Delight at Nostalgic McDonalds Toys From ’80s, ’90s Saved by Grandma

A post about a grandmother’s collection of toys that came with McDonald’s Happy Meals in the 1980s and 1990s has sparked a storm of nostalgia on Reddit.

The post was shared by Reddit user enthusedwaggy and has amassed 17,000 upvotes since it was posted on Thursday. The image, which has a caption saying, “My grandma kept our McDonald’s toys from the 80s and 90s,” shows various toys scattered in a box, including a Bambi figure and a Low-Fat Milk Carton character.

The viral post follows last month’s release of McDonald’s earnings figures for the second quarter of 2024. The report found that “consolidated revenues for the quarter were nearly $6.5 billion,” while “systemwide sales to loyalty members across 50 loyalty markets were over $26 billion for the trailing 12-month period and approximately $7 billion for the quarter.”

McDonald’s got some shout-outs on Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC). During his speech at the convention, former President Bill Clinton referenced Vice President Kamala Harris’ experience working at the fast-food chain, which is noted in one of the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign advertisement videos.

Clinton said at the DNC: “When she [Harris] was young, she worked at McDonald’s…I will be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president because she will break my record as the president who spent the most time at McDonalds.”

Doug Emhoff, the first second gentleman of the U.S., also spoke about his experience working at McDonald’s in a viral speech about his wife Harris at the DNC on Wednesday.

“Money was tight, so I worked at McDonald’s in high school for some extra cash,” Emhoff said, adding: “Not only was I employee of the month, but I still have the framed picture, which you just saw, and there was a ring, golden arches and all.”

In a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, on August 17, just days before the DNC kicked off, Harris noted: “In college, I worked at McDonald’s to earn spending money. Some of the people I worked with were raising families on that paycheck. They worked second or even third jobs to pay rent and buy food.

“That only gets harder when the cost of living goes up. When I am elected president, I will make it a top priority to bring down costs and increase economic security for all Americans,” the presidential candidate concluded in the post.

‘A Really Special Thing’

The viral post has delighted users on Reddit, with many recalling their own experience of enjoying the toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals.

KayMay03 said: “That Bambi was my absolute favorite.” and ForestDweller82 said: “I loved the mini beanie babies from ’99. Those were awesome.”

RelChan2_0 noted: “I remember we got toys every time there was a new Disney movie. I mean, we still get them now but it was different back then…”

TheLostSkellyton recalled: “In the 90s and early 00s they would sometimes have little LEGO sets too! The last time I bought a happy meal I was either in my last year of high school or first year of college (so 2000/2001) and McDonald’s was putting little LEGO vehicle kits in the happy meals. I got a helicopter with a pilot mini fig. Going to McDonald’s to play and get a hamburger happy meal with a cool little toy in it was a really special thing for young me…”

Doctor-Amazing wrote: “There were some Mario toys in the early 90s that were the best ones. Back flipping goomba. Koopa that hops along when you mash a little pump.”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.

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