The year 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Dream IP, and the phased campaign launched by McDonald's Global Multimarket has reached its landing point: Japan ' s market activity was first launched in July, and the United States market, with two waves set up separate slots in February and November 2026, covered limited food items, Happy Gardens toy, Dream Exchange Cards (TCG) and Pokémon GO games, while the risk of cow hoarding has attracted widespread attention from collectors and ordinary consumers.
The interconnected timelines vary significantly by region. As a pioneer area, the Japanese market has been advanced in three phases: The first stage, the theme “Pokémon Summer McDonald”, was launched on 10 July. The first stage, the first stage, was the launch of the “Pokémon Summer McDonald's” campaign, the 30th anniversary of the launch of the 8th section of the National Line on 22 July, was limited to Hamburg, which was printed with three original images of the generations, while the same period was marked by the advertisement by Japanese actor Yoshio Yoshiyo; the second phase, the official release of details on the launch of Happy Gardens (Happy Set) on 31 July; and the third stage, the launch of the distribution of Happy Garden toys in some 3,000 shops nationwide, starting on 7 August, lasted about three weeks and ended. The U.S. market is linked in two waves of independent activity without overlapping: The first wave, “Padia Adventure”, was launched on 11 February 2026 and continued until 10 March or when it was sold; the second wave, “Boca Dream Card”, was launched on 5 November 2026 and continued until 9 December, covering McDonald's, an American market participant, with other countries and regions likely to adjust slightly.
The Japanese market market is priced at 510 yen, equivalent to approximately 3.4 yen, each with a total of 12 pieces of design, a set of toys covering a total of 30 dreamable dreams of the first three families of nine generations, Pikachu, Ibu and Cabih, each with a round-tone sticker with a name and a national graphic number, which can be exchanged between 12 toys to achieve the collection effect of a set of toys for 30 dreams. Toys are not subject to any type of selection or support for the exchange, and only one random paragraph is available for each meal. To curb the hoarding of cows, the official limit of six Happy Gardens meals per unit was set three days prior to the event (7-9 August), while the distribution of third-party delivery platforms was suspended and consumers were required to purchase them. With regard to food, section 8 limits the sale of Hamburg to a limited period from 22 July to early August, while Happy Gardens meals are provided continuously throughout the toy cycle. In addition, about 3,000 McDonald ' s stores in the Japanese market are set up as supply points in the Pokémon GO game, where the arrival of players triggers the appearance of special treasures and, during the same period, the distribution of a 2026 summer surprise bag containing soundy leather-cacho chips. The U.S. market synchronized the launch of the Pokémon GO, and players can also trigger a unique dream at the participating McDonald's.
The United States market has two-wave rules focused on each other. In the first wave of the “Padia Adventure” theme, each Happy Garden meal will be accompanied by a collection of eight pieces and a package of four special card cards for the `two surroundings for one meal'. In the second card exclusive, each Happy Garden meal will be free to receive a package of 4 card bags, or the Bookbook of the Bulcan Dreams, which contains 15 card sheets, 6 of which are shredded hologram cards, all of which bear the McDonald's sticker, and most of which are reprinted for other card series. Only last year, when Japan joined, Pikachuka, an exclusive design, has been introduced. There have been reports that the toys associated with this operation may be card displays, which can be used to display the cards collected, and that this information has not yet been confirmed officially, all of which are preliminary and may be adjusted.
The number of people actually affected by this campaign covers several dimensions. First, ordinary consumers and children, the limited supply of food and toys in the Japanese market is limited to a specified period of time, after sale, missing unrefillable supplies, and the intended purchase of consumers need to be consumed by the shop during the activity period; the two waves of activity in the United States market are almost eight months apart and consumers can choose to participate according to their needs. The next is a card and dream collection lover, most of which are reprinted, but the shredded paper hologram and the McDonald's hologram have some value. Last year, the Japanese market's exclusive Pikachuka made a significant premium on the second-hand market, and the collection value would increase further if the United States market introduced the same kind of exclusive card, but the risk of hoarding the cow would rise simultaneously. The third is the group of cows, which has been associated with McDonald’s many times before, where cattle were sold at high prices, where the Japanese market has introduced early restrictions and a moratorium on third-party distribution, where specific restrictions have not been issued, and where many media reports say that fans have called for official cow protection measures to prevent ordinary consumers from buying around normal prices. The fourth is McDonald’s and BMW IP operator, one of the core partners in the global promotion of BMW’s 30th anniversary, which can lead to higher sales by limiting food, peripherals and games, while increasing the exposure of BMW to wider consumer groups.
There are also clear guidelines for follow-up by different groups. Consumers in the United States market have to wait for the official release of specific details of the second wave of cards, including card design, restricted purchase rules, and the final toy style, and are expected to disclose more by October 2026. Consumers in the Japanese market can continue to participate in August’s Happy Gardens event, and if no purpose-style toys are purchased, follow the developments of the follow-up shop, but it is not clear that the official offer will be made nationwide. If the collectors want to collect the full set of cards or toys, they are advised to purchase them at the door as early as possible after the start of the activity, so as to avoid being missed because the stock is sold out or the cows are cleaned, while paying attention to the risk of a premium on a second-hand trading platform, and to be careful to buy non-exclusive surroundings at high prices. If the United States market subsequently introduced a restrictive purchase policy, consumers would also be required to comply with the requirements and work together to maintain normal purchasing order. (approximately 2100 words in full)