McDonalds Adult Happy Meal

Everyone remembers their first happy meal as a kid; the feelings of joy and happiness, and the antsy-ness to see what was inside the box. I remember when I was a child, that little red box was the brightness to my whole day. The excitement I felt when handed the box, the aroma, everything. A happy meal is a kids meal sold at McDonalds, the very popular fast food chain. It comes with options of a hamburger or chicken McNuggets, along with side choice of fries, apple slices, a gogurt, and a choice of beverage. To top it all off, these happy meals also come with a toy. The toy is everyone’s favorite part of the meal, and the main reason why they have been so popular for a long time. The toys are random and not by choice, which makes it the ultimate curiosity.

Now, these feelings of nostalgia are being brought back as McDonalds adds a special limited-time item to their menu. For a limited time until October 31st, McDonalds is selling an adult version of a happy meal. While it is similar to the kids' happy meal, the food comes in bigger portions. It comes with a choice of a big mac or 10-piece McNugget, along with fries and a drink. And, yes, it also comes with a toy. The toys, however, are more relevant to adults than kids. The meals come with a choice between Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie, and Cactus Buddy. These particular toys have been signature items for McDonald’s, as each of them have been featured in McDonaldland, which is the media franchise and the fictional fantasy world where Ronald McDonald and his friends live. They have also been featured in multiple commercials. The adult happy meal can be bought in-restaurant, at the drive-thru, or on the McDonald's app.

The happy meal is so popular that it has already sold out at many restaurants across the country. The surge of customers is stressing out McDonald’s employees. According to the article McDonald’s Adult Happy Meals Aren’t Making Everyone Happy by The Takeout, a McDonald’s employee stated, “The most difficult aspect of this promo for the crew is the sheer volume of these meals that we are selling.” A job such as this is stressful enough for anyone, but having to stockpile these orders in a rush puts on an extra strain. According to the article McDonald’s Workers Are Unhappy About Adult Happy Meals by Today, one anonymous employee stated, “I can see the stress among my coworkers.”

Despite the stress that the popularity of this meal is causing employees, this item has proven to be successful for the business early on in the process. According to the article McDonald's Adult Happy Meal Is So Successful That Some Restaurants Ran Out of 'Toys' and Boxes On The First Day by Business Insider, the happy meals selling out so fast are a huge sign of success. One McDonald’s worker said in the article, “We had a line outside our store on the first day.” In addition, McDonald’s has chosen to partner with the Cactus Plant Flea Market for this limited edition, which has proven to be successful for both companies.

Even just the toys that come with the happy meals have a mix of opinions, and some people are even freaking out. According to the article The Eyes on the New Adult Happy Meal Toys at McDonald's Are Freaking People Out by Distractify, some people are freaked out by the fact that the toys have four eyes. “...the main reason the toys have four eyes is because McDonald’s collaborated with streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market on their designs.” Faces with four eyes have also been one of the signature elements of McDonald’s, which is how the choice of toys for the adult happy meals came into play. Even though the toys were meant to be more geared toward adults than kids in this sense, some wish that they were different. According to the article I Tried The McDonald’s Adult Happy Meal So You Don’t Have To by NJ.com, “There were so many directions McDonald’s could have gone with the toys that would have felt special. Comic book toys. Nickelodeon toys. Ninja Turtle toys. These would have turned the Millennial nostalgia up to 11.” Some people have the strong feelings that these kinds of toys would be more nostalgic than the current ones they are selling.

Overall, whether or not the adult happy meal is worth the cost really depends on the person. The Ascent’s article Is the McDonald’s Adult Happy Meal Really Worth Your Money states, “...if you’re not so interested in reliving the experience of getting a toy with your dinner, you may just want to skip the adult happy meal and get a regular combo instead.” In other words, the only difference is the toy and the box that it comes in. If you enjoy the nostalgia of getting McDonald’s happy meals as a kid, absolutely go for it, and enjoy it while it lasts.