Pokemon Cards McDonalds – What are they and what is worth knowing?

Pokemon cards were added to many different products and services. They could be found in magazines, VHS tapes, in cinemas or even in museums. Small mini-series of Pokemon TCG cards have also been created, specially prepared and added to popular children’s Happy Meal sets. These actions appear from time to time, so it can be assumed that the cooperation of both corporations will be cyclical.

The history of McDonalds and Happy Meals

McDonald’s is an international chain of fast food restaurants whose history dates back to the early 1940s in California. Initially, it was one small restaurant, but thanks to innovative ideas and business concepts, McDonald’s quickly became one of the largest and most recognizable brands in the world. The McDonald’s chain is known for popular products such as hamburgers, fries, soda and is known for the characteristic two golden arcs in the logo resembling the capital letter M. Today the chain has restaurants in almost every country in the world, which makes it one of the largest and the most influential players in the catering industry on the global market.

The Happy Meal set at McDonald’s is a special set aimed mainly at children. It usually contains a hamburger, fries, a drink and a small toy. You can also choose healthier versions, including fruit puree. The toys included in the set were usually plastic, although the chain tried to minimize the emission of harmful petroleum-derived materials and offered books for some time, but eventually the offer includes a variety of toys. From the Pokemon series we usually have figurines or cards, in the case of plastic miniatures, sometimes a single card was included, in the case of cards, Pokemon Boosters from the Base Set were included, as well as special dedicated sachets usually containing 3 promotional cards.

How many series of Pokemon cards McDonald’s were there?

Promo Pokemon McDonald’s cards have been released almost continuously since 2012. Only in 2020, no series added to the Happy Meal set was released. Including the series released in 2023, there are currently 12 different McDonald’s Collection sets. Each of them has its own unique symbol. These cards are an official licensed collector’s item, although we cannot use them in tournaments, just like other promotional cards.

McDonald’s Collection – how many cards are there in the expansion?

Each set has a certain number of cards, until 2019 there were 12 cards in a set. Sometimes cards have an additional holo version. From 2022, the number increased to 15. The French versions of the cards from 2018 and 2019 contained as many as 40 of them.

Are Pokemon cards McDonalds worth anything?

It might seem that as a toy added to Happy Meal sets all over the world, the cards would not have much value. After all, they were printed in millions of copies. Older series can gain value. Especially copies depicting the electric Pokemon Pikachu. Well-preserved pieces can be worth several euros.

Can you check the contents of the booster against the light?

If we have a sufficiently strong light source, we can try to overexpose the booster. Thanks to this procedure, you can look for specific pieces. This is why buying second-hand cards is risky. The sachets were often secured with additional cardboard containing additional gadgets, such as stickers, a token or a toy. They were only sealed with a sticker that was supposed to serve as a seal, which made it quite easy to peel it off and, after checking the booster, put it back in the packaging without visible damage.

McDonalds cards – Are they worth collecting?

These are small and cyclical sets, collecting the entire collection should not be particularly difficult. Over time, however, the fast food chain’s policy has changed and it is more difficult to purchase additional boosters. You could buy toys from a Happy Meal set without ordering it, so it was changed so that you had to order food to get a toy, sometimes it was possible to buy an additional one. It all depends on the orders received by the employees and the restaurant. We can always call the restaurant and ask about the possibility of purchasing additional Pokemon McDonalds cards. Nevertheless, collecting 12-15 cards is a matter of several sets, the price of which is not particularly high compared to the potential collector’s value of the cards.