McDonald’s happy meal toys have a long history. If we talk about the last 40 years then their most popular happy meal toys list is as follows:
- Hot Wheels
- Transforming Foods
- Jerry the Minion
- Snoopy
- Potato Head Kids
- Furby
People love to visit such places because their kids eat food to get a free toy. McDonald’s changes its toys every week so people who visit on regular basis will not get the same toys.
What is Happy Meal?
Since June 1979, a “Happy Meal” has been a children’s meal sold at the American fast-food restaurant company McDonald’s. The food is frequently accompanied by a small toy or book, both of which are packaged in a red cardboard box with a yellow cheerful face and the McDonald’s emblem.
Frequently, the packaging and toy are part of a marketing tie-in to an existing television show, film, or toy line.
McDonald’s happy meal toys:
McDonald’s was one of the most well-known brands in the world by the 1960s, but it didn’t happen overnight. The practice of giving little toys to children was not introduced with the Happy Meal.
The toys included a McDoodle stencil, a McWrist wallet, an ID bracelet, a puzzle lock, a spinning top, or a McDonaldland character-shaped eraser when the Happy Meal was first introduced in 1979.
In Canada, the “Treat of the Week” campaign ran before the Happy Meal, with a different toy provided free on request each week. After the Happy Meal was established in 1979, this advertising persisted, and Happy Meal toys have become more intricate in the following years.
While simple toys like a Frisbee or a ball were formerly popular, they have gradually been overtaken by more sophisticated toys, many of which are based on an existing TV show, film, video game, or toy line. The Happy Meal toys are for children aged 3 and up, while the toddler toys are for children aged 3 and under.
Summary:
McDonald’s Happy Meals come with a small toy or book. Packages are often part of a marketing tie-in to an existing television show, film, or toy line. Toys for children aged 3 and up are more sophisticated than simple Frisbee or ball toys.
Table of McDonald’s happy meal toys:
| Months | Toys |
|---|---|
| January | Discovery mind blown toys |
| February | Fast and furious Spy racers, Spirit riding free toys |
| March | Same as February |
| April | Pikmi pops, Beyblade burst |
| May | Trolls: world tour toys |
| June | Minions |
| July | Minions |
| August | Disney and Pixar celebration plush |
McDonald’s happy meal toys by Year:
1940:
In San Bernardino, California, the first McDonald’s opened its doors. It was originally known as “McDonald’s Famous Barbecue,” but after 8 years, it was abbreviated to “McDonald’s.” Burgers are 15 cents each.
1954:
In San Bernardino, California, the first McDonald’s opened its doors. It was originally known as “McDonald’s Famous Barbecue,” but after 8 years, it was abbreviated to “McDonald’s.” Burgers are 15 cents each. Ray Kroc, an aggressive salesman, encouraged the McDonald brothers to expand their business. This led to franchises and, eventually, collaborations that were critical to the Happy Meal toys’ future success.
1963:
The world’s most famous clown was chosen as the face of McDonald’s. Ronald McDonald made his debut dressed like a terrifying horror movie villain with a cup on his nose. He later got a makeover, and the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie became part of his “Snack Pack.”
1969:
McDonald’s had reusable straws long before they were fashionable. Look at the Sippy Dipper Straws, which were designed to resemble the iconic arches. In 1969, 33 million of them were sold with drinks, which was a significant success in terms of familiarizing people with the McDonald’s brand.
1970:
McDonald’s sold unique toys at select locations even before the Happy Meal was introduced. These toys were based on their well-known brand mascots. One of the most popular vintage Ronald McDonald dolls is shown here.
1977:
The mascots, from Ronald to Grimace, were a tremendous hit with kids and helped to make McDonald’s a kid-friendly brand. A range of kitchenware known as the “McDonald’s Action Series” was produced to keep the memento alive.
A reusable souvenir glass costs 49 cents, while fun plates with the characters printed on the front cost roughly $1. Throughout the 1990s, this kitchenware was still available at a few restaurants.
1979:
It was then that the Happy Meal was conceived! Fries, cookies, a soft drink, and the first Happy Meal toy were included in the initial box, which had a circus motif. The toys featured “McDoodler” stencils, “McWrist” wallets, miniature bracelets, puzzles, erasers, and spinning tops, all of which were branded with the McDonald’s logo.
In December, McDonald’s partnered with Star Trek: The Motion Picture to offer themed Happy Meal toys from the movie. It was the first time the fast-food chain helped promote a TV show, video game, or movie.
1982:
When 10 million Playmobil Happy Meal toys were recalled, McDonald’s found itself in legal difficulties. These toys posed a choking threat to children under the age of three. In exchange, customers were given a package of cookies, an ice cream cone, or a refund.
1983:
Mattel was responsible for some of the most well-known Happy Meal toys from the 1980s. In 1983, McDonald’s and Mattel launched their famed collaboration, with each Happy Meal including a Hot Wheels car or a Barbie doll. At the time, “boy” and “girl” toys were popular, yet in today’s gender-neutral environment, that terminology has been phased out.
1984:
Who ya gonna call? These days, it’s probably DoorDash or GrubHub to order McDonald’s. Back in 1984, however, it was all about the Ghostbusters. Happy Meal toys from the original movie came out in June.
1985:
In the early 1980s, My Little Pony toys were so popular that McDonald’s had no choice but to include them in their Happy Meals. These colorful horses were such a hit that they returned several times throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
1986:
McDonald’s offered books with the purchase of burgers or McNuggets instead of traditional Happy Meal toys. One of the most popular titles was “An American Tail.” Four stories about the adventures of a small pipsqueak mouse were read to each child.
When McDonald’s replaced their standard Happy Meal boxes with Halloween pails, things got a little eerie. McBoo, McPunk’n, and McGoblin were the names given to these pails, which were referred to as “Boo Buckets.”
1987:
McDonald’s capitalized on the Transformers craze by releasing McRobots. These vintage Happy Meal toys were designed to look like the McDonald’s menu. Mini Big Macs, fries, McNuggets, milkshakes, Egg McMuffins, and Quarter Pounders turned into tiny robots were available. Some of the best McDonald’s toys are based on current pop culture trends. It was all about the Muppet Babies in 1987. These old toys are well remembered and cherished by collectors.
1987 – 1991:
McDonald’s hit the jackpot by teaming up with Disney for toys inspired by their movies. The Disney Happy Meal toys that came out in these years included The Brave Little Toaster, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, The Rescuers Down Under, and many more.
1988:
In 1983, the fast-food chain added chicken McNuggets to its menu, intending to sell as many as possible. Little nugget toys sporting funky hats were a good way to get on people’s attention. Nugget Buddies were the name for these.
The first McDonald’s opened its doors in San Bernardino, California in 1954. In 1969, Sippy Dipper Straws, designed to resemble the iconic arches, were sold with drinks. In 1979, The Happy Meal was conceived, with fries, cookies, a soft drink, and the first Happy Meal toy. In 1984, Happy Meals from the Ghostbusters movie came out in June.
1990:
The McDonald’s Collectors Club was founded by a group of 18 adults in Ohio. This is for all the nostalgic kids who remember the McDonald’s toys and memorabilia that made the fast-food chain famous.
One of four collectible Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle drink mugs will be given to each child. These were included with Happy Meals for free, and they replaced the usual to-go cups. On eBay, they’re now selling for around $25.
1991:
From 1991 through 2001, United Airlines featured Happy Meals (without the fries because they didn’t reheat well) on some of their flights. It was first exclusively available on Disney World visits, but it was later extended to any aircraft nationwide.
McDonald’s Toys in the 1990s weren’t just about popular movies and TV shows. Lo and behold – Dino Changeables! In the blink of an eye, these entertaining McDonald’s toys transformed from dinosaurs to Happy Meal boxes, and they were hugely popular. We’d be in serious business if McDonald’s introduced dinosaur-shaped nuggets.
1992:
“Da na na na na” toys from Batman Returns! In 1992, you could get your hands on a ton of cool Batman Happy Meal toys, including not just the Caped Crusader, but also Batgirl, Robin, Catwoman, the Penguin, or Poison Ivy.
1993:
McDonald’s played a unique role in promoting a holiday rather than a show, movie, or video game. Bird feeders, binoculars, shovels, and terrariums are among the Earth Day Happy Meal items that might help protect the environment.
1994:
Welcome aboard! McDonald’s included one piece of the “Happy Birthday” train in each Happy Meal box from the beginning through the end of June. Ronald McDonald led a Happy Meal-shaped conductor’s train, which was followed by nine other items. Each piece depicted a well-known figure, such as E.T. and the Bernstein Bears.
1995:
McDonald’s has had a fantastic year. The Happy Meal toys for January were Spider-Man. The release of Batman Forever in June was all about these limited edition glasses. With McDonald’s Avengers toys the next year, the superhero streak continued. McDonald’s had a great time celebrating Halloween.
They might experiment with new marketing strategies and be more inventive with their efforts. Take the creepy sounds cassette tapes that came with Happy Meals in 1995, for example. The Ronald McDonaldland characters dressed up in Halloween costumes were represented by four cassettes and four toys.
1996:
Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, was a movie office smash, grossing $230.4 million. This resulted in some interesting Space Jam toys from McDonald’s that fit together like a puzzle. The film and its toys have subsequently become something of a cult classic, particularly among millennials.
1997:
Let’s name this Disney year. Happy Meals featured toys from popular films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, and 101 Dalmatians from March through December. Exclusive Disney plates were also available for $1.99 each at McDonald’s.
1998 & 1999:
The late 1990s, oh how I miss them. This decade’s Happy Meals included rad toys like Tamagotchis, Hot Wheels, Barbies, Legos, Doug action figures, and, most notably, the legendary TY Teenie Beanie Babies, which were available from 1998 to 2004. In 2009, they were able to make a return.
1999:
A list of 90s songs The Furby is a must-have for any McDonald’s toy collection! In the first three years of manufacture, almost 40 million Furbies were sold, and they were still popular when tiny and keychain versions appeared in Happy Meals in 1999.
2000:
Fingerboards — little skateboards that you’d recognize if you wore Jenko Jeans, gelled your hair, and sported a silver chainlink necklace – were still part of Happy Meals, among Hot Wheels, Barbies, and Beanie Babies.
2003:
Children were switching from playing with toys to playing electronic games. As a result, every Happy Meal purchase came with a Sega handheld. Retro mini-games based on Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Monkey Ball were included on the devices.
2004:
The “Adult Happy Meal” was created to appeal to adults as well as children. A salad, a bottle of Dasani water, a small pedometer, and a 15-minute workout DVD focused on yoga, core, cardio, or strength training were included in the lunch.
2006:
Build-a-Bear first opened its doors in 1997 and has continued to expand far into the twenty-first century. In May and June 2006, you could get cute miniature teddies in your Happy Meals for a limited time.
2007 – 2009:
McDonald’s, your twenties are showing. This decade’s Happy Meal toys were influenced by shows like American Idol, Cartoon Network, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Kidz Bop CDs were also given out at some eateries.
2010:
Get your passport ready and travel to McDonald’s in New Zealand. Rather than plastic Happy Meal toys, select restaurants offered books by famous author Roald Dahl. Who wouldn’t want to read Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while eating nuggets and French fries?
2011:
People were critical of the Happy Meal because they believed it contributed to childhood obesity. Every kid’s meal at McDonald’s now includes apple slices, smaller bags of fries, and a carton of 1 percent milk.
2012:
Happy Meal toys included everyone’s favorite sponge. This year, SpongeBob McDonald’s toys were utilized to promote the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Basketball, skating, and, of course, ka-ra-tay were all popular among SpongeBob’s friends.
2013:
QR codes were placed in Happy Meals, which parents could scan with their smartphones. HappyMealdotcom has a tonne of fascinating material, including games, downloadable e-books, and coloring pages.
2014:
McDonald’s hopefuls can attend Hamburger University to learn what it takes to run a restaurant. The school has a bookstore with a lot of cool gear with the “HU” emblem on it, proving that you don’t have to buy a Happy Meal to receive cool McDonald’s swag.
2016:
McDonald’s capitalized on the popularity of emojis by producing these little plushies. For even more fun, kids may download the McPlay App and scan the emoji with a smartphone. These toys demonstrate how far Happy Meals has progressed in the digital age.
2018:
McDonald’s began including attractive stuff with every order as part of a delivery campaign with Uber Eats. A select few were given delightful goodies such as McDonald’s PopSockets and fluffy socks.
2019:
McDonald’s brought back several historical Happy Meal toys like Furbies, Nugget Buddies, Power Rangers, My Little Ponies, and a collection of classic Disney toys to commemorate the Happy Meal’s 40th anniversary. “Golden Arches Unlimited” now sells the coolest McDonald’s merch all year long. This internet company sells cool goods including beanie caps, pins, t-shirts, and even umbrellas in the shape of burgers.
2020:
McDonald’s joined the ranks of other fast-food chains such as Taco Bell and KFC in offering truly unique promotional merchandise. These limited-edition candles, which smell like ketchup, pickles, cheese, and other Quarter Pounder ingredients, flew off the shelves.
2020:
During the COVID-19 outbreak, McDonald’s contributed by providing free “Thank You Meals” to first responders. They were served in traditional Happy Meal boxes with a “thank you” note instead of a toy. Real photos of first responders eating at McDonald’s as children were used in the promotion, which tugged at your heartstrings.
2021:
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are approximately 27 million tonnes of plastic in landfills. McDonald’s has made it their duty to reduce trash by using environmentally friendly Happy Meal toys.
The fast-food business began using recycled materials to produce their kids meal toys to meet their aim of being more sustainable by 2025. The initial toys were cute Batman and Joker figurines, which resembled the popular Funko Pops.
In the 1990s, McDonald’s Happy Meals included toys from a wide range of films and television shows. On eBay, one of four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle drink mugs sold for $25. Bird feeders, binoculars, shovels, and terrariums were included in McDonald’s Earth Day Happy Meal box. Tamagotchis, Hot Wheels, Barbies, Legos, Doug action figures, and Beanie Babies were among the toys featured in this decade’s Happy Meals.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions concerning this keyword:
1-What is the rarest Mcdonald’s toy?
The St. Louis Test Market Transformers released in 1985 is the rarest McDonald’s toy ever because they were only available for a short time in St. Louis, Missouri area. Not only are they the rarest McDonald’s toys, but they’re also some of the rarest Transformers out there.
2-What is the oldest McDonald’s Happy Meal toy?
In 1979, the Happy Meal was born. The original box had a circus theme and came with fries, cookies, a soft drink, and the first Happy Meal toy. The toys, which were branded with the McDonald’s logo, included: “McDoodler” stencils, “McWrist” wallets, small bracelets, puzzles, erasers, and spinning tops.
3-Are Old McDonald toys worth money?
McDonald’s produced a series of Transforming toys for their Happy Meals between 1987 and 1989 called “Changeables.” The toys were able to transform into food items from the company’s menu, such as burgers, chips, sodas, and ice cream. Now, some of the Changeables are estimated to be worth $70 each.
4-Who invented Happy Meal?
Fernández de Cofiño is credited with inventing the Happy Meal in the 1970s when she had the idea to create a meal specifically designed to help parents feed their children more easily. She was born in Chile in 1934 but moved to Guatemala in 1956 when her father was appointed ambassador to the country.
5-Who invented the Happy Meal toy?
The company gave the development of the product to Bob Bernstein, who then came up with the idea for the Happy Meal. In 1977, the McDonald’s restaurant owner clients who regularly met with Bernstein were looking for ways to create a better dining experience for families with kids.
6-When did McDonald’s toys start?
In 1988, the fast-food giant made cute little chicken nugget toys called Nugget Buddies, successfully promoting their Chicken McNuggets. In 1990, the McDonald’s Collectors Club was started, the perfect way for nostalgic McDonald’s lovers to commemorate their favorite happy meal toys.
7-How much did a Happy Meal cost in 1979?
$1.10 – Cost of the first Happy Meal, introduced in 1979 as the Circus Wagon Happy Meal. It included a burger, fries, drink, McDonaldland cookies, and penny toys such as a McDoodler stencil or a McDonald’s character eraser.
8-How much was a Happy Meal in the 80s?
And at just 69 cents with the purchase of a Happy Meal, they sold like hotcakes.
9-What is the rarest toy?
Valued at $8.5 million, the Astolat Dollhouse Castle is the most expensive and rarest toy ever in the world.
10-What is the most valuable toy?
Steiff Louis Vuitton Teddy Bear – $2.1 million. German toymaker Steiff’s Louis Vuitton teddy bear holds the record for the most expensive toy of this type. It was bought by Korean Jessie Kim for $2.1 million at a 2000 Monaco auction.
If you were a kid growing up in the 1970s. If you grew up in the 1980s, 1990s, or early 2000s, you undoubtedly remember your visits to McDonald’s with fondness. The restaurant lived up to its initial slogan of “like to see you smile.”
McDonald’s is still running strong today. They’re doing everything they can to reach out to a new generation of burger and nugget fans throughout the world, whether it’s by releasing unique candles or switching to eco-friendly Happy Meal toys.
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