McDonald’s UK and Leo UK have today launched CARDS
A new promotion inspired by the brand's long-standing place in collecting culture.
From limited edition merchandise to iconic packaging and memorabilia, McDonald’s has spent decades creating objects that fans treasure, trade, and remember. CARDS builds on this heritage, reimagining some of the brand’s most recognizable characters, menu moments, and rituals as a new set of collectible cards.
Inspired by the universal fan truth that McDonald’s is more than a meal – it’s a memory, this promotion turns beloved McDonald’s moments into cards that fans can collect into sets and unlock prizes.
The two-year national campaign celebrates the characters, rituals, and cultural heritage that have defined McDonald’s for generations. In four categories: Characters, Fans, Retro, and Legendary, the 24 card designs feature beloved mascots, iconic menu items, and nods to the brand’s rich archive.
Each design was hand-illustrated from scratch. Over the course of several months, Leo UK refined the characters’ poses, line thickness, color palettes, and textures to create a distinctive visual language that was authentic to the collector’s culture, yet unmistakably McDonald’s.
Physical production included extensive standard weight and tactile testing to replicate the feel of premium card collections – from standard editions with a rich matte finish to legendary designs with holographic foil to enhance the sense of rarity.
At the heart of the collection is the rare 25th card: the golden Ronald McDonald card. Only ten of these have been produced nationwide, each worth £10,000 in prize money, marking the character’s return to the McDonald’s universe for the first time in three decades.
Customers can order a CARDS Meal and receive a set of four cards at no additional charge. Each pack is guaranteed to include a free meal, making it one of the most generous promotions in the brand’s history. Fans will also be able to build a digital collection on the McDonald’s app by entering the codes on the back of the cards to unlock additional prizes and explore the original stories of McDonald’s icons.
The campaign has been created in partnership with leading UK collector creators Randolph and PokiChloe. McDonald’s is also working with Randolph’s grading company ACE Grading, allowing fans to submit their McDonald’s CARDS to be professionally graded and stamped – bringing the same authentication standards used for the highest quality card collections to the world of McDonald’s.
The card set was launched at the London Card Show (February 13-15), introducing the collection directly to dedicated fans and positioning McDonald’s within the card collecting community ahead of its launch.
The campaign began with a pre-launch “hype” phase focused on spaces where collectors are already gathering and sharing their finds. Early activity focused on developer partnerships and community platforms, supported by nostalgic social content exploring the long history of McDonald’s fan collectibles.
After this initial phase, the campaign expanded to a fully integrated national rollout spanning audiovisual, outdoor, radio, social and restaurant events. This included developer-created content for unboxings, a midnight restaurant event inspired by game release culture, a nationwide tour, and exclusive team badge “cards” and employee T-shirts with foils featuring the cards.
Credits:
All images courtesy of McDonald’s.
