McDonalds honors the Happy Meal's 40th anniversary with vintage toys from the past four decades

Are any of your past favorites making another appearance?

AP Photo / Jeff Chiu

McDonald's announced last week that its popular Happy Meal is celebrating a major birthday and we — meaning the people of the world — are invited to celebrate! To honor the 40th anniversary of the first-ever Happy Meal, McDonald's will be launching a line called the Surprise Happy Meal series, filling its boxes with some of the popular Happy Meal toys from the last four decades. 

This offer is slated to be a limited-time release and will be available in over 90 countries around the world starting on Thursday, November 7, and ending November 11, while supplies last.

The toys themselves vary in decade, style and franchise, making them a nostalgic trip for people of all ages. A list of expected prizes was released to the public, and many will recognize these pieces from their own McDonald's orders of dinners past. 

From 1988-89: Cowboy McNugget (McDonald's), Fireman McNugget (McDonald's), Mail Carrier McNugget (McDonald's) and Hamburger Changeable (McDonald's)

From 1990-99: Grimace (McDonald's), Dino Happy Meal Box Changeable (McDonald's), McDonald's Hot Wheels Thunderbird (Mattel), Hamburglar (McDonald's), Power Rangers (Hasbro), Space Jam Bugs Bunny (Warner Brothers), Patti the Platypus (Ty Beanie Baby), 101 Dalmatians - U.S. Exclusive (Disney), Tamagotchi (Bandai), My Little Pony (Hasbro) and Furby (Hasbro).

From 2000-15: Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey – U.S. Exclusive (Disney) and Hello Kitty (Sanrio).

Any of these sound familiar?

McDonalds Twitter announcement, October 2019.
In a list entitled 6 reasons eating a Happy Meal® will make you smile, the iconic fast-food restaurant said, "Remember the feeling of excitement and anticipation you felt as a kid opening your Happy Meal? Well, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first-ever Happy Meal, we're unlocking that magic with the limited-edition Surprise Happy Meal, featuring some of the world’s all-time favorite toys from the past four decades."

The Happy Meal was added to the national menu formally in 1979. The first marketing promotion was for Star Trek: The Motion Picture in December 1979. So our big question is — why no toys from 1979–88? Sure, they were much simpler in the beginning (the McWrist Wallet, anyone?), but we Gen-Xers would like to get nostalgic, too.

What was your favorite fast food toy?

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16 Comments

Moverfan 60 months ago
My very first Beanie Baby came with a Happy Meal--Snort the bull. I was born under the sign of Taurus, so it's ironically appropriate !
Baldman 60 months ago
I wonder if someone will come along and say to stop selling or giving them away because they are a safety hazard.
RobCertSDSCascap Baldman 60 months ago
How are they a safety hazard?
Small enough for some children to swallow, duhhhhh.
Which is why they have larger toys for the smaller children.
Baldman RobCertSDSCascap 59 months ago
Sorry for the late response but they are a choking hazard.
RobCertSDSCascap Baldman 59 months ago
No big deal. I just wanted to mention they give toys with larger pieces
to/for small children. Pieces that can't be swallowed.
15inchBlackandWhite 60 months ago
I have an original Furby Happy Meal Toy lying around in the house someplace.
idkwut2use 60 months ago
I love Happy Meal toys so much!! Have a bagful of them from the 90s. :''D
AlietaBynum 60 months ago
I was only interested in the drinking glasses that celebrated the Muppets and The Smurfs....IDK if I ever got Happy Meal toys
You missed these? Christmas 1988, I believe.
Squeeze Kermit's tummy, and his feet go right in his mouth!
MrsPhilHarris 60 months ago
I went to a McDonald's drive-thru for the first time in ages. Now I know why it had been years. It was gross (in my opinion).
BrianMoore 60 months ago
Nope. Not one of the ones I had when I was a kid are here. No Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. No Super Mario 3. No Little Mermaid. No Muppet Babies.
RobCertSDSCascap 60 months ago
I love the gray armpit farter from some movie and
The Hamburglar dancing burgers wind-up toy.
From the Catscratch show- Armpit fart Waffle.
SheriHeffner 60 months ago
The McNuggets and Mickey looks familiar to me.
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