As an adult, fast food makes me wince. It's greasy, gross, and guaranteed to come with a list of gastrointestinal issues a mile long. As if that isn't bad enough, it's no secret that the toy selection has really slid downhill too. No, it hasn't been all bad. In fact, some of the more recent promotions for Jurassic World and The Minions have actually been pretty neat — and we have to applaud McDonald's for bringing Changeables out of retirement. But, for the most part, modern fast food freebies just don't seem to have the same sort of pomp or pizazz as the classics.
Back in the day, fast food toys were amazing! Whether it was Raccoon Mario springing skyward, a Hot Wheels car tearing across the kitchen floor, or a Changeable flipping from Big Mac to T.rex in the blink of an eye, these tasty trinkets injected just the right amount of fun into every meal. From Burger King to McDonald's and even Taco Bell, these bite-sized stars captured the imagination, and even sparked a fair bit of playground envy and collector obsession in the process. But, which were the best? Well, pull up a chair and grab some extra ketchup, because we're taking the family wagon back to the drive-thrus of yesteryear for a look back at the 10 best fast food toys of all time ...
10. The Flintstones Movie Playsets (1994)
In the summer of 1994, McDonald's and Universal Pictures teamed up to promote The Flintstones. Offering everything from themed t-shirts to etched collector glasses and even a super-sized Grand Poobah meal, it was Stone Age synergy at its very best. For kids, the real prize came in the form of six dino-mite toys tucked inside a Flintstones-themed Happy Meal, with each set featuring a Bedrock-style building and a matching mini vehicle – including Fred's flashy Le Sabertooth parked at the Bowl-O-Rama, and Wilma's Flintmobile waiting outside the Flintstone home. The buildings came with sticker sheets so kids could customize their own little corner of the Neolithic neighborhood and, as an added bonus, the cars could even be stored away inside the buildings when play was done. Yabba-Dabba-Delicious, indeed!
9. Fast Macs (1985)
Speeding off the starting line in 1985, Fast Macs were a high-octane hit for kids and collectors alike. This series of pull-back micro-cars featured the fast food icons of McDonaldland — including Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar, and Officer Big Mac — ready to put the pedal to the metal and burn a little rubber on your living room floor. Unlike most McDonald's premiums that came inside a simple plastic baggie, Fast Macs were initially sold on blister cards, giving them a more "collector-friendly" feel right out of the box. The four-car cavalcade zoomed across both North America and the UK, with British fans getting a slightly earlier rollout in 1984 and an exclusive Mayor McCheese variant that was never released stateside. Riding the popular Penny Racers craze of the day, these peppy little pocket rockets promised plenty of friction-motor mayhem and brought all the fun of McDonaldland right to the racetrack.
8. Teenie Beanie Babies (1998)
Prior to Pokémon fever sweeping across North America in 1998, there was no craze more collectible than Beanie Babies. In 1997, McDonald's dove in on the hype with the release of Teenie Beanie Babies, a specialty line made up of miniaturized versions of some of Ty's most cherished critters. Each Happy Meal came with one of ten pint-sized plushies, featuring favorites like Patti the Platypus, Pinky the Flamingo, and Chocolate the Moose. The response was wild, with lines of frantic fans wrapping around restaurants and collectors calling ahead to check stock. Employees could barely keep up with demand. Completing the full set soon became a nationwide mission, as limited availability and red hot popularity quickly turned the heat up on these plushy pals. For a brief, shining moment, Teenie Beanie Babies ruled the fast food frontier — the perfect combo of cuteness, chaos, and collectability that helped define a generation.
7. Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition Toys (1996)
Back in 1996, the Force was reawakening — and this time it came with a side of Cinnamon Twists! As excitement built for the upcoming release of the Special Edition Star Wars Trilogy in early 1997 (the Phantom Menace was still a few years out), Taco Bell teamed up with Lucasfilm to deliver eight incredible toys from a galaxy far, far away. Each one celebrated the timeless appeal of George Lucas' beloved space opera with clever, interactive designs — from the Balancing Boba Fett and Exploding Death Star to other fun-filled gimmicks that looked to turn mealtime into a full-on Rebel assault. These were more than just your average fast food freebies. They were proof that Star Wars still ruled popular culture two decades after its initial release. Packed with play value and plenty of nostalgia, Taco Bell's out-of-this-world promotion proved that the Force — and consumer cravings for $0.99 tacos — was stronger than ever before!
6. Toy Story Figures (1996)
With a worldwide box office take of over $360 million, Toy Story was one of the biggest films of 1995. The following year, as Disney prepared to unleash the fun on home video, Burger King blasted off right alongside with a promotion that was hotter with kids and collectors than a brand-new Buzz Lightyear! The main Kid's Club line featured eight imaginative toys including a lasso ropin' Woody, a Buzz Lightyear bristling with sci-fi sound effects, a spinning Bo Peep, and even a wind-up version of Lenny complete with googly eyes. But BK didn't stop there. Alongside the regular toys came a selection of Toy Story puppets. However, the crown jewel of this campaign was a large scale rev-and-roll version of R/C that I still contend is the single best fast food toy to see release in the last 30 years. Effortlessly easing the hype train into high gear at a time when home-based internet was still in its infancy and social media was still decades away from ruining humanity, this fun-filled movie promo proved you're never too old for toys!
5. Batman Returns Cars (1992)
In 1992, alongside a set of matching collector cups, McDonald's dared to step into the shadows with a rather controversial kid's combo for Batman Returns. As far as I can recall, this was the only Happy Meal tie-in to ever be based on a PG-13 property, especially once parent's discovered McDonald's was marketing a movie that was far from kid-friendly. The line featured a selection of cars grabbed right off the streets of Gotham City, from the sleek Batmobile and jet-powered Batmissile to Catwoman's sly Cat Coupe and Penguin's Retro-Roadster. Each vehicle included a unique action feature — like a spinning umbrella or sweeping cat tail — that allowed little ones to bring home a family-friendly bite of Tim Burton's sombre sequel. At a time when kid's meals rarely flirted with edgy blockbusters, this promotion looked to offer playful, interactive fun while still letting kids experience a slice of silver screen superheroics all from the back of mom and dad's minivan.
4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Toys (1994)
In 1994, McDonald's revved up its Happy Meal with a high-speed campaign tied to the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The SEGA collaboration featured five dynamic toys that looked to capture all the fast-paced fun of the Blue Blur's latest adventure. Sonic led the pack with a spring-loaded launcher that sent him zipping across surfaces at the press of a button. Dr. Robotnik piloted a wind-up ship, Knuckles spun, and Tails soared to new heights courtesy of a high-flying propeller. There was even a yellow ball branded with images of Sonic and Tails that could be requested for little gamers under 3. This pixel-perfect-promotion not only delighted fans, but helped scratch an ever-present itch at a time when video game merchandise remained scarcer than a Chaos Emerald!
3. Hot Wheels (1983, 1988, 1990-2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
Any list like this has to hit the gas on McDonald's longtime partnership with Hot Wheels. While the first promotion rolled out in 1983, it was the 1991–1994 run that truly captured collectors' attention. During that era, Mattel started crafting unique Hot Wheels cars specifically for Happy Meals, dropping eye-catching models like the Bold Eagle, the Gas Hog, and the sleek X21J Cruiser. Often paired alongside popular girl brands like Barbie and Polly Pocket, these 1/64 scale cars featured the same build quality as their retail siblings and were ready to race right out of the box (or baggie). Over the years, McDonald's has returned to the Hot Wheels track again and again, keeping the series fresh for new generations. From the early '80s originals to '90s classics and releases as recent as 2023, the McDonald's Hot Wheels line has always set the pace — a turbo-charged example of fast food fusion firing on all cylinders!
2. McDino Changeables (1990)
When McDonald's took its popular Changeables line prehistoric, kids everywhere went absolutely bananas — yours truly included. Marketed as McDino Changeables, these toys were the perfect blend of fast food and prehistoric fun. With just a few simple twists and flips, the Big Mac became a fearsome Tyrannosaurus, french fries converted into a Triceratops, and Hot Cakes took to the sky as a winged Pterodactyl. There was a McDino Cone, a Tri-Shake-A-Tops, and even a Quarter Pounder with Cheese-O-Saurus. Yeah, you can't make this stuff up. Bright, chunky and full of charm, these transformable titans enthralled budding paleontologists and capitalized on a popular trend that proved dinosaurs are cool in any form!
1. Super Mario Bros. 3 Toys
In 1990, McDonald's powered up in a big way with a Happy Meal promotion tied to Super Mario Bros. 3 – and for kids living through the earliest days of the great video game resurgence, it was pure, button-mashing bliss. This set warped the Mushroom Kingdom straight to the Golden Arches with four cleverly designed toys: Raccoon Mario, who sprung skyward with a press; Luigi, soaring across tabletops on his pull-back cloud; Little Goomba, who flipped end over end; and Koopa Paratroopa, bouncing into action with a quick air-pump pop. Even little gamers got their own simplified Raccoon Mario to enjoy. Hotter than a freshly plucked fire flower and packed to the pipes with personality, these toys captured the wonder of Nintendo like nothing else. As a kid growing up in that 8-bit era, collecting them felt like unlocking a secret warp zone — proof that McDonald's knew exactly how to turn mealtime into the perfect bonus stage!
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