McDonald's has offered toys with meals since the national launch of Happy Meals in 1979, following earlier promotional characters. In the early 1970s the chain released 15-inch plush pillow toys shaped like McDonaldland characters, including Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Officer Big Mac, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, the [Mad] Professor, and Captain Crook. Plush versions were replaced by plastic figures by the mid-1970s, making the original plush toys rare. The McDonaldland concept, created with Needham, Harper & Steers in 1971, used colorful commercials and PlayPlaces to position McDonald's as a children's attraction and to promote menu items such as milkshakes and Big Macs.
McDonald's has been offering toys with the purchase of food since the national launch of Happy Meals in 1979. The brand has gone through phases of offering everything from "Shrek"-themed glasses to Beanie Babies to Disney-related toys. Certain Happy Meal toys are worth a pretty penny these days, especially if you happen to find one of those McDonaldland plush pillow toys from the 1970s sitting around in your old memory box.
In the early 1970s, the chain released a series of 15-inch-tall plush pillow toys in the shapes of characters from its make-believe world named "McDonaldland." There were characters we'd recognize even today, such as Ronald McDonald and Grimace (here's how to DIY that viral Grimace milkshake), but also a slew of other characters, such as Officer Big Mac, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, the [Mad] Professor, and Captain Crook.
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