McDonald's is launching a new Happy Meal promotion that brings together the worlds of Sanrio and the Monsterverse. Starting Tuesday, August 18, customers can collect eight different toys featuring Sanrio characters dressed as iconic creatures from the Monsterverse franchise. The collaboration includes beloved characters like Hello Kitty, Chococat, Kuromi, Keroppi, Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and Pompompurin, reimagined as their Monsterverse counterparts.
The lineup features Hello Kitty cosplaying as Godzilla, Chococat as Space Godzilla, and Kuromi as MechaGodzilla, among others. Keroppi will be seen as King Ghidorah, Badtz-Maru as Rodan, My Melody as Mothra, Cinnamoroll as Destoroyah, and Pompompurin as Gigan.
This collaboration follows a pattern of popular toy tie-ins that have sometimes led to issues with scalpers. In the past, limited-edition Happy Meal toys, such as Pokémon cards in 2021 and again in 2025, resulted in shortages and food waste as individuals bought large quantities of meals to obtain the collectibles. There is concern that this Hello Kitty x Godzilla promotion could face similar challenges.
Previous instances of toy scalping at McDonald's have led to significant waste and shortages. The report suggests that if such issues become frequent, the company may need to implement measures to manage demand and prevent scalpers from acquiring all available toys, potentially even exploring solutions like those used by Pokémon Centers in Japan, which have employed facial recognition technology to limit purchases.
The Sanrio x Monsterverse collaboration aims to offer fans an adorable and unique collectible, blending the cute aesthetics of Sanrio with the monstrous charm of the Monsterverse. McDonald's hopes to balance the excitement for the promotion with strategies to mitigate potential problems associated with its popularity.