As a Nikon fanboy, I never quite got the whole “Nikon is a potato” thing. But this McDonald’s camera really is a potato. Well, a large order of fries. It’s a 110 film camera, with a molded body that looks like a carton of McDonald’s famous, golden fries.
The short-lived point-and-shoot camera was released in 1997 and is mighty hard to find nowadays, making it something of a collector’s item. Information is thin on the ground but, according to Old Cam (which auctioned off an example in 2022), it was originally available in Europe as a Happy Meal toy. Now that's a pretty cool free gift!
Vintage electronics specialist Retrospekt had the McDonald's Fries camera listed at $249 (although it is currently sold out).
ABOVE: See the McDonald's camera in action
A YouTube video from Aim Shoot Develop shows the camera in action. Firstly, it comes in a neat-looking box in ‘Mickey D’s’ yellow with a red ribbon printed on it.
The camera itself features a front flap, which lifts up to reveal the lens and viewfinder. There’s a film advancement wheel on the front of the camera and a well-hidden shutter button on the side. A small flap opens on the back so you can load the 110 film, which you can still buy today via Lomography. And if you’re into 110 cameras, Lomography brought out the Lomomatic 110 Camera last year.
It’s certainly not the only McDonald’s-themed camera to have been released over the years, with various standard-looking point-and-shoot film cameras that don’t look as cool as the fries. Another example of an unusual ‘Mickey D’s’ camera is the Polaroid 600 McDonald's, which, by all accounts, is extremely rare.
Make sure you watch Aim Shoot Develop’s whole video to see this weird little camera in action!
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Are you into cool and quirky film cameras? Check out the Lomo'Instant Wide Glass and Lomography Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera. And if you're looking for film recommendations, take a look at the best film for 35mm cameras.
