McDonald's x Pokémon Happy Meal: coming to the Netherlands in December

The McDonald's x Pokémon Happy Meal is back. On 29 October 2026, McDonald's and Pokémon announced a new Happy Meal promotion with 15 toys and 15 collectible cards. In the United States it starts on 10 November, and the Netherlands and Belgium follow in December 2026. In this article you can read what's in the Happy Meal, when it comes to the Netherlands and what went wrong when the cards were announced.

What's in the McDonald's x Pokémon Happy Meal?

The promotion has two things to collect:

• 15 toys: small Happy Meal boxes that each look like a well-known Pokémon, such as Pikachu.
• 15 Pokémon collectible cards: special promo cards you can only get through this promotion. Every Happy Meal comes with a pack of promo cards.

Which card you get is random. So if you want to complete the whole set, you'll need some patience, or trade your duplicates with friends and other collectors.

When does the Pokémon Happy Meal come to the Netherlands?

McDonald's is rolling the promotion out country by country, spread over four months:

So for the Netherlands, December is the plan. An exact start date for countries outside the United States hasn't been announced yet. Keep an eye on McDonald's Netherlands' channels for that.

The cards: first the wrong list

Something notable went wrong with the announcement. The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) first published a list of cards that turned out not to belong to this year's promotion. According to PokeBeach, these were cards with "M27" set numbering, so a set for a later McDonald's promotion. TPCi then took the announcement down and a corrected card list appeared.

Even more remarkable: the accidentally shared list included a Squirtle card that hasn't even been released in Japan yet. PokeBeach and PokeGuardian both report that it's a brand-new card. So collectors accidentally got an early look at future cards.

Because two different card lists are going around, we deliberately don't list all 15 cards here. Once the promotion starts in the Netherlands, you'll know exactly which cards are inside.

Our take: Happy Meal memories

For us, this promotion is also a bit of nostalgia.

"I like McDonald's and I love Pokémon. As soon as there was Pokémon in the Happy Meals, my little brother and I always went there straight away. The cards always have nice artworks." – Liam from RubyGator

We see the same with our customers: most people simply want to complete the whole set. With these cards it's mostly about the fun of collecting and trading. This promotion also falls in the year Pokémon turns 30. Read more about the anniversary set in our article on Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration.

Liam's tip: how to keep your Happy Meal cards

Do you need to handle these cards extra carefully? According to Liam, not necessarily:

"You don't need to keep them perfect, as they usually don't have much collector's value. But they sure look cool. If you'd still like to keep them in good condition, put them in some RubyGator Regular Card Sleeves." – Liam from RubyGator

• Sleeve: a simple sleeve prevents scratches and greasy fingers, especially when kids open the cards at the table.
• Binder for the whole set: if you collect all 15 cards, a binder shows at a glance which ones you're still missing.

We also wrote about another big collaboration before: LEGO x Pokémon.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Pokémon Happy Meal in the Netherlands?

According to McDonald's planning, in December 2026. The exact start date for the Netherlands wasn't known at the time of writing.

How many cards are there to collect?

There are 15 collectible cards, plus 15 toys shaped like small Happy Meal boxes.

Why are two card lists going around?

TPCi first accidentally published the cards from a later promotion, including an unreleased Squirtle. A corrected list followed.

Ready to collect?

Going after all 15 cards in December? Have some sleeves and a binder ready so your set looks neat. Also check out our Pokémon TCG range. Sign up for our newsletter and get 10% off accessories.

Sources

• Pokemon.com: "Pokémon Happy Meals Are Coming to McDonald's in an Exciting New Way" (29 October 2026)
• Dexerto: "McDonald's announces Pokemon Happy Meal return with 15 toys and trading cards" (29 October 2026)
• PokeGuardian: "Pokémon (McDonald's) Happy Meal 2026/2027 with 15 Cards Officially Revealed" (29 October 2026)
• PokeBeach: "TPCi Accidentally Reveals McDonald's 2027 Set a Year Early, Including an Unreleased Squirtle!" (October 2026)
• Nintendo Life: "Pokémon Cards And Toys Are Officially Returning To McDonald's Happy Meals Soon" (October 2026)
• Bleeding Cool: "Pokémon Happy Meals Return to McDonald's Restaurants on Nov. 10"

Written by Liam from RubyGator.