15 Best Cross-Promotional Happy Meal Toys

If there’s one thing McDonald’s excels at, it’s staying ahead of the game. Since its humble beginnings as a lowly “barbecue pit” on Route 66, the famed hamburger purveyor has learned to make rapid adjustments in response to changing market trends. The figure of 34,000 restaurants in 119 countries around the world speaks for itself: there’s a lot that businesses can learn from the undisputed fast food king.

One of the company’s most successful – yet criticized – ideas has been the creation of a meal perfectly tailored for children. Offering colorful boxes, smaller portion sizes and free collectible toys, Happy Meals have been popular with kids since they debuted in 1979. Here, we list 15 of the best cross-promotional, business-partnering promotions in Happy Meal history…