Here's Why McDonald's Adult Happy Meal Toys Are Listing For $300,000
McDonald's has doubled down on its retro efforts in recent weeks. Kids (and let's face it, adults) everywhere are lining up to get their hands on the chain's classic Happy Meal Halloween pails, which originally debuted in 1986, per Eat This, Not That!
But that wasn't the only flashback opportunity that the famed hamburger purveyor had up its sleeve this season. Earlier in October, McDonald's partnered with a clothing brand to release adult Happy Meals called the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box. According to CNET, the customers could choose between a 10-piece chicken McNugget box or a Big Mac. The branded box, which featured the iconic arches as handles, naturally, also included an order of french fries and a drink. We say "included" because the promotion sold out in a big, fat hurry, per Insider.
More tantalizing than the world-famous fries or a piping hot hamburger, however, was the toy. Each adult Happy Meal came with one of four toys. Three of them are plastic figurines of classic characters that most kids today probably don't even know — Birdie, the Hamburglar, and Grimace. The fourth toy was Cactus Buddy, the "apparel brand's mascot," per CNBC. Now, some people who were lucky enough to get their hands on the figurines are trying to turn quite a profit.
Some McDonald's adult happy meal toys cost as much as a house
One ambitious eBay user is selling three unopened McDonald's toys for just over $300,000. As of press time, there are over 200 watchers on the listing, which the seller says, "WILL SELL FAST!!" For those who simply must complete the collection, another seller is asking $7,500 for a solo Grimace. There are certainly more economical options, including a Grimace that is selling for only $12.50, plus shipping. Admittedly, it is out of the original packaging, but that's probably not a deal-breaker when compared to the extra $7,487.50 you'd save on it.
This isn't the first time people have hoped to strike gold related to McDonald's toys that are worth a lot of money. The chain has turned little bits of plastic into high-priced collectibles multiple times over the past couple of decades. Of special note were the Furby toys and Beanie Babies, both of which became 1990s staple obsessions, per The Gamer. '80s icons like Fraggle Rock and Inspector Gadget toys are also among the most collectible.