McDonald's Pokemon Happy Meals Arrived (1 Card Is Worth More Than the Meal)

If you’re ordering a McDonald’s Happy Meal, chances are, you’re most excited about the McDonald’s Happy Meal toys inside. These toys are themed differently from month to month and are based on everything from current movies to top-selling dolls. Right now, Pokemon cards are the main attraction. Pikachu and his pals will stick around at McDonald’s until Oct. 16.

We love a kitschy Happy Meal promotion (McDonald’s Halloween Buckets, anyone?), especially those that feature collectibles like Poke cards.. Below find out how much each individual Happy Meal toy costs, what the most expensive Happy Meal toys are on the resale market, and how to determine which Happy Meal toys might be worth more in the future.

Love a good McDeal? We’ve got the best list of ways to save at McDonald’s that’ll get you free fries and more.

 

You can grab Pokemon Happy Meal Toys until Oct. 16.

Right now, the current Happy Meal Toys are themed after the Pokemon Trading Card Game. You’ll be able to “catch ’em all” officially until Oct. 16. After that, McDonald’s locations will sell the toys until they run out of inventory. However, on Oct. 17, McDonald’s will offer up those aforementioned McDonald’s Halloween Buckets until Oct. 30.

We’re still waiting for the release of the McDonald’s Squishmallows Happy Meal Toys, but we’re hearing rumors they’ll kick off on Dec. 26. So basically it will feel like Christmas Day twice.

 

The most expensive card in this McDonald’s and Pokemon TCG Collaboration is the Kirlia Card — $11.50 resale value.

According to online sources, this year, the McDonald’s and Pokemon TCG Cards will release 15 exclusive cards. Each Happy Meal will get you four cards — including a holographic one. Resale prices for individual cards vary, but the most expensive from this set is the Kirlia Card. It’s estimated to have a $11.50 resale value.

Here are the card options and their estimated resale value:

• Sandaconda: $0.02
• Kilowattrel: $0.03
• Cetoddle: $0.38
• Fittle: $0.99
• Klawf: $0.99
• Tandemaus: $1.23
• Cetitan: $1.27
• Blissey: $1.35
• Pawmi: $1.43
• Quaxly: $1.50
• Sprigatito: $1.79
• Fuecoco: $1.99
• Cyclizar: $1.99
• Pikachu: $3.29
• Kirlia: $11.50

Note: Prices will vary depending on where you sell them online, and card prices can change depending on how long you have them.

 

Grab a free Happy Meal with the McDonald’s Rewards program.

With the McDonald’s Rewards program, you will earn 100 points for every $1 spent. Once you earn 6,000 points (or $60 spent), you can exchange your points for a free Happy Meal (up to $4.59 value).

RELATED: This is just one of the many restaurant rewards programs that you should join.

 

You can purchase McDonald’s Happy Meal toys for $1.59 – $1.69 — no Happy Meal required.

McDonald’s Happy Meal toys come with the purchase of a Happy Meal (duh). Each Happy Meal costs $3.69 – $4.59 and, in addition to the toy, comes with an entree, kid-size fries, apple slices, and a drink.

But did you know you can get the toy without buying a Happy Meal? That’s right, you can always purchase the toys separately for $1.59 – $1.69 each, depending on your McDonald’s location. Essentially you can get at least two for the price of a Happy Meal.

TIP: If you’re a member of the McDonald’s Rewards program, you can get a free Happy Meal for 6,000 points ($60 spent).

 

You can always opt for ice cream instead of a Happy Meal toy.

If you don’t want a toy with your Happy Meal, you can ask for an ice cream cone instead (valued at $1.69). This is an easy way to get a dessert if you aren’t so ay-yi-yi about whatever the toy happens to be that cycle. This option is not available through the McDonald’s Rewards app, so you’ll have to be in store or in the drive-thru to ask an employee directly.

 

Not all McDonald’s toys are going to be valuable, but certain characteristics improve the likelihood.

Typically, there are two different criteria that can make a McDonald’s toy an expensive collectible: 1) they use the original McDonald’s characters or designs, or 2) they are a riff on an item that’s already a popular collectible (such as Beanie Babies in the early 2000s).

It’s not always easy to know in advance which toys will be sought-after collectibles in the future, but those criteria point you in the right direction. Don’t expect your Sing 2 toys from late 2021 to fetch a pretty penny; not all toys are created (and collected) equally.

2023 Happy Meal toys

According to the kids’ meal wiki on Fandom, here’s what Happy Meal toys are coming in 2023:

• Halloween Buckets: Oct. 17 – Oct 30
• Disney 100 Years: Oct. 31 – Dec 4
• Crash Bandicoot: Dec. 5 – 25
• Squishmallows: Dec. 26 – Jan. 22

 

 

Cactus Plant toys are the most valuable in recent history.

Many of us can remember the hysteria that surrounded the Teenie Beanie Babies in the early 2000s, some of which are still being sold for $8,000 each on eBay. That being said, here are the most expensive McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. Keep in mind that these are estimations based on the resale market, so prices can change:

• NeoPets (2004): A set of 16 NeoPet plushes sold for $59.99 on eBay.
• Lego Bionicle (2001): A collection of six McDonald’s Bionicle sets sold for $100.99 on eBay.
• Halloween McNuggets (1992): All six McNugget characters sold for $110.50 on eBay.
• Pokemon Battle Match Cards (2021): A set of unopened Pokemon Battle Match Cards from 2021 specifically can sell for $202.50 or more on eBay.
• Cactus Plant (Adult Happy Meal) figures (2022): Just one of these figures can sell for up to $2,000 on eBay, but the average we’ve seen is around $159.

 

Kids can find free games and activities at the Happy Meal website.

If you want to know which Happy Meal toys are available now, all the info on the current items are on the Happy Meal website. It’ll let you know every McDonald’s toy available during each weeks-long promotion. They even include free activity sheets that you can print from your personal computer.