Fast food chain McDonald's has a long history of video game collaborations, particularly with regard to its Happy Meals. Bundling a toy from an upcoming video game into a McDonald's Happy Meal is a rare promotional opportunity in that it's an effective way to reach a young audience. Pokemon is one McDonald's partner that's come back more than once -- and it looks like it's ready to do so again. A new Pokemon Happy Meal partnership appears to be starting at McDonald's.
A Reddit post on the Pokemon subreddit claimed to have evidence of the upcoming promotion, which will see new Pokemon toys bundled with McDonald's Happy Meals. The evidence is persuasive, as it's a photo of a box that reads "Pokemon - Confidential and Proprietary Information" with a box reading "Toy 2 - 2022 Pokemon Happy Meal - Victini - Dark Blue." There's additional product information spread across the box, as well, including weight information, serial numbers, and even a graphic of the Pokemon.
It's certainly possible that the box is fake, but it would take at least some decent ability in graphic design to create the Pokemon visual. Plus, there's the added expense of printing on the box itself. It would take an effort, to say the least. Similar quality fakes, and fake Pokemon leaks at that, have been made before, though, so fans should maintain some amount of skepticism until an official announcement is made.
Perhaps coincidentally, there is a Pokemon collaboration with McDonald's already ongoing. It's not in the United States, though. It's in Great Britain. The official McDonald's webpage even features an image of Victini, oddly enough. The Happy Meal bundle doesn't include toys of Pokemon, however. The choices are a Pokemon coin, Pokemon trading cards, or a toy Pokemon top. There's no Victini toy mentioned, but it could be evidence of McDonald's and Pokemon starting a new partnership.
The leaker in question doesn't mention when the Pokemon Happy Meal offer will be starting. They do mention that their manager expects them to sell very fast and to expect up to "9-10" Happy Meals per order. As for why they decided to leak the Pokemon Happy Meals, they say they "do not like McDonald's" even though they know they weren't supposed to share information.
Pokemon fans should keep their eyes open for more information from Mcdonald's social media. With Pokemon toys already arriving at shops, it's possible that the promotion could start any day. Given Pokemon's popularity, and McDonald's Happy Meal popularity, these toys could disappear quickly once they go on sale.