As you read this, I am most likely at a McDonald’s drive-thru window.

And you should be too. Because I have a hunch that these KPop Demon Hunter cards will be the Next Big Thing. 

And yes, buzz has died down substantially on the movie as a cultural phenomenon. And also yes, I remember my local McDonald’s offering the previous “adult kids meal” feature – McDonaldland postcards in a tin – for $1.50 on a sort of “clearance” special long after the promo was introduced. AND YES OF COURSE I remember swearing off fast food talk in one of my resolutions/predictions newsletters in December. 

But hear me out – cards are cards.  From the McDonald’s corporate site:

A closer look at the meals reveals… very little:

The YouTube trailer – which now has over half a million views – almost double those of the first episode of “Lost in McDonaldland” – shows what looks like a couple of the cards held by one of the fans:

And then with a little searching… I found a bunch for sale early on eBay – anywhere from $48 for a set of 10 packs to $190 for a full set of opened cards. Some sellers had single cards for $50; others had two packs for $10 total. One seller was also offering a case of the sauce for $20: 

Anyway, here they are in all their glory:

One minor bummer from all of this is McDonald’s not making these designs (from the trailer) the actual cards, with overt McDonald’s-ing everywhere:

BUT a closer look reveals some more subtle McDonald’s branding throughout. Like on the Zoey card, dangling from her bracelet:

And the Saja Boys all have arches earrings:

And hey look at that zipper!

Plus, all the individual cards of characters have “autographs,” which is kind of neat. 

So, just for the cards themselves, we have what I subjectively believe are “pretty” cards with smart and fun subtle McDonald’s branding (we like the HUNTR/X ones better, for whatever that’s worth) showing up about 7-8 months late for a movie that WAS a cultural phenomenon but is now just kind of “fondly remembered.” Early eBay prices are encouraging, but they’re all over the place. 

And I’m still going to buy a bunch. Here’s why:

Actually, before we start, I want to add an asterisk. For this theory to work, we NEED a few stories or viral tweets about how much these are listed for or how they’re selling out fast for this all to work. Rovell, we’re looking at you! I am confident this will happen, despite the fact that selfishly, this starts a crazy micro-level issue where word spreads fast as the breakfast versions sell and it causes giant lines for lunch — because the lunch cards are the superior HUNTR/X ones and it’s just generally the pace of the news spreading. Alas, we sally forth. 

On to the logic!

1. The One Piece College Basketball U.S. Voyage experience – People were paying hundreds of dollars cash outside arenas, and led to the cancellation of two promo nights (one because Rutgers was robbed, one because re-sellers were being their typical scummy selves outside MSG.). Prices for the cards started out at over $400 and eventually settled when people realized there were hundreds of thousands of them. Still, this was a legitimate frenzy over a card of an animated character. 

2. The Grinch socks – As part of a holiday-themed adult happy meal, McDonald’s gave away Grinch-themed socks. The result? McDonald’s was reportedly the largest seller of socks in the world for a week in December:

The socks were selling for $30-40 at the time (they have since settled). 

3. The 2024 McDonald’s cup craze – I was able to get the cups without issue for a week. And then the stories started. They were wiped out everywhere by the end of the day.

Yes, the cups were cool, but the mostly-misinformed media frenzy blew it up to new levels. 

4. Trader Joe’s tote bags – The Wall Street Journal caught on in January, but Trader Joe’s mini-totes have been so popular on the resale market that the stores limit shoppers to four each and some have even (reportedly) been cutting off the tags to keep re-selling in check. 

So fast-forward to… right now. KPop Demon Hunters meals are on sale. They have cards. Sealed packs! McDonald’s has a recent history of selling out of stuff fast and news outlets loooove those lazy stories about “[insert brand here]’s whatevers are selling for $[insert a number] online!”

Yes, you can ignore and assume these will fall flat. In fact, the PopCultureChat subreddit looks less than impressed with the lack of toys in this promotion and repeatedly dumps on the cards. Plus, the prices from some of the early sellers are lower than we would like —  but I’m ascribing that to those sellers being people who stole boxes from local franchises and don’t know the true potential value of the cards. All  it takes for us to win, though, is that cultural tipping point to create a little buzz… and these will sell out and rise in price quickly. 

Or they could be the McDonaldland postcards. But I’m betting on the former. 

My official prediction: packs top out at $125 each for a week, settle to $80, and are $15 this time next year. 

Have a great week, everyone! May your Ramyeon flavored fries not be too salty!