The iconic McDonald’s Happy Meal celebrates 40 years on the menu this week with a special promotion on Thursday and the promise of some changes designed to make the kid-friendly treat more parent-friendly. Watch for new, healthier Happy Meal options in 2020…
Can it really be 40 years since the Happy Meal débuted?
Can it really be 40 years?
I guess it can… Wow! The Happy Meal has been around since 1979. It was the first such menu option of its kind, offering kid-sized portions of the McDonald’s teats that kids liked best – notably Chicken McNuggets which, for the record, were the first menu item of their kind. McD’s should be proud that virtually all the other major chains have copied their ideas, both for the kid’s meal and the Nuggets, at some time or other since them. They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Surprise!
Remember when you (or your kids) got all hyper wondering which Happy Meal toy they were going to get? McD’s is celebrating 40 years of Happy Meals this coming Thursday (November 7) with the single-day release of special, limited-edition Happy Meals featuring very limited numbers of retro ‘original’ Happy Meal toys (see picture, top of page). Among the most popular were mini Beanie Babies, Hello Kitty, Changeables, and the Disney 100 Years of Magic collection. The original Toys are now so sought after by collectors that they are regularly auctioned off on eBay. My question is, will any of those folks who are lucky enough to get the most-prized toys this Wednesday have the gall to attempt to put them up on the Net masquerading as real, original Happy Meal premiums? We’ll have to wait and see…
Changing to suit changing times
McD’s execs note that the Happy Meal has lasted so long partly because it has changed to suit changing times. More changes are in store fore 2020, but just what they’ll be remains a secret.
“After first being introduced in 1979, the Happy Meal quickly became a way for families around the world to create feel-good memories with one another,” a spokesperson told Delish magazine. “We’re also making exciting changes to the Happy Meal that parents can feel good about.”
One change we do know about is, one of the most asked for beverage options in Happy Meals, Chocolate Milk, will be getting a healthy reformulation. Up to now, Chocolate Milk has been reviled as a source of added Sugar in kids’ diets; a major contributor to childhood obesity. Many School Boards have removed Chocolate Milk from their cafeterias offering plain White Milk only, in an effort to bin g their beverage offerings in line with other healthy changes they’ve made in their midday menus. Following suit, but not wanting to disappoint the kids, McDonald’s will soon start serving a new Chocolate Milk with 25 percent less Sugar than the old formula. Since 48 percent of all Happy Meals sold now contain Chocolate Milk as the beverage, you can probably guess why McD’s decided not to just get rid of the option.
McD’s already removed Sugary Soda/Soft Drinks as a beverage option in Happy Meals back in 2013. We wonder what took them so long to change-up the Chocolate Milk? We also wonder why they’re still offering Fruit Juices with Happy Meals, since dietary authorities have repeatedly warned that 100 percent Juices, too, contain a lot of added Sugar, not to mention acids which can cause tooth decay. Maybe revamped Juice formulations or the removal of the juice option will be coming as part of the changes to be unveiled next year.
So, happy birthday, Happy Meal!
… And many more. And good on you for trying to change with the changing times and the contemporary needs of your fans.
~ Maggie J.