12 Vintage McDonald's Happy Meal Toys That Made Fast Food More Fun

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While McDonald's is stepping up its burger game in 2025, for many of us, what comes to mind when we think of the iconic fast food chain isn't just a Big Mac or Filet O' Fish, it's the bright red Happy Meal box and the fun toys that came inside. If you came of age in the '80s, '90s, or early 2000s, those surprise toys were an essential part of the dining experience.

While McDonald's wasn't the first fast food chain to offer a kids' meal with a toy — that honor goes to Burger Chef — the Golden Arches' Happy Meal toys are part of our collective memory thanks to innovative features and high-profile brand partnerships with the likes of Mattel and the Muppets, which made eating out as a kid so much fun. More than just plastic knickknacks, these vintage Happy Meal toys became treasured childhood relics that spark nostalgia to this day.

Once upon a time in the late 1980s, McDonald's ran a series of commercials featuring Mac Tonight, a character with a moon-shaped head and sunglasses who sang and played the piano. While this may sound like a fever dream, in 1988 the chain released a line of Happy Meal toys that featured Mac Tonight in various vehicles like a red convertible and a blue airplane.

In the early 1990s, McDonald's created Food Fundamentals, a series of Happy Meal toys that featured a carton of milk, a steak, an apple, and a sandwich, to promote a balanced diet. What made these toys cool was that you could open them up and pull out their arms and legs to turn them into action figures.

McDonald's commercials in the 1980s also featured the Fry Kids, a group of adorable pom-pom-shaped creatures with eyes that promoted the chain's french fries. While several collections of plastic Fry Kid toys were released, one stands out because each Fry Kid wore a different outfit (think: a clown nose, or a nightcap and teddy bear).

Before there were Labubus, people went crazy for Beanie Babies. In 1997, McDonald's capitalized on the stuffed toy craze and launched a line of "Teenie Beanies" (mini-sized Beanie Babies) as Happy Meal toys.

In 2003, McDonald's released a collection of plush toys to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "The Muppet Show." This cuddly collection featured beloved characters such as Animal, Beaker, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat, Rowlf, and Sam the Eagle.

To celebrate "Batman: The Animated Series," McDonald's released a collection of Batman Happy Meal toys that included characters like Batman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and The Joker. What made this collection fun was the mix of characters in cars alongside free-standing action figures.

In addition to partnerships with popular toy brands and movie franchises, McDonald's leaned heavily into its McDonaldland characters in the 1980s and 1990s. Long before we taste-tested the Mt. McDonaldland Shake, diners could get a set of plastic toys featuring Ronald McDonald, Birdie, and Grimace — the lovable fast food mascot who was originally a villain.

McDonald's in the 1980s also loved a good transformer toy. Made to resemble popular sandwiches and packaging, these menu-themed toys transformed into robots with just a couple of moves.

If you loved the doll as a kiddo, nothing beat opening a Happy Meal to find the latest Barbie toy. These plastic dolls were the size of an action figure and came in different themes, such as "Hollywood Hair" and "Sea Holiday."

What's even better than piping hot Chicken McNuggets? These delightfully costumed Halloween McNugget Buddies, which featured adorable McNugget characters wearing wacky wigs, monster costumes, and more.

In 1988, McDonald's released "Fraggle Rock" Happy Meal toys based on the hit TV show. The toys featured beloved characters like Gobo, Red, Mokey, and Wembley in individual cars shaped like veggies — a carrot, radish, eggplant, and cucumber, respectively.

Lastly, who could forget when McDonald's released Furbys in 1999? Dubbed McFurbys, these furry pals came in over 80 different colors, so you never knew which one you were going to get with your Happy Meal.