Happy Meals at McDonald’s are a kids' dream come true, getting one of those little cardboard lunch boxes includes everything a parent needs to keep your kid happy and full.
Kids getting a selection of favorite foods to eat and a surprise toy at the same time works in parents favor as a helpful way to get your kid to finish their lunch or dinner before getting to play with the toy.
Happy Meals have always included a toy since they launched in 1979. Some McDonald’s (MCD) customers have been collecting the Happy Meal toys for decades with each change in the available toys. McDonald’s has had numerous collaborations to bring different toys to their customers.
McDonald’s Happy Meals have featured toys with various themes like 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 complete collection of the toys it can be quite lucrative. Collectors aren't usually the ones to sell their collections, but the ones who will pay top dollar to get their collection completed. A missing piece in a collection can make or break a collector.
Happy Meals Aren’t Just for Kids
Luckily, McDonald’s never jumped on the band wagon to have age restrictions on who could have a Happy Meal. Some adults find that the Happy Meal delivers just the right amount of food for their craving, while others may be collecting the toys. There are Facebook collector groups that 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 more in its meal by offering 10 McNuggets or a Big Mac. The combo still came with fries, drink and of course a toy.
Clearly if you order a Big Mac in your Adult Happy Meal, the Happy Meal box is going to be a bit bigger than the kids' Happy Meal box. The limited-time adult offering started on Oct. 3, 2022. The special Happy Meal price is $8.89 but may vary when ordering different size drinks or changing it out for 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 hyper-relevant for our adult fans,” Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA chief marketing and customer experience shared. The Happy Meal is working with Cactus Plant Flea Market in launching toys from McDonald’s crew including the Hamburgler, Grimace, Birdie and a new friend named Cactus Buddy.
McDonald's adult Happy Meals were so popular that they sold out within days of the launch. The restaurants had no more of the cardboard boxes or the toys that they are served up in, according to Business Insider.
Disney and McDonald’s are Working Together Again
The collaboration between Disney (DIS) 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 are the 1997 & 1998 101 Dalmatians collection where there are 101 different toys, according to One37PM Publisher. A complete collection of the 101 Dalmatians just sold on Ebay for almost $100.
McDonald's and Disney are launching yet another toy collection, but have not been divulged what the toy collection will consist of yet. It could be anything at this point, but we don’t know yet as it's been kept on the down low.
Messages on Happymeal.com read: "Walt Disney World," "Disney Mickey And Friends," "Coming Soon."
The two companies last collaboration was with the Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary character statue collection. This year marks the 100th year for Walt Disney Company, so the collection could involve an anniversary celebration collection.
While kids will obviously enjoy playing with whatever Disney and McDonald’s has lined up, the Happy Meals aren’t just for kids, they are 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?
