The McDonald's Happy Meal Wall Is Zapping Instagram With Nostalgia
They don't call it a Happy Meal for nothing. McDonald's has been making kids and adults smile with its little boxed meals and toys since 1979, according to Quality Logo Products, Inc. You probably have vivid memories of the anticipation you experienced as a child when you opened the box to see which toy you got. Remember the joy of getting the one you wanted ... and the disappointment of getting the one you didn't?
For many kids, the toy is the best part of the package, but interestingly, the first Happy Meal didn't contain a toy at all. It came with stencils, wrist wallets, bracelets, puzzles, erasers, or spinning tops. The cool toys that were worthy of collecting didn't make an appearance until 1983, when McDonald's partnered with Mattel to offer Hot Wheels and Barbie toys.
The branded toys continued over the next few decades. We all had our favorites, didn't we? McDonald's knows this all too well and has been taking fans down memory lane with an Instagram video tour of the nostalgic Happy Meal toy wall display.
The wall features dozens of McDonald's toys and merch
The display was built in McDonald's global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, in 2018, as Restaurant Business explains. The wall features dozens of Happy Meal toys, McDonald's merchandise, and other nods to our childhood. You know, when we didn't have to pay for any of the merch.
In the Instagram video, a Ty Beanie Baby of Ronald McDonald and Grimace Beanie are shown, followed by Barbie toys and more Ronald McDonald figurines. Three Pokemon characters also make an appearance before we get a glimpse of toys inspired by characters from "The Incredibles" and "The Lion King," among others.
In Studio O+A's Facebook photo post about the wall, you can also see toys from the "Shrek," "Smurfs," "Charlie Brown," "Emojis," and "Minions" films. If you want more McDonald's Happy Meal toy nostalgia, Quality Logo Products, Inc.'s "A Timeline of McDonald's Toys & Merch" web page should do the trick.
The My Little Pony toys launched in 1985 and again in the '90s and 2000s. Remember those Halloween pails? McDonald's started selling them in 1986. Kids of the '90s got to enjoy the Batman, E.T., and Little Mermaid toys. Other Happy Meal toy options over the years included mini skateboards, Furby toys, and Space Jam toys. Makes you wish you were a kid again, doesn't it?