McDonald’s (MCD) She used to base a lot of her advertising on McDonaldland characters. This was a fictional world where Ronald MacDonald, the famous clown in the series, lived with friends including Mayor McKees, Grimas, and of course the notorious hamburger thief, Hamburger.
In subsequent years, the series added Early Bird (to promote breakfast), Fry Guys, and a selection of unnamed Chicken McNuggets. These characters have mostly retired in recent years and Ronald MacDonald is rarely seen (perhaps because clowns have gone from silly to scary in the eyes of most kids.
There was a brief revival of Hamburglar as a live character, but no one really enjoyed seeing an adult man with a family somehow make their living stealing hamburgers. It was a silly idea for a cartoon, but it really didn’t make the leap into live action.
Children may not know these characters, but adults surely do and there is nothing that adults enjoy quite like things that fondly remind them of childhood. Fast food chains have long exploited this idea by bringing back dishes from the past, but now McDonald’s has taken it a step further.
McDonald’s offers Happy Meals for adults
The classic red Happy Meal box debuted in 1979, at a time when fast food options were very limited. This means anyone in their late forties or older might have tried them when the idea of โโhaving a plastic toy with your McDonald’s meal was kind of like Christmas morning twice in one try.
McDonald’s latest meal box will capture that feeling again, but this time it’s aimed at an entirely new audience. The box is aimed not only at adults rather than children, but the box is likely to attract collectors from the world of fashion.
For the company’s own Happy Meal, customers can get a Big Mac or 10 pieces of Chicken McNuggets with fries and a drink. But the real fun, again, lies at the bottom of the bag. This happy meal comes with one of three classic McDonald’s or Cactus Buddy characters! toy. This means that Birdie, Hamburglar and our good friend Grimace will all be available to collect in the signature style of the Cactus Flea Plant Market.
Streetwear collectible toys are coming to McDonald’s
Cactus Plant Flea Market is a streetwear brand designed by Cynthia Lou, a designer who found herself stylist for rapper Pharrell after they paired up with sneakers. Lou is known for not giving interviews – she believes the brand’s designs speak for themselves. Its elusiveness, combined with impromptu, limited-edition designs, also creates a wave of hype around the brand with every new product drop.
Since the brand first debuted its signature smiling face on hand-dipped dye prints, it’s been styled by top celebrities like Kanye West, Kendall Jenner, Frank Ocean, and actor Timothรฉe Chalamet. CPFM has also been commissioned for merchandise by other famous musicians such as Kid Cudi and the Rolling Stones.
Around this time in 2020, the brand previously collaborated with McDonald’s and rapper Travis Scott. CPFM rapper, Cactus Jack, has seen McDonald’s locations across the US sell hamburgers due to high demand.
According to HypeBae, the toys will arrive at McDonald’s on October 3. But if you really want to see truly limited edition items, McDonald’s x Cactus Plant Flea Market exclusives will be showing up online at 8 a.m. Pacificโand these goodies sure won’t last long.
Of course, if you miss your chance or get a taste of the happy meal budget, you can still win some great gifts. Customers who order their CPFM Happy Meal through the McDonald’s app will be entered into a raffle to win co-branded T-shirts, hoodies, a Grimace chair, and custom McDonald’s banners from the TV ad collection.
