McDonald's Halloween Buckets Are Returning Slightly Earlier This Year
If you're old enough to remember those McDonald's classic Halloween pails that started coming with Happy Meals back in the 1980s, then you'll know they have been around only off and on since then. They made a welcome comeback in 2022 after a hiatus of six years, and now we'll see them again this spooky season. McDonald's Halloween buckets didn't return soon enough for some fans last year (they launched on October 17), but the company has decided to bring them back even earlier this year, starting on October 15, according to a press release.
These seasonal pails are meant to double as trick-or-treat buckets. They'll come in four colors: white, orange, green, and the new blue bucket, which replaces last year's purple pail. While last year's buckets featured specific spooky characters, such as the skeleton and vampire buckets, this year's designs are vaguer-looking monster types and include stickers so that kids (and adults) can get creative and customize them however they like.
The Boo Buckets come with any Happy Meal purchase. They'll be available at participating McDonald's locations while supplies last, and prices may vary by location.
What people are saying about the 2024 buckets
McDonald's stans so far have been excited to hear about the new lineup of Halloween buckets. Responding to McDonald's announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter), commenters posted fun Halloween GIFs to celebrate the news, thanking the company for bringing back these fan favorites. One commenter posted, "Ahhhh. They're always gone by the time I'm able to try and go grab one. Hopefully I can grab one for the kiddo this year." Still, other commenters online don't seem too thrilled with the new designs, with one even saying they were uncool compared to the seasonal merch released by fast food competitor Wendy's.
brought back ur fave boo buckets for spooky szn. 10.15 pic.twitter.com/Ib3Qu2SRkZ
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) October 1, 2024
One of the biggest complaints so far seems to be about the lack of a lid. While some of these buckets in years past have come with a plastic lid to safely contain the contents (hopefully lots of good candy rather than our least favorite treats to get in your trick-or-treat bag), the released images seem to show a plastic McDonald's arch design attached to the handle that doesn't actually function as a lid. While this does present a challenge if you want to stack the buckets for storage, they're still pretty cute regardless.