Happy Meals at McDonald’s are a child’s dream come true, getting one of those little cardboard lunch boxes includes everything a parent needs to keep their child happy and satisfied.
Kids getting a selection of favorite foods to eat and a surprise toy at the same time works in the parents’ favor as a helpful way to get their child to finish their lunch or dinner before playing with the toy.
Happy Meals have always included a toy since they were launched in 1979. Some McDonald’s (dcm) – Get a free report Customers have been collecting Happy Meal toys for decades with each change in toys available. McDonald’s has had numerous collaborations to bring different toys to its customers.
McDonald’s Happy Meals have featured toys with various themes such as Bugs Bunny and Friends, Pokémon, Minions, DC Superheroes, Furby, Mario Brothers, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and the NFL to name just a few. If someone has the entire collection of toys, it can be quite lucrative. Collectors are not usually the ones who sell their collections, but rather the ones who will pay a lot of money to complete their collection. A missing piece in a collection can make or break a collector.
Happy Meals aren’t just for kids
Fortunately, McDonald’s never jumped on the bandwagon to have age restrictions on who could have a Happy Meal. Some adults find that the Happy Meal offers just the right amount of food for their craving, while others may be collecting the toys. There are Facebook groups of collectors who comment on their collections and make trades to help other collectors build their collections.
However, McDonald’s launched a way to tap into a new market of Happy Meal lovers with its Adult Happy Meals according to the Reader’s Digest. The Adult Happy Meal gives a little extra to your meal by offering 10 McNuggets or a Big Mac. The combo still came with fries, a drink, and of course a toy.
Clearly, if you order a Big Mac in your Adult Happy Meal, the Happy Meal box will be slightly larger than the Kids Happy Meal box. The limited-time adult offer began on October 3, 2022. The Happy Meal special price is $8.89, but can vary by ordering different drink sizes or upgrading to a delicious McDonald’s iced coffee, like a Carmel Mocha.
“We’re taking one of the most nostalgic McDonald’s experiences and literally repackaging it in a new way that’s very relevant to our adult fans,” shared Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA head of marketing and customer experience. The Happy Meal is working with Cactus Plant Flea Market on the launch of McDonald’s team toys, including Hamburger, Grimace, Birdie and a new friend named Cactus Buddy.
McDonald’s Adult Happy Meals were so popular that they sold out within days of launch. The restaurants no longer had the cardboard boxes or the toys in which they are served, according to Business Insider.
Disney and McDonald’s are working together again
The collaboration between Disney (DIS) – Get a free report and McDonald’s has brought many different toy collections to the fast food restaurant. One of the most notable collections made by these two corporate giants is the 101 Dalmatians collection from 1997 and 1998, where there are 101 different toys, according to One37PM Publisher. An entire collection of the 101 Dalmatians just sold on Ebay for almost $100.
McDonald’s and Disney are launching another toy collection, but what the toy collection will consist of has not been divulged yet. It could be anything at this point, but we don’t know yet as it’s been kept under wraps.
The messages on Happymeal.com read: “Walt Disney World”, “Disney Mickey And Friends”, “Coming Soon”.
The two companies’ latest collaboration was with the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Character Statue Collection. This year marks the centennial of the Walt Disney Company, so the collection could include an anniversary celebration collection.
While kids will obviously enjoy playing with whatever Disney and McDonald’s have concocted, Happy Meals aren’t just for kids—they’re for collectors, too. For Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration, McDonald’s and Disney had 50 different character statues, so with the Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary, will there be a collection of 100 to collect?
