I’m Fascinated With McDonald’s Adult Happy Meals and They’ve Been Popular

Summary

The author is intrigued by McDonald's limited-edition Adult Happy Meals for October, despite not usually being interested in Happy Meals, and notes the high demand and potential collectible value, but is disappointed to learn that they are being removed from menus earlier than expected.

Abstract

McDonald's has released a promotional Adult Happy Meal for the month of October, which has garnered significant interest from adults who enjoyed them in the 90s. The meals feature unique, dual-eyed toys fitting the Halloween theme. Although the author generally dismisses Happy Meals, the nostalgia and potential collectible value of these limited-edition items have piqued their interest. Despite McDonald's releasing more units than the infamous Szechuan sauce promotion, the high demand might still drive up prices after the promotion ends. However, the author's plans to purchase one are dampened by the news that the meals are being pulled from menus early due to their popularity and quick sell-out across many stores nationwide.

Opinions

The author finds the toys' design quirky and fitting for Halloween, though they appear to be under the influence of hallucinogens.
There is a sense of nostalgia driving the author's interest, especially given the limited availability of the meals.
The author compares the hype and potential collectible value of the Adult Happy Meals to McDonald's previous Szechuan sauce promotion, noting the latter caused literal fights and high resale prices.
The author acknowledges the fear of missing out (FOMO) as a powerful marketing tool that might be influencing their own interest.
Despite the early end to the promotion, the author remains hopeful and plans to check local stores for any remaining stock.

I’m not even a fan of regular happy meals but I don’t know what it is about these promotional October throwbacks

Ask me any other time of year if I’d want McDonald’s Happy Meals and my answer would most likely be a resounding no. McDonald’s put out a promotion for the month of October that charges a little more to get a taste of nostalgia.

First of all, these toys in the new happy meals look like someone was doing some sort of hallucinogen while making them. These toys have two sets of eyes. I mean, I guess that it fits the theme of Spooktober and Halloween and from a marketing perspective, it seemed like a great fit. Despite this oddity, many adults who got these happy meals as kids in the 90s and before are clamoring for them.

I’ve heard in some circles now that these complete sets are being valued in the hundreds of dollars if sold as a set. That definitely reminds me of the hype that surrounded McDonald’s when they catered to Rick and Morty fans and brought back the Szechuan sauce for a limited time only to have a few sauces in stock even at the peak. With the supply being so low and the demand being so high, this caused literal fights and riots to get ahold of the sauce and also people selling these online for thousands of dollars.

Although the hype around these adult happy meals probably won’t get to that ridiculous fever pitch since the company released more units of this, I feel like the demand could still drive prices up well after the collection and sales of the product is over. It’s not necessarily the driving force behind my own curiosity but that aspect of it definitely doesn’t hurt in piquing it. Also, I think that it’ll be nice to have a piece of McDonald’s nostalgia for a limited time even if it means paying just a couple of dollars more.

There are a few locations near me that should have the happy meals in stock and I can’t wait to get over there and see what all of the hype is about and participate in my lone chance at getting a piece of history for myself since I usually miss out on things like this. Sure, it could be the fear of missing out which is what makes so many marketing campaigns so successful but I think in my case this is just more of an appeal to my love of nostalgia.

And just as I was getting interested in this and getting ready to go as I was further researching the sales and availability of this, it looks like McDonald’s is ending this early and it’s already being pulled from menus. It was supposed to go until the end of the month but they’ve been so popular and have sold out all over that it’s likely that it won’t be available now in many of the stores nationwide.

I started this story out with enthusiasm but now I’m a bit deflated. Since the end of the campaign is still October 31st, I’m going to still check out the stores in Batavia and Alden and keep everyone updated on whether it’s still available in certain individual stores.