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McDonald's turns to Happy Meal nostalgia to drive trafficMcDonald's turns to Happy Meal nostalgia to drive traffic

November promotion brings back throwback kids' toys; chain also plans to add a healthier milk

Nancy Luna, Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

November 1, 2019

2 Min Read
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Is the next generation of McDonald’s Happy Meal customers ready for Furby?

That’s the hope as the world’s largest burger chain launches a Surprise Happy Meal promotion to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic toy-stuffed kids’ meal.  Kicking off Nov. 7, participating restaurants around the world will be stuffing Happy Meals with one of 15 popular toys from the past. In the U.S., 17 limited-edition toys will be available including two Disney toys.

Other throwback characters include McDonald’s-specific toys like Grimace and Hamburglar, as well as Patti the Platypus (part of the Teenie Beanie Babies collection), Hasbro’s Furby and Sanrio’s wildly popular Hello Kitty.

McDonald’s said Patti is an all-time favorite Happy Meal toy that is “one of the most sought-after by collectors.”

Colin Mitchell, McDonald’s senior vice president of global marketing, said parents are telling the brand “how fondly” they remember their favorite toys.

“So, unboxing the Surprise Happy Meal together creates a real moment of bonding with their children. We hope these toys are something that they will treasure and remember,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Tim Powell, managing principal at industry consultancy Foodservice IP in Chicago, said the toy promotion is clearly a marketing play to boost guest counts as these parents have likely not eaten at McDoanld’s in a long time.  

Related:Report: Half of McDonald’s Happy Meal customers pass on soda

“It most likely is a ploy to get lapsed users back who've graduated to fast casual and second mortgages,” he said.

The promotion runs through Nov. 11 while supplies last.

The 17 U.S. toys include : Cowboy McNugget (McDonald’s 1988); Fireman McNugget (McDonald’s 1988); Mail Carrier McNugget (McDonald’s 1988); Hamburger Changeable (McDonald’s 1989); Grimace (McDonald’s 1990); Dino Happy Meal Box Changeable (McDonald’s 1991); McDonald’s Hot Wheels Thunderbird (Mattel 1993); Hamburglar (McDonald’s 1995); Power Rangers (Hasbro 1995); Space Jam Bugs Bunny (Warner Brothers 1996); Patti the Platypus (Ty Beanie Baby 1997); 101 Dalmatians (Disney 1997); Tamagotchi (Bandai 1998); My Little Pony (Hasbro 1998); Furby (Hasbro 1999); Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey (Disney 2002); and Hello Kitty (Sanrio 2013).

The two Disney characters are exclusive to U.S. restaurants.

McDonald’s first introduced the children’s meal as a “Circus Wagon Happy Meal” in June 1979.  

In 2013, McDonald’s developed five “balance lifestyle” goals for 2020 in partnership with the not-for-profit Alliance for a Healthier Generation. One of the goals was to promote only bottled water, milk or juice choices for Happy Meals. In January, McDonald’s said it plans to add a new Reduced Sugar Low Fat Chocolate Milk to the menu.

Related:McDonald’s explores ‘sustainable' Happy Meal toys

McDonald’s has about 14,000 restaurants in the U.S.

Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected] 

Follow her on Twitter: @fastfoodmaven

 

About the Author

Nancy Luna

Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Nancy Luna is a senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News and a contributing editor at Supermarket News. She covers the industry's largest and most talked about fast-food brands including McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years reporting experience. As a veteran business reporter based in Southern California, Nancy has covered some of the country's most beloved food and retail brands including In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Trader Joe's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, Target and Costco. Luna is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. When she's not digging for news on her beat, you can find Nancy regaling her fans about her latest dining adventures on her Fast Food Maven social media channels. Contact [email protected]  or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fastfoodmaven

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