McDonald's has a long relationship with Sanrio and its globally beloved mascot characters, with Hello Kitty and Friends previously appearing in Happy Meals in both Japan and overseas. Now, all-new McDonald's Japan Happy Meals are set to star a collection of equally adorable characters from Sanrio rival company San-X.
While San-X is perhaps most famous for Rilakkuma, an anthropomorphized teddy bear that will soon star in his own Production I.G anime series, the brand is also well-known for Sumikko Gurashi -- a set of characters including Shirokuma (a shy polar bear who hates the cold), Penguin? (a penguin with something of an identity crisis), Neko (a self-conscious and socially anxious cat), Tokage (a dinosaur who pretends to be a lizard to avoid capture) and Tonkatsu (a piece of fried pork cutlet that desperately wants to prove it's edible). All five characters will soon appear as new Happy Meal Toys, seen below, at McDonald's in Japan starting Dec. 13, 2024.
McDonald's Japan Rings in Christmas With New Sumikko Gurashi Happy Meal Toy Release
As is typical of new Happy Meal releases in Japan, the toys will appear in three separate waves. The first, debuting from Dec. 13-26, includes Shirokuma, Penguin?, Neko, Tokage and a secret character, which will take the form of hanging badge-type decorations that can be used as bag accessories or even Christmas tree ornaments. They also come with detachable message cards to swap with fellow collectors. The second wave, released from Dec. 27-Jan. 1, are character cases for Shirokuma, Tonkatsu, Neko, Tokage and a different secret character; each character case opens to reveal a respective card game like karuta or rock-paper-scissors. The third and final wave, appearing from Jan. 10 until stocks last, will contain all the toys that appeared throughout the previous waves, including the two mystery items.
An international reveal of the new Sumikko Gurashi Happy Meal toys has yet to be confirmed and seems unlikely, although McDonald's has previously released some of its Japanese toys in foreign markets, such as its Hello Kitty and Friends x Yu-Gi-Oh crossover in the U.S. in August. Meanwhile, other countries have likewise received McDonald's collaborations with major anime and Japanese properties, including Dragon Ball in Hong Kong and Hunter x Hunter in Taiwan.
Source: McDonald's Japan
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