Summary
McDonald’s and Nintendo are partnering up again, withMario Karttoys arriving in stores, but there’s a catch. TheseMario Karttoys will be made available in McDonald’s restaurants exclusively in Australia, and fans may notice that the teaser looks familiar.
Nintendo and McDonald’s have been partnering for years, bringing toys, events, and giveaways to McDonald’s stores. These events are usually a big deal for collectors and fans, with supplies of some giveaways generating tons of demand, like theMcDonald’sPokemon Trading Card Gamegiveaways.
McDonald’s is bringing backMario KartHappy Meal toysin Australia starting on September 5. The company has released one teaser thus far, showing Mario driving his Kart, seen from behind. Judging from the preview, this appears to be the sameMario Karttoy that was given away in 2022 in the United States. Presumably, the remainder of the toy line will also be on the list for McDonald’s Australia giveaways starting soon. In the US collab, eight karts were given away in total, including Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Peach, Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, and Bowser.
No New Mario McDonald’s Toys For Now
While it might be disappointing to learn that these don’t appear to be a brand new toy line, Mario and McDonald’s have had plenty of collabs in recent history. McDonald’s,Mario, and Universal teamed up to release a bunch of toys based onThe Super Mario Bros Movie, and in Japan, a set ofMariotoys based on the Universal Studios' Super Nintendo Land. Similar to Australia just now getting the US' collab, the west may get these toys at a later date, once Super Nintendo World area opens in Universal Orlando. That’s currently slated to happen in 2025.
It’s also possible that moreMariotoys could be in the works to help promote game releases.Mario and Luigi: Brothershipreleaseslater in 2024, which could potentially lead to a tie-in. However, there haven’t been any major leaks in that regard as of yet. Even if the game doesn’t have a McDonald’s tie-in, though, Nintendo seems to always have newMariotitles in development, so it’s likely just a matter of time until it happens again.
For now, fans in Australia seem to be very excited about this Happy Meals toy collab. Several expressed how excited they were to have plastic toys given away instead of the cardboard that’s been used in recent times. Gamers in the area should plan on getting to McDonald’s soon after the new Happy Meals arrive, as the stock may not last long.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
WHERE TO PLAY
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a racing game in the world-renowned racing game series. The game was released in 2017 for Nintendo Switch and was at the time the first Mario game on the platform. It is an improved version of the Wii U game Mario Kart 8. It comes with added characters and changes in Battle Mode.Burn rubber across Mushroom Kingdom raceways—underwater, in the sky, upside-down in zero-g, and past the finish—for the win! Get revved up for local multiplayer, online in-game tournaments, a revamped battle mode, and more!Stay fresh in the Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe game by playing as guest characters Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy! You can use their Splatoon inspired karts on their battle mode stage, Urchin Underpass.There are also returning items, like Boo, the item-stealing ghost, and the Feather, used exclusively in battle mode. Veterans rejoice—you can hold two items at once! Prove you’re the world’s best racer and battler in online tournaments, or simply race and battle friends online. With many control options and handheld mode, there’s always a way to play on the Nintendo Switch™ system!
