If you weren’t aware of the coming momentous occasion, 2020 marks 40 years since McDonald’s came out with their game changer product – the Happy Meal.
The Happy Meal, of course, puts burgers or nuggets in a bright red box, adds some fries, fruit, yogurt and, of course, a toy that will likely be lost in your car or end up in the trash within a week. Tops.
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To celebrate the day they figured out how to take even more money from the American people, McDonald’s is bringing back some of the toys that have been super popular in their Happy Meals over the years. You can look forward to Beanie Babies and Tamagotchi, both of which were well-loved by the 90s kids in the house.
The Happy Meals will be available all year, and from the 7-11 of November, you can grab a “Surprise Happy Meal,” if that’s something that interests you.
The first idea for the Happy Meal actually debuted in 1979 as the Circus Wagon Happy Meal, with the earliest toys being a stencil called a McDoodler, a McWrist wallet, and a spinning top.
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By 1984, the Happy Meal had spread around the world and chicken nuggets were added as a meal option, but it wasn’t until 2012 that McDonald’s reluctantly climbed aboard the “healthier option” train and started letting kids pick between yogurt and apples for a side, along with milk and juice options instead of just soda.
The only way to survive in the world of business is to be constantly evolving, but even though McDonald’s has definitely shown an ability to do that, they’ve also proved that when something works, you stick with it.
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I don’t think the Happy Meal will be going anywhere for a long time – it’s here, for better or worse, until the apocalypse.
And even then, I bet the zombies are going to be big fans.
