It has been 10 years since Takara Tomy’s Tomica first appeared in McDonald’s Happy Meal sets. Over the years, McDonald’s Japan has introduced many Tomica toy cars with its Happy Meal sets, and Toyota is certainly no stranger to this collaboration. To mark this occasion, McDonald’s Japan and Tomica are pulling all the stops, including a collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing to launch two Tomica toy cars: a Toyota GR Corolla and a GR86, both in an awesome gold colorway.
The gold GR Corolla, decorated with McDonald’s decals and featuring a button to open the hood, is a tribute to Kalle Rovanperä. Kalle, for those who may not know, is a Toyota rally car driver who became the youngest person in WRC history to win the World Rally Championship. The other Tomica, the gold GR86, pays homage to veteran drifter Ken Gushi.
The gold Tomica Toyota GR Corolla will appear as part of the Happy Meal set starting April 12 [JP] (in Japan’s McDonald’s, obviously). If anyone’s keeping tabs, this is not the first time McDonald’s Japan has offered gold cars with Happy Meals. Anyway, as far as this latest Tomica collaboration goes, there’s a catch. Well, not quite a catch if you are familiar with how McDonald’s Happy Meal toys work.
This gold-spec Tomica Toyota GR Corolla isn’t alone, nor is the gold-spec GR86. Like any Happy Meal, they are part of a toy collection that will be introduced periodically over a short period, or whenever one model is sold out. Oh, and there are three waves in total.
The gold GR Corolla is part of the first wave, which also includes a Hino Ladder Fire Engine, a Nissan NV400 EV ambulance, and oddly, a dinosaur transport vehicle. These are known as “working” vehicles. The first wave will run from April 12 through April 25, Japan time.
Wave 2 will pick up immediately after Wave 1 ends on April 26 and end on May 09. Wave 2 includes a Toyota Crown Police Patrol Car – complete with a launch key, a double-decker McDonald’s party bus, a Nissan UD cement mixer truck, a Toyota Dyna Garbage Truck, and a secret toy, said to be the gold GR86.
It doesn’t end on May 09, though. There is a Wave 3. The so-called Wave 3, which will be on May 10, will see all 8 vehicles, along with the secret toy vehicle, being offered with the Happy Meal set. What you receive on this day is totally random and, of course, while stocks last.
Prior to the availability of the gold spec Tomica Toyota GR Corolla and GR86, McDonald’s Japan, Tomica, and Gazoo Racing have lined up a series of events [JP], including displaying the actual cars outside McDonald’s Harumi-dori Toyotsu store (from April 04 to 14; on the 7th, only the GR86 was exhibited, by the way), and sweepstakes to win stuff from McDonald’s, Toyota Gazoo Racing, and Takara Tomy – just to name a couple. See what I mean when I say “pulling all the stops”?
Images: McDonald’s [JP]/Toyota Gazoo Racing [JP].
