Remember the original McDonald's Happy Meals? Here's a happy trip down memory lane

With McDonald’s US announcing the release of an adult Happy Meal with the original toys, we give in to nostalgia and explore the history of some of the most iconic Happy Meal toys.

The burger seller is set to release a new Happy Meal, starting next month, that will feature the original Happy Meal Toys as an accompaniment... (but only if you're in the US unfortunately) 

Following a purge of posts on their Instagram page, McDonald’s teased a new take on the nostalgic figures from their original Happy Meal campaign,

The fast-food chain will soon be selling boxed meals geared toward adults, in collaboration with the American fashion brand Cactus Plant Flea Market, and is inspired by the memory of enjoying a Happy Meal as a kid.

The new Happy Meals will include an artsy reinterpetation of three OG McDonald's characters Grimace, Hamburglar and Birdie the Early Bird, with a new character called Cactus Buddy to join the crew.

Everyone remembers their first Happy Meal (unless you ended up collecting millions of Happy Meal toys like us). 

Part of the reason that Happy Meals were such a smash-hit for the fast-food franchise was their inclusion of toys, collectibles, figurines, books and games for children to enjoy along with every meal. Accessibility, affordability and its fast-food identity catapulted Happy Meals, and by virtue of which, McDonald’s, to success. For most parts of the world that have been infiltrated by the far-reaching empire of McDonald’s, Happy Meals have played an integral part of many childhoods.

Here's a brief history of the beloved Happy Meals at McDonald's:

The 1970s

Even before Happy Meals were a thing, McDonald’s gave out free Ronald McDonald dolls with their meals, following which, they released a line of kitchenware merchandise with printed characters. It was only in 1979 that the Happy Meal was born, with a circus theme on the box.

In the same year, McDonald’s partnered with Star Trek for the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and released a new line of Star Trek themed Happy Meals and toys, marking the first collaboration between a fast food chain and a film franchise.

The 1980s

The 80s marked one of the most successful collaborations for McDonalds as their partnership with toy manufacturer Mattel led to the inclusion of Hot Wheels cars and Barbie dolls with every Happy Meal.

Later in the decade, the burger joint had collaborated with Ghostbusters, My Little Pony, Transformers as well as The Muppets for a variety of new Happy Meal Toys.

The 1990s

Happy Meals had now reached unprecedented levels of success. Collectors from around the world congregated to show off their assortments of prized Happy Meals collectibles.

United Airlines started offering Happy Meals on their flights, without the fries since they did not reheat well, across all flights in the US.

Among some of the increasing number of film and TV collaborators, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman and Space Jam; and also partnered with Tamagotchi and Furby’s for their Happy Meals. 

The 2000s

By the time the early 2000s set in, McDonald’s was already on its way for collaborations with video game manufacturer SEGA for hand-held retro mini games. 

The company also began partnering with Cartoon Network and released a number of toys in line with popular characters that featured on the channel.

The Happy Meal has been on a steady decline for the last decade or so. With a new generation of children more accustomed to the virtual world, tangible toys grew out of fashion and Happy Meals lost that spark of charm and innovation that they once excelled at.

McDonald’s in India:

McDonald's opened its doors in India in 1996. The first McDonald’s restaurant opened on October 13, 1996 at Basant Lok Market, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. It was also the first McDonald’s restaurant in the world not serving beef on its menu.

Before the American fast food chain first opened, Nirula's served as the one-stop destination for most diners looking to enjoy something along the lines of burgers and fries.

McDonald’s successfully restructured its menus to better suit the majorly vegetarian sensibilities of the Indian populace and released arguably the most iconic items of food in Indian history, the McAloo Tikki burger.

Over 25 years since, McDonald’s now has over 480 outlets all over the country and remains the go-to (though definitely not the healthiest) pocket-friendly eateries for many, countrywide.

Be it waiting frustratingly long periods in line while the customer in front of you stares mouth-gaping, at the menu, the delight knowing that the Chicken McGrill was back on the menu or the perpetually broken ice-cream machines; McDonald’s has found its way, one patty at a time, as an inseparable part of urban (and now sub-urban) Indian culture. 

Despite its success in India, McDonald’s still has a way to go, especially when contrasted with rival eateries such as Pizza Hut and Dominos. With its recent change in aesthetic and increased delivery/drive-thru services, the future seems optimistic for good ol' Ronald McDonald.

(Nope, sorry. Ronald McDonald is and shall always remain insufferably creepy.)