Entertainment
Top 10 Best McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys Ever! (Part 2)
It’s time to get happy! Let’s get the party started by taking a look at some of the coolest McDonald’s Happy Meal toys of all time. While taste is definitely subjective, it’s safe to say that these cute and charming toys were beloved by kids. Some adults collected them, too.
10. Halloween McNugget Buddies Were Cute
Every year, when autumn rolls around, kids and a lot of grown-ups start to get excited about Halloween. Halloween makes it so easy for kids of all ages to bring a little make-believe into their lives. McDonald’s honored the thrilling spirit of this spooky special occasion by offering some hilarious seasonal McNugget Buddies. Halloween McNugget Buddies were cute little plastic toys that looked just like chicken nuggets. There have been other McNugget Buddies that weren’t in disguise for Halloween. In the case of the Halloween McNugget Buddies, there was something extra. The cartoonish toy McNuggets were all decked out in Halloween finery, including witch and vampire costumes. One little McNugget buddy was in full disguise, thanks to a ghost costume that concealed everything but the eyes. These toys really were cute, so it’s no surprise that they were so popular. Offered back in 1992, these charming Happy Meal toys were so collectible. The Halloween costumes made these toys special, along with the comical expressions on the faces of the toy McNuggets. These are McNuggets that didn’t get eaten up. They were played with or displayed. Maybe a few pranksters dipped these plastic McNuggets in BBQ sauce or honey for a joke. Maybe some people who’ve hung onto these iconic Happy Meals toys display them each year, during the Halloween season. These little toy McNuggets dressed in Halloween costumes are truly timeless Halloween decorations.
9. LEGO Movie Cups Featured Bold Graphics
In 2014, McDonald’s brought out a range of vibrant and colorful cups with logos, graphics, and characters from The LEGO Movie. Kids went wild. It’s always more fun for kids to drink out of fun cups, rather than basic drinking vessels. These bold movie cups were Happy Meal toys that were practical. Parents could wash them and re-use them. A series of cups were available, featuring some adored characters from the movie, including Emmett, Uni Kitty, and Batman. The cups were also used to hold crayons and other kid’s stuff. These cups weren’t the first movie cups that McDonald’s doled out in their kid’s meals. McDonald’s does have a long-standing tradition of offering kids movie cups with their meals, including Disney movie cups from animated classics, such as Snow White and The Lion King. Kids tried to collect all of the movie cups from The LEGO Movie, but there were 8 in all, and some kids may not have been allowed to consume that many Happy Meals. Some children probably managed to build complete collections.
8. Halloween Pails Were Whimsical
Halloween pails with cookie-cutter lids were fun Happy Meal toys that were safe for kids aged one and up. These safety-tested toys were also really cute. Green, orange and white designs were available. The orange style looked like a carved pumpkin, while the green design resembled a witch. The white pail looked like a happy ghost. This Happy Meal promotion started in 1992. What was fun about the pails was the fact that they came with Happy Meal food inside. Later on, they could be used to hold Halloween candy. Parents and caregivers could make Halloween cookies for the kids with the lids. McDonald’s Happy Meals toys are often ingenious. They are interesting toys that cause a sensation. Throughout the years, the fast-food giant has come up with some real winners, including these amazing pails. The pails were spooky, without being scary to little kids. Some people don’t realize that McDonald’s is the number one distributor of toys worldwide. McDonald’s VIPs ensure that kids have access to creative toys that spark their imaginations. The pails were versatile. They were designed to hold McDonald’s food and then Halloween candy, but they could be used to store a lot of smaller items. They also looked great when the three different designs were displayed in a group.
7. Mighty Duck Pucks Were So Cool
A group of 7 Mighty Ducks pucks surfaced in 1997 when Happy Meals were more popular than ever before. These cute pucks featured burly ducks who wore hockey helmets, hockey gloves, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks hockey jerseys. Pucks came in fun colors, such as bright blue and bright purple. Kids entertained themselves by sliding the pucks around on floors in their homes. These toys looked fun and had great play value. Ducks featured on the pucks were characters from Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, which first aired during autumn of 1996. The cartoon’s inspiration came from the Mighty Ducks movies, which were live-action films. Of course, the tough and rugged ducks on the pucks were also inspired by the real-life NHL hockey team. Today, the NHL team is called the Anaheim Ducks. The Disney cartoon element now appears on the team’s alternate jerseys. Toy pucks inspired by The Mighty Ducks got kids excited and sometimes got kids moving, so they were definitely beloved. These pucks weren’t designed to be used during real ice hockey. However, it’s safe to say that some kids did take them onto the ice at some point. More than a few of these pucks may have gotten trashed during aggressive road hockey action or indoor hockey action.
6. Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers Were Adorable
Four months ago, Disney announced that it would be making a live-action feature film based on its popular Chip ‘N’ Dale characters. Fans of these cute cartoon chipmunks rejoiced, and some fans may have thought back to the good old days when they played with Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers from McDonald’s. These hilarious Happy Meal toys were awesome because they were real action toys. The characters were in little vehicles with real plastic wheels. These toys date back in 1989. They are vintage Happy Meal toys that put smiles on a lot of kid’s faces. The toys featured characters from an animated TV series called Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers. In the cartoon TV series, Chip and Dale were crime fighters who fought baddies all over the world. These Happy Meals toys were bright and cheery. They featured vibrant hues, such as lemon yellow, violet and rose pink. Chip’s Whirly-Cupter was the first Happy Meal toy released. It had wheels, as well as helicopter blades. The blades weren’t sharp. These Happy Meal toys were safe for kids aged 3 and up. With these toys, kids could really use their imaginations. They could roll the toys on the ground or move them through the air, as though they were in flight. The little characters inside of the wheeled flying machines were very endearing. Probably, a lot of kids played with them while they were watching Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers.
5. Hot Wheels Cars Were So Classic
McDonald’s has thrilled kids by offering Hot Wheels toy cars in its Happy Meals, including 2015’s Team Hot Wheels Collection. The Team Hot Wheels Collection included 6 toy cars that came from a cartoon called Team Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome. Each car had a wind-up feature, so they would move forward on their own after kids or patient parents wound them up. These cars didn’t come with stickers that would allow kids to customize them, but they were still a lot of fun. The decals were already on the cars when they were put in plastic wrappers and then included in Happy Meals. Some Hot Wheels cars have become very collectible. There is a market for the rarer cars in pristine condition. In the case of Hot Wheels from McDonald’s Happy Meals, many of the toy cars end up a little damaged because they’ve gotten so much love. They’ve been played with a lot and have chipped paint and things like that. Some people may have toy Hot Wheels from McDonald’s which are still in the plastic bag packaging. These mint condition toys may be worth something, especially if they’re offered as a complete set. The best way to determine the resale value of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys is to check online auction sites. See how much people are paying for McDonald’s Happy Meal toys that you own. Some Happy Meal toys, such as completed Inspector Gadget figures, fetch a pretty penny at online and offline auctions.
4. Super Mario Toys Were Beloved
People absolutely love Super Mario. This cute cartoon plumber is a video game legend. This is why Super Mario Brothers McDonald’s Happy Meal toys were so mesmerizing. These iconic Happy Meal toys were offered during the 90s. In 2017, McDonald’s brought them back in an updated format. The 2017 toys were wonderful. There was Mario and Luigi and Princess Peach, as well as Yoshi, Bowser, Invincible Mario, a Red Shell, and a 1-Up Mushroom. Grown-ups who loved playing Super Mario were spotted ordering Happy Meals to get their hands on these fun and collectible toys. The toys were fun for children to play with and also provided joy to adults, who could display them on desks or coffee tables. McDonald’s has also offered Mario Kart Happy Meal toys, where were fun and cute playthings. In addition, there was a Take The Mario Challenge promotion, whereby kids got Super Mario-themes toys and pieces of paper with challenges written on them. The Take The Mario Challenge was designed to get kids moving outside. Since Mario is as beloved as ever, it won’t be surprising if the Super Mario-themed Happy Meal toys keep on coming in the future.
3. Tiny Toons Flip Cars Were Comical
These comical Happy Meal toys were available in 1991. Some of the toys are now considered rare by collectors. Every one of these toys consisted of a car with a couple of Tiny Toons animated TV series characters inside. Each week, a new car was introduced. There was a TV ad for the Happy Meal toys, which featured the TV show’s characters, Elmyra, Babs, Plucky, Hamton, and Buster. The characters were relaxing in a car, along with a boy and the boy’s dad. In the ad, Plucky boldly ordered a hundred Happy Meals. This was a mistake, as the boy’s dad wanted just one Happy Meal. This cute ad drove demand for these whimsical toys. The original toys were safe for kids aged three and up. McDonald’s wanted younger kids to have fun, too, so they offered a couple of variations for kids three and younger. Those extra toys for younger kids didn’t make it into the ads. The toys for younger kids were versions of Gogo Dodo and Plucky Duck. Those toys are the ones that are considered rare today. Since they weren’t in ads, most parents didn’t really know about them. They were toys that parents had to specifically request at McDonald’s restaurants. Most didn’t, so there aren’t a lot of those toys out there. Tiny Toons were cute and active characters that really appealed to children. Maybe you remember the song from the TV series? It was really catchy and featured the lyrics, “We’re tiny, we’re toony, we’re all a little loony”. If you try, you may be able to find even the rarest Tiny Toon Happy Meal toys online. The toys for kids aged 3 and up were a lot of fun to play with. The cars flipped and this gave the toys a madcap air. There were four toys for kids 3 and older, plus the two toys for younger kids, so the entire collection had five toys.
2. Barbie Dolls Has Brushable Hair
McDonald’s has offered a lot of Barbie-themed toys over the years. The miniature Barbie dolls are always a bit hit. One set of these mini-dolls featured hair that kids could brush. The hair wasn’t hard plastic. A quick search on online auction sites shows a lot of these dolls for sale, some of which have a delightful vintage feel. If you love Barbie and you’re feeling nostalgic, you may want to get your hands on some of these older Happy Meal toys. They’ll look great on display. In 1993, McDonald’s came out with a wildly popular Barbie/Hot Wheels promotion. The mini-Barbies caused a sensation. They were available just for a limited time and people really wanted to collect them all. The 1993 dolls were the ones with real “hair”. For Barbie fans, brushable, stylable hair is all-important. Even the other mini-Barbies with hard plastic hair were very cute. There is a good collector’s market for Barbie dolls and other Barbie paraphernalia. So, Barbie Happy Meal toys are probably worth hanging onto. These toys tend to get played with a lot, so finding ones is the perfect condition is challenging for collectors. The Happy Meal toys that get the highest prices these days are Ty Beanie Babies, Fry Kids that came with fun accessories, Muppet Babies, Power Rangers, and Barbies. We’re not talking big bucks here. We’re talking ten or eleven bucks in most cases. Prices vary depending on rarity and condition.
1. Garfield Vehicles Were In Demand
Garfield was really the original Grumpy Cat. He was a cartoon feline who wanted the freedom to laze and eat lasagna. He had his gripes, as do most of us. Occasionally, he’d spring into action, along with his faithful canine sidekick, Odie. Garfield Happy Meal toys were very appealing. McDonald’s released toy Garfields riding Big Wheels-style bikes, skateboards and scooters. One toy featured Garfield and Odie on a red scooter. These toys were released in the 1980s, so they are really a blast from the past. There are still plenty of Garfield fans around, so it’s easy to find these plastic toys at online auction platforms. You can grab a cluster of them for around ten bucks, depending on availability, which varies. Clearly, plastic toys from McDonald’s have the power to captivate children. They also serve as pop culture snapshots. If you put a curated collection of these toys in a time capsule, you’d get a good sense of what was hot and happening in pop culture during different years. Now that you’ve checked out some of the most appealing Happy Meal toys from yesteryear, you may be craving a Happy Meal. In 2019, a variety of exciting options have been offered, including Beyblade Burst and Peanuts Snoopy Discovery Space toys. Get yourself to a McDonald’s and grab these toys. If you’re a parent, you may have some of the 2019 designs at home already.