McDonald’s debuts Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal toys in US

McDonald’s customers are lovin’ the newest Happy Meal toys. The fast-food giant is teaming up with Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, the instantly recognizable character who made her debut in 1974, for a seriously unexpected crossover with one of cinema’s most famous monsters: Godzilla. The new Hello Kitty & Friends x Godzilla Happy Meal launches at participating McDonald’s restaurants across the US on August 18 for a limited time. Each meal comes with one of eight exclusive collectible toys, as well as a choice of a hamburger or McNuggets. The collection puts Sanrio characters into the roles of some of Godzilla’s most famous foes. Hello Kitty becomes Godzilla, the legendary King of the Monsters, while Chococat transforms into SpaceGodzilla, the extraterrestrial doppelgänger of the giant reptile.

Kuromi takes on Mechagodzilla, the imposing robotic version of Godzilla, and Keroppi gets a particularly dramatic makeover as King Ghidorah, the three-headed, golden dragon-like monster. The remaining mash-ups include Badtz-Maru as Rodan, the giant flying pterosaur. My Melody transforms into Mothra, the beloved giant moth. Cinnamoroll takes on Destoroyah, one of Godzilla’s most fearsome enemies and Pompompurin becomes Gigan, the cyborg monster known for his enormous hook-like claws.

The promotion is already causing a stir among fans, with one Reddit user declaring that they had worked out a route to visit three McDonald’s locations within a six-mile radius. Another wrote that they would be buying the toys despite having struggled to find the previous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Hello Kitty collection. Others were already discussing which character they wanted most, with Gigan, Mechagodzilla and SpaceGodzilla among the favorites. There was also plenty of disappointment from fans outside America, as the promotion is being rolled out nationwide in the US and does not currently appear to have been announced for every international market. This isn’t Hello Kitty’s first trip under the Golden Arches.

The character and her Sanrio friends have become something of a McDonald’s collaboration powerhouse, appearing alongside other huge franchises in a series of increasingly unexpected mash-ups. In 2024, McDonald’s teamed Hello Kitty and Friends with Yu-Gi-Oh!, producing 10 collectible toys that transformed Sanrio characters into famous monsters from the trading-card and anime franchise. Hello Kitty became Dark Magician, Cinnamoroll became Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Pompompurin took on the role of Exodia. The promotion ultimately rolled out across 55 countries. Then came the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Hello Kitty collaboration, which saw Hello Kitty, My Melody, Badtz-Maru and Cinnamoroll dressed up as the pizza-loving crime-fighting turtles. McDonald’s has previously offered the collection in multiple markets, including the UK.