In the days of pre-"Super Size Me," where we all blissfully drove through McDonald's (MCD) munching on our Big Macs and Quarter Pounders without a care in the world, the fast food chain was a lot of fun.
Every generation that has experienced McDonald's probably has its own set of good memories about it. If you visited when it first opened in 1948, you got 19-cent cheeseburgers and 10-cent drinks! Those prices sound pretty dreamy these days, especially as food costs continue to soar uncontrollably (thanks, inflation!).
Gen X really got a great run at McDonald's, which seemed to drum up some of its most memorable promotions in the '90s. Fried apple pies! McDonaldland cookies! That glass set of Garfield mugs!
McDonald's typically leaves those things in the past, finding ways to innovate its menu without straying too far from its classic Americana vibe. But now its going to bring something back that millions of us remember from our childhoods ... and it's just in time for Halloween.
McDonald's/YouTube
McDonald's Brings Back An Amazing Collectible
In September, rumors started to float around on the internet with a tidbit of news that seemed too delightfully nostalgic to be true: that McDonald's was going to bring back the Halloween pails that it first served Happy Meals in back in 1996.
On Oct. 6, the company took to its official Twitter (TWTR) to confirm that this rumor was indeed true, and that the classic pails (which, you may remember, are named McBoo, McPunk’n, and McGoblin) will be available for a limited run starting on Oct. 18 and running through Oct. 31.
McDonald's locations will only carry one pail at a time, so you won't get to choose or be handed a random choice if you go buy one. But if you want all three, you'll need to visit several times during this short promotion to get a chance. However, be aware that these Happy Meals do not come with a toy, because the pail is the toy, basically.
McDonald's Is Exploring New Possibilities
The classic fast-food chain tends to stay more conservative in what it chooses to try than some others, but this past year it's taken some new paths that show it also growing with the times in a way that feels genuinely organic.
In late September it announced "adult Happy Meals," another nostalgic turn, but with a modern twist: the toys inside are designed by Cynthia Lu, the designer behind Cactus Plant Flea Market and personal stylist to rapper Pharrell. This is a play on the designer art toys collectible scene, which blew up in the '00s with the debut of Kid Robot, the first retailer to combine the colorful aesthetic of toys with the collectible/high-end vibe of the art market.
McDonald's had also made a point via its Twitter that it sees what fans miss most about its discontinued items from the past, tweeting on Aug. 21, "adding everyone who missed Snack Wraps to my Twitter circle."
Sure, the clearly Gen-Z writer behind the account could just be teasing its enormous follower base. But it did bring back McBoo, McPunk’n, and McGoblin, so the truth is, anything is possible. Well, other than those amber glass ashtrays with the McDonald's logo on them -- those are probably gone for good.
