In August 2026, a line of Hello Kitty / Godzilla crossover toys hit McDonald’s, to a positive reception—maybe too positive. Fremont software engineer Brian Hsu noticed other parents asking around for specific toys. To help, Hsu created a free web tool called Happy Toy Scout, where parents crowdsource real-time toy availability on an interactive map. Hsu’s wife Vanessa Wang shared that in the first ten days, the website logged over 127,000 users and 40,000+ reports.
Brian Hsu shared that what surprised him most was how a small side project grew into a community effort. “I expected the site to be useful, but I didn’t expect so many people to contribute their own sightings and help others find the toys they were looking for,” he said.
He added, “Working on the project also reminded me that building the technology is only part of the challenge. The information changes constantly, and the site becomes much more useful when people share what they’re seeing at their local stores.”
For September and October, the website is tracking Spongebob / One Piece Mcdonald’s toys, and Hello Kitty toys at Burger King in October.
