Here at DFB, we LOVE food…but we also LOVE a good piece of iconic merch.
And, although we love getting eats and souvenirs from the Disney parks, no one combines the two like McDonald’s does. We’ve seen some pretty stellar collabs from McDonald’s and Disney lately, and we even reviewed the NEW Adult Happy Meal that was recently released. But, not all Happy Meal toys are created equally, and this got us thinking about which stood out among the rest. So, let’s check out the ten BEST McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys ever!
There have been some pretty epic McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys released over the years, but these are ten we think just so happen to be the very best!
Changeables
Okay, so imagine Transformers, but instead of cars and trucks, you’ve got McDonald’s foods and packaging transforming into robot-droid-mech figures! You could switch these bad boys up depending on your mood and there were different figures for fries, ice cream cones, hamburgers, nuggets, and even a Big Mac.
There were quite a few iterations of Changeables over the years, and some of them are considered collectibles and worth a pretty penny to this day.
McNugget Buddies
Chugging along the Nostalgic Train, McNugget Buddies were also HUGELY popular toys. They were released at a few different points over the years, and there was even a Halloween costume release! They came with mix-and-match accessories — almost like Mr. Potato Head — so you could customize your McNugget Buddies.
Each one came with an outfit and a name — we’re especially fond of Cowpoke and Corny. IT’S CORN!
Boo Buckets
If you were a child (or parent) in the 80s, chances are you remember the McDonald’s Halloween trick-or-treat buckets or Boo Buckets! Instead of a Happy Meal being served in the standard red-and-yellow box, they came in Halloween-themed buckets.
They were meant to be used during trick-or-treating, but they were pretty small and didn’t hold a ton of loot. But, if you missed out on the chance to snatch one of these babies up in the 80s, you’re in luck — McDonald’s is releasing them again this year!
Read More About the RETURN of Boo Buckets Here
The Little Mermaid
Disney and McDonald’s have collaborated several times over the years to promote different films, shows, park events, and more. Some of the most popular toys from a Disney film were based on The Little Mermaid. There were eight different toys to collect plus a special golden toy as well.
Ursula, Flounder, Ariel, Prince Eric, Scuttle, and more were included as options. Throughout the “Disney Renaissance” of the 1990s, McDonald’s released toys from Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and more.
Hot Wheels
The next two toys were seen as Happy Meal standards for quite a few years. If you rolled up to the drive-through and ordered a Happy Meal and said it was for a boy, chances are a Hot Wheels toy car would be included in that box.
Hot Wheels have also been one of the most frequent repeats when it comes to McDonald’s toys, too!
Barbie
Just like Hot Wheels, Barbies were frequent Happy Meals toys as well. Only this time, chances are you got this toy because you ordered a Happy Meal for a girl. Depending on which series of Barbie toys was being offered, they were ultra-popular and would often be resold online.
McDonald’s no longer separates toys based on gender, so the days of hearing, “Boy or Girl?” are over — but luckily, the toys have stuck around!
Teenie Beanie Babies
If you were even remotely aware of pop culture trends in the 90s, you might remember Ty Beanie Babies. They were adorable little soft stuffed animals filled with beans and they were EVERYWHERE. People invested a LOT of money in these “collectibles,” and McDonald’s jumped on the hype train, too.
Teenie Beanie Babies were a hot commodity, and you can still find them being sold online for more than you might think!
Muppet Babies
We’re sensing a theme here, but Muppet Babies were also incredibly popular toys when that show was around. There were several different series released by McDonald’s celebrating Jim Henson’s adorable creations.
In the original series, you could get Kermit riding a skateboard, Miss Piggy in a car, Gonzo on a tricycle, and Fozzie Bear riding a rocking horse.
100 Years of Disneyland
There have also been a few different Disney parks McDonald’s toys over the years! The 100 Years of Disneyland release was 100 different Disney character figurines — can you imagine how long it would take to collect all of these?
Each figure came on a little stand that featured their name, and some were incredibly rare — making them more valuable to collectors.
Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary
More recently, McDonald’s released toys in collaboration with Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary! We loved when these toys came out. Just like the Disneyland 100 toys, these featured different Disney characters on a stand, but this time they featured a background too. There were 50 different figures released representing the Fab 50 Character Statues around Disney World.
Read More About the 50th Anniversary McDonald’s Toys Here
What do YOU think is the best McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy of all time? Whether it’s a new collectible or an old nostalgic favorite, we can probably all agree that opening up that box to see the toy you were hoping for makes us feel like kids again!
If you’re looking for more food news from outside Disney World, check out the new menu item coming to Burger King here, and you can see what concoction KFC is cooking up at select stores here.
Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney food news and more!
Where To Find Your Favorite Fast Food Dupes in Disney World
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Do you have a favorite Happy Meal Toy? Let us know in the comments!
I was much older when they came out, but I got the Fozzie Muppet baby, and it’s probably still in my house somewhere!
The ones that stick out for me (26 almost 27) are the beanie babies listed here and the furbies. We wore ours out. Lol.
I still have the complete set of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarf movie characters and they are all in their original plastic bags with the the diamond cart and wishing well. I have them all in one happy meal box that they used to come in!