Summary

  • McDonald's and Nintendo are partnering for Mario Kart toys in Australia, previously featured in the US.
  • Fans express excitement for plastic toys vs. Cardboard and anticipate future collabs for upcoming Mario games.
  • Collaborations between Mario and McDonald's aren't new, future giveaways and tie-ins likely.

McDonald's and Nintendo are partnering up again, with Mario Kart toys arriving in stores, but there's a catch. These Mario Kart toys 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 the McDonald's Pokemon Trading Card Game giveaways.

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McDonald's is bringing back Mario Kart Happy Meal toys in 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 same Mario Kart toy 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 on The Super Mario Bros Movie, and in Japan, a set of Mario toys 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 more Mario toys could be in the works to help promote game releases. Mario and Luigi: Brothership releases later 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 new Mario titles 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.

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9 /10

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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Racing
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Systems
super greyscale 8-bit logo
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Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
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Released
April 28, 2017
ESRB
E
Developer(s)
Nintendo EAD, Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Engine
Unreal Engine 4
Franchise
Mario Kart
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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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!

Platform(s)
Switch
Genre(s)
Racing
How Long To Beat
6 Hours