Namecard background, a Golden Apple Pastry recipe, and other in-game rewards. It will take place between September 17-29, 2024, and Beidou and Kazuha will be the featured characters for the campaign. However, people do need to use the official McDonald’s app to take part.

There will be two promotions in the app tied to the campaign, and we will need to purchase select items to get the rewards. To get the Golden Apple Pastry recipe, three of that new in-game dessert, and 40 Primogems, someone will need to order the Genshin Impact Apple Pie. This is identical to the ordinary apple pie sold by the store, but the box will feature Beidou and Kazuha in their casual clothing.

To get the Wings of Delicacies Wind Glider and Celebration: Crispy and Sweet Namecard, someone needs to buy the limited Genshin Impact Deluxe McCrispy meal. Keep in mind, that is different than the normal Deluxe McCrispy Combo Meal. It includes the chicken sandwich, a drink, an order of fries, and the apple pie in the limited-time box. Note that while you are getting that apple pie that is the other campaign item, it doesn’t seem to also include that separate code for the new recipe and Primogems.

There’s also a trailer for the Genshin Impact McDonald’s event, which highlights the casual clothing for Beidou and Kazuha and shows them getting food from the app. 

It isn’t uncommon for HoYoVerse to arrange these types of tie-ins between its games and restaurants. For example, there was one such collab with KFC. Diluc and Noelle were the featured characters for that one. Since it wasn’t available worldwide, the company eventually made the rewards tied to it available via other methods like a Twitch campaign and a event. A Domino’s Pizza event was also held at one point, as was a Pizza Hut one involving Ningguang and Yelan. 

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices. It will come to the Xbox Series X on November 20, 2024. The McDonald’s crossover promotion will be available in the United States between September 17-29, 2024.

The post Genshin Impact McDonald’s Crossover Begins in September appeared first on Siliconera.

I ate at McDonald’s for lunch or dinner every day since August 20, 2024. Why? That’s the day the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal, which involves nine plush of characters in special “outfits,” kicked off in the US. I’m on a quest to get Silfer the Sky Dragon Kuromi and Exodia Pompompurin. But in the meantime, I have picked up a few of the other characters, and what is here makes me want more than just a one-off crossover with all the quality a fast food t can afford.

So to refresh, in case you missed it, in the UK a Mc Donald’s Happy Meal promotion featuring ten Sanrio characters dressed as Yu-Gi-Oh characters launched in May 2024. Depending on when you would go, you’d get one of the mascots with your meal. This promotion didn’t cost any more than usual, like the recent collector’s cup affair. Now in August 2024, that same crossover event ended up repeated in the US. 

Well, almost identical. Our run doesn’t include the full “set.” Badtz-Maru as Red-Eyes Black Dragon ended up being left out. I don’t know why. Yes, I’m sad about it too.

Anyways. My quest resulted in the acquisition of four of the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal plush toys so far. They’re pretty great in some ways! I ended up with Dark Magician Hello Kitty (#1), Blue-Eyes White Dragon Cinnamoroll (#2), Kuriboh Keroppi (#4), and Obelisk the Tormentor Tuxedosam. These stuffed animals aren’t as traditionally soft as others or fluffy. Rather, McDonald’s went with printed fabric that focuses on accurately displaying the characters in their costumes. The attention to detail means that both the front and back of each mascot has a printed design. So say if you flip over Tuxedosam, you’ll see his lil’ penguin tail and the Obelisk the Tormentor wings. It’s cute! They also seem surprisingly durable. At least, the quality appears better than some Happy Meal toys.

But also, honestly, it’s a tad disappointing too. The string loop attached at the top of each plush is incredibly small! It made me feel like the best option for displaying it, once you get one, is to perhaps get a cork board with push pins and hang them or arrange some series of hooks somewhere. Using some sort of elastic would have offered more versatility with display options. Or, even better, a plastic hook. Perhaps it wouldn’t be secure enough to use it as a big keychain, but it’d provide more options. 

I think McDonald’s should have leaned into the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal crossover a bit further too. Right now, it is 100% to the benefit of Sanrio fans who want a cute mascot to display or use as a decoration. However… why aren’t there actual cards? We’ve seen Pokemon Trading Card game Happy Meal promotions before. What I’m saying is, I wanted a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card that would be completely identical to the ones found in the actual Yu-Gi-Oh card game, just with the art of the dragon replaced with the picture of Cinnamoroll dressed as that monster. 

Also, while I am very happy about these plush and plan to further ruin my health by continuing to eat Happy Meals until I get Slifer the Sky Dragon Kuromi, Exodia the Forbidden One Pompompurin, and The Winged Dragon of Ra Chococat, the items we got make me want even more merchandise based on this crossover. I’d love a cute bag or storage box with the characters on them. A more durable acrylic or rubber keychain would be fun. Maybe a small, plastic figure that’s one or two inches tall. 

Essentially, I’m saying the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio crossover concept is too good to just be limited to these McDonald's Happy Meal plush toys. I do love them, mind you. But it is because I love them that I think Konami and Sanrio should do even more with the idea. Also... I'm starting to get really tired of McDonald's nuggets...

The Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio Happy Meal plush toys are now at McDonald’s stores in the United States while supplies last. 

The post I Want More From the Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio McDonald’s Happy Meal Crossover  appeared first on Siliconera.

McDonald’s Japan has launched a new advertising campaign that parodies the popular Touhou Project song Marisa Stole The Precious Thing by IOSYS. The campaign promotes the Samurai Mac Triple Thick Beef Burger, with a reimagined version of the 2006 song, complete with new lyrics and visuals inspired by McDonald’s.

You can view the original announcement post below:

The song parody, shared on McDonald’s Japan’s official Twitter, credits IOSYS and Touhou Project’s ZUN for their collaboration. Miko, known for her work on Touhou Project songs, performs the parody. The commercial's style combines the original Marisa Stole The Precious Thing aesthetics with McDonald’s imagery, altering the lyrics to focus on the Samurai Mac Triple Thick Beef Burger. This mirrors previous campaigns and showcases a continued effort by McDonald’s Japan to draw inspiration from Japanese pop culture.

You can view the original music video below:

In related news, Touhou Project recently collaborated with Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage, introducing three tracks arranged by beatMARIO in May 2024. Additionally, McDonald’s Japan previously worked with Studio Pierrot on anime shorts to promote their Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce, showcasing their continued engagement with anime culture. Meanwhile, in the UK, McDonald’s recently released Yu-Gi-Oh-themed Hello Kitty Happy Meal plush toys.

The post McDonald’s Japan Parodies Touhou Project Song  appeared first on Siliconera.

New Pokemon themed toys will appear in Japan via the McDonald's Happy Meal, which is alternatively known in the country as Happy Set. The fast food chain's Japanese branch has confirmed that these toys will appear in its outlets across the nation throughout August 2024.

A total of eight items will appear in this collection. The toys will range from water-based items like water gun and watering can to exploration items, such as telescope and com. McDonald's Japan will sell them in two different waves, which are as follows:

Wave 1 - August 9-15, 2024

• Captain Pikachu's Spinning Water Wheel
• Terapagos' Poke Ball Watering Can
• Sprigatito's Shovel Tool Set
• Fuecoco's Flying Disc

Wave 2 - August 16-22, 2024

• Quaxly's Water Gun
• Captain Pikachu's Spinning Roller
• Sprigatito's Telescope
• Poke Ball Com

In addition, McDonald's Japan will launch the third wave of Pokemon Happy Meal toys on August 23, 2024. It will sell all of the remaining items in this wave, provided they are not quickly sold out like the Kirby toys that only took a week in February 2024.

A new trailer that teaches people how to properly use the toys has also appeared on the official Japanese McDonald's YouTube channel:

The new Pokemon Happy Meal toys will be available at McDonald's outlets across Japan from August 9, 2024.

The post New Pokemon McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys Will Come to Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

Imagery and information is appearing online that suggests the Yu-Gi-Oh Hello Kitty Happy Meal with small plush toys will appear at McDonald’s in the US, Canada, and Mexico. AnimationXpress suggested it would be on the way earlier in May 2024, and new images are appearing online suggesting it will reach the new regions in Summer 2024 and beyond. [Thanks, AnimationXpress, Reddit, and MangaAlerts!]

The initial marketing shared seems to suggest the US promotion will launch in Summer 2024. It didn’t note if this will be a full North American release, resulting in Canada and Mexico McDonald’s stores offering the Yu-Gi-Oh Hello Kitty Happy Meal. All of the initial marketing also suggests it will be the same line-up of plush toys as the UK release that came up earlier in May 2024.

As such, here are the Sanrio mascots we’ll see dressed as Yu-Gi-Oh characters and monsters:

• Badtz-Maru as Red-Eyes Black Dragon
• Chococat as Winged Dragon of Ra
• Cinnamoroll as Blue-Eyes White Dragon
• Hello Kitty as Dark Magician
• Keroppi as Kuriboh
• Kuromi as Slifer the Sky Dragon
• My Melody as Dark Magician Girl
• Pochacco as Time Wizard
• Pompompurin as Exodia
• Tuxedosam as Obelisk the Tormentor

At the moment, there’s no sign of the promotion on the US Happy Meal website. At the moment, the only items shown are the. Captain America: Brave New World toys. 

The Yu-Gi-Oh Sanrio characters Happy Meal promotion is allegedly due to appear at McDonald’s in North America starting in Summer 2024. 

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