While McDonald’s was not the first restaurant to offer a kid’s meal, the Happy Meal is iconic and instantly recognizable anywhere in the world. Happy Meals trace their history to the mid-1970s when franchisees were looking for ways to create better dining experiences for families. The first Happy Meal toys were released in 1979 and some of these toys have become valuable collectors’ items. This list features some of the rarest McDonald’s toys ever, ranging from branded collaborations to toys modeled after McDonald’s food items.
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- McNugget Buddies
- McFurbys
- Madame Alexander Dolls
- Happy Meal “Changeables”
- Fraggle Rock
- Diener Keshi Figures
- Barbie Dolls
- 100 Years of Disney Magic
- St. Louis Test Market Transformers
Year(s) Released: 2008
Estimated Value: $2 – $7 for individual pieces; $35 – $55 for complete set
photo source: skywalkingthroughneverland.com
Although Star Wars took the world by storm in 1977 and has remained one of the most popular franchises ever, McDonald’s did not release any toys associated with Star Wars until 2008. The McDonald’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars toys coincided with the theatrical release of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS animated movie. Since then, McDonald’s has released several other Star Wars toys to go along with the new movies. Out of all the McDonald’s Star Wars toys, the Clone Wars line from 2008 is the most valuable.
Did you know?
The McDonald’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars toys featured 18 bobble-head toys based on the movie’s characters that were exclusively designed for McDonald’s.
Year(s) Released: 1988 – mid 1990s
Estimated Value: $7 – $8 for individual pieces; $10 – $60 for various sets
photo source: Pinterest
Did you know?
In March 2021, Funko Pop! revealed that it had collaborated with McDonald’s to release McNugget Buddies vinyl figures that looked like the original line of McNugget Buddies.
Year(s) Released: 1999 – early 2000s
Estimated Value: $4 – $5 for individual pieces; $10 – $20 for various sets; $180 for complete set
photo source: Official Furby Wiki
Furby was the hit toy during the 1998 holiday season and the little furry robots dominated the toy market until around 2000. Of course, McDonald’s capitalized on Furbymania by releasing its own set of collectible toys that have been dubbed “McFurbys.” The first line of McFurbys came out in 1999 and were mini replicas of the original Furby. There were various colors and eight different actions – the McFurbys had small movements and sounds – to collect for a total of 80 different McFurbys. Other McFurbys have been released as Furby made a comeback.
Did you know?
McDonald’s isn’t the only fast food chain that has offered Furby toys; Burger King and Sonic Drive-In have also released Furby toys.
Year(s) Released: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010
Estimated Value: $2 – $4 for individual pieces; $19 – $85 for various sets
photo source: eBay
Madame Alexander dolls are some of the most popular dolls in the world. When McDonald’s stopped releasing Barbie toys, they began giving away Madame Alexander dolls throughout the early 2000s, with the final series coming out in 2010. Unlike the McDonald’s Barbie Dolls, which were mostly molded plastic, the Madame Alexander dolls looked like their larger counterparts. These mini McDonald’s dolls featured real clothing and synthetic hair. There were also various themes like the Wizard of Oz. There were even Madame Alexander dolls dressed like Mickey and Minnie Mouse as part of a Disney collaboration.
Doll collecting is one of the most popular hobbies, so the McDonald’s Madame Alexander dolls have become popular since they were first released.
Did you know?
McDonald’s isn’t the only fast food chain that has offered Furby toys; Burger King and Sonic Drive-In have also released Furby toys.
Year(s) Released: 1987, 1989, and 1990
Estimated Value: $6 – $12 for individual pieces; $20 – $70 for various sets
photo source: goodbadmarketing.com
Of all the rare McDonald’s toys on this list, the Happy Meal Changeables or McRobots are probably the most iconic. These little toys looked like McDonald’s most popular food items and transformed, like Transformers, into robots. Three different series were released, the first in 1987, followed by series 2 in 1989 and series 3 in 1990. Series 3 featured dinosaurs instead of the generic robots of the first two series. The Happy Meal Changeables are some of the most sought after McDonald’s toys around.
Did you know?
In 2019, McDonald’s released a limited edition surprise Happy Meal toy line that featured two Happy Meal Changeables, El Godo and Happy Meal-O-Don.
Year(s) Released: 1988
Estimated Value: $5 – $7 for individual pieces; $10 – $15 for sets; $99 for complete set
photo source: Muppet Wiki
Did you know?
The year before McDonald’s released the Fraggle Rock toys, they did a test run of different Fraggle Rock toys in the southern region of West Virginia.
Year(s) Released: 1979 – early 1980s
Estimated Value: $15 – $400 for various sets
photo source: eBay
There isn’t too much information out there about the Diener Keshi figures made for McDonald’s. These rubber figures, which are actually erasers, were some of the very first Happy Meal toys, released back in 1979. The Diener Keshi figures were produced for McDonald’s over the next few years and there were different collections like robots, monsters, and zoo animals. Despite being some of the oldest McDonald’s toys, Diener Keshi figures are available on eBay.
Did you know?
The McDonald’s Diener Keshi figures were the first Japanese-style keshigomu or erasers to appear in the United States.
Year(s) Released: 1983 – 2019
Estimated Value: $1 – $10 for individual pieces; $20 – $200 for lots
photo source: Etsy
According to various sources, Barbie Dolls made their debut at McDonald’s either in the early 1980s or early 1990s. Regardless of when McDonald’s first starting offering Barbie Dolls, the toys were an iconic part of Happy Meals throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. McDonald’s still occasionally releases Barbie toys, but they aren’t as popular as they used to be.
Initially, the mini Barbies were made out of molded plastic and didn’t have movable joints or actual doll hair. Later releases had traditional Barbie hair and looked more like regular Barbie dolls.
Individual McDonald’s Barbies are pretty cheap, while larger lots are worth a few hundred bucks.
Did you know?
The most sought after McDonald’s Barbies are from 1993 because that was the first year that the figurines were given synthetic hair.
Year(s) Released: March 8 – April 4, 2002
Estimated Value: $1.99 – $37 for individual pieces; $200 – $300 for complete set
photo source: Kids Meal Wiki
Used and opened 100 Years of Disney Magic figurines aren’t too hard to find and are worth a few bucks. However, finding a complete set in mint condition is nearly impossible and will cost a few hundred dollars.
Did you know?
Each 100 Years of Disney Magic figurine is on top of a little platform that features the character’s name and the date of their first appearance.
Year(s) Released: May 1985
Estimated Value: $50 – $150 for individual pieces; $250 – $735 for complete set
photo source: eBay
The St. Louis Test Market Transformers released in 1985 are the rarest McDonald’s toys ever because they were only available for a short time in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Not only are they the rarest McDonald’s toys, but they’re also some of the rarest Transformers out there. While these were Transformers toys, they could not actually transform and were just molded plastic figures.
These little test market Transformers came in four designs (characters) with six different color combinations. This made collecting a whole set difficult. In general, the St. Louis Test Market Transformers are just hard to come by because not many people had access to the toys. Individual pieces are can sell for about $100 or so, while complete sets can fetch nearly $1,000.
Did you know?
The St. Louis Test Market Transformers were the “boy option” during the promotion, while My Little Pony clip on charms were available as the “girl option.”
