Gaming Squad

As a grown adult, you likely don’t make a habit of ordering off the kid’s menu. I bet the only thing that could change that is a unique collab with a rare toy or collectible up for grabs. It’s that time again, as McDonald’s is partnering with Nintendo for the Mario Kart x Happy Meal collab. (Add that to the list of non-Switch 2 Nintendo announcements.) This collab is present at all McDonald’s locations throughout the United States, but it’s unclear whether other markets will receive the same promotion.

While these exclusive toys are technically meant for children, precisely ages three and up, we know plenty of people who’ll be ordering a Mario Kart-themed Happy Meal are those who grew up facing their siblings head-to-head in the game. Hey, I’m not judging. I want that Toad Kart!

In total, there are ten limited-edition Mario Kart x Happy Meal collab toys to acquire, including:

• Mario Kart
• Peach Kart
• Luigi Kart
• Toadette Kart
• Donkey Kong Kart
• Gold Mario Kart
• Toad Kart
• Yoshi Kart
• Bowser Kart
• Pink Gold Peach Kart

Each Mario Kart toy comes in an exclusive box. The front features the usual Nintendo marketing, and the side features the iconic McDonald’s smile commonly found on the Happy Meal.

Of course, every Happy Meal is different, and you may receive the same toy multiple times. You can ask to buy one of the toys separately, although many locations don’t go for that tactic and may outright deny you. Most require a meal purchase.

This promotion is specifically for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which launched on the Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2017. It’s an old version of the racing game, and many people feel it’s quite tricky, but it gives us hope that Nintendo is gearing up for another release within the franchise.

Click or scroll for a look at each toy and its box.

Where the hell is the Switch 2, folks? It’s the last day of October and Nintendo still hasn’t revealed the one thing every fan is waiting for. Instead, we’ve gotten almost everything else the company could think of, from random ports of cult Wii U games to literal alarm clocks. What else could the gaming giant throw at fans while it continues running out the clock on a new console announcement in 2024?

The signs were there, from mysterious leakers to the company’s own president. “We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year,” Shuntaro Furukawa tweeted back in May. Technically, Nintendo’s fiscal year runs until March 31, but my god, man! Give us a single image of the hardware, an official name, anything! Five months later, fans have survived heart-stopping levels of hype ever since the company ditched its regular September Nintendo Direct and chatter from developers and others about an imminent announcement reached a fever pitch.

With all eyes on the mustachioed plumber, the console manufacturer decided on a different course of action. Instead of revealing the Switch 2, Nintendo announced Alarmo, a $100 device that uses video-game sounds to get you out of bed, at least if you’re single. We got a mysterious online playtest announcement that turned out to be for a weird MMO. On a random Tuesday, Nintendo decided to drop the news that niche Wii U exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles X would all of a sudden, 10 years later, arrive on Switch next spring. And then last night the company busted out even more news: Nintendo music now has a standalone app for smartphone listening as part of Switch Online.

It now feels like time is running out for Nintendo to actually reveal the Switch 2 before the end of 2024. Maybe there’s a small pocket of time in November before the holiday, but why would the company decide to steal thunder from Mario & Luigi: Brothership or its big holiday push to help sell another 10 million more Switches this year. Maybe Nintendo just does not give a fuck anymore, confident in the knowledge that, whenever it chooses to announce its next console, the news will bend the attention economy to its will no matter the manner or timing in which it unfolds. Or maybe this means we really aren’t getting a Switch 2 reveal before mid-January after the holiday break.

In the meantime, here are nine more things I would be less shocked to see Nintendo announce between now and then that aren’t a Switch 2.