The Pokémon summer McDonald’s Japan collaboration continues with the McDonald’s Summer Chance Bag 2026! It was first announced July 10 at the same time entries into the lottery for the item began. We were lucky enough to get one of our very own!
The McDonald’s Summer Chance Bag is basically a form of fukubukuro lucky bag. McDonald’s Japan started this Summer Chance Bag in 2025 with their own original theming of their products and mascot characters. This is the first year they’ve done the bag as a collaboration and in my opinion they chose a great franchise to kick it off.
What is a fukubukuro lucky bag? Originally they were a sort of New Years custom in Japan where stores would sell mystery grab bags filled with random merchandise at heavy discounts generally 50% or more off of the usual retail value. These days companies choose other seasons to create non-traditional fukubukuro to boost sales or garner attention. Some places use them as a fun way to do clearance too.
What’s Inside?
The McDonald’s Summer Chance Bag 2026 cost 3,900yen and contains a special Pikachu French fry kitchen timer, a color changing cup and zipper pouch themed after one of the three original starter Pokémon (Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle), a booklet of free McDonald’s menu item coupons (totaling a 3,910yen value), and a 1 in 10 chance of having a 500yen gold McDonald’s gift card.
The Pikachu French fry kitchen timer is what really got fans buzzing because the melody it plays when the alarm sounds is the same sound that plays in McDonald’s Japan stores. Plus the cute image of Pikachu popping out of French fries is hard to resist.
Source: Game Watch
The color changing cups match each starter Pokémon’s element colors and changes with cold water. This is especially fitting considering it’s summer and we all want to cool down with a nice drink.
Source: Game Watch
The zipper pouches match the color and theming of the color changing cups but have a bit more design elements on them. They’re nice because they’re reusable and the top is clear so you can see what you store inside easily.
The free menu item coupons are always great whether you are a frequent customer or not because who can complain about free food? Not to mention that the value of the coupon book alone is more than the total price of the McDonald’s Summer Chance Bag itself.
The final item is completely up to chance as there’s just a 1 in 10 chance of getting the 500yen gold McDonald’s gift card. It was a fun element to add to really satisfy the gacha itch in fans for sure.
My Gacha Luck
I was really surprised by just how large the Pikachu French fry kitchen timer actually is. It stands just fine on its own but part of me is tempted to add a magnet so I can place it somewhere else in the kitchen instead of a counter. It only requires one AAA battery to operate which is also nice as I’m just so used to need an excessive amount of batteries to operate electronics these days.
The color changing cup and zipper bag are simple and light but sturdy. The green when the cup changes color is as striking as the zipper bag and I really enjoy them. I always prefer getting items that I can use when possible.
I can’t wait to use my free menu item coupons on a rainy or lazy day when I just want a little snack or something extra with our family order from McDonald’s. The important thing now is to just make sure those expiration dates don’t catch up on us.
Were you lucky enough to get the McDonald’s Summer Chance Bag 2026 too? Which starter Pokémon set would you prefer? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
Useful Links
McDonald’s Japan Pokemon Summer Collaboration Website: https://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/pokemon-summer/
Pokemon 30th Anniversary Website: https://www.pokemon.co.jp/30th/
GameWatch Article: https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/kikaku/2123577.html
