Back in the day, when opening a new box of cereal gave you the same joy as ripping into presents on Christmas morning, Ronald McDonald's Happy Meal toys were the height of weekday luxury. The closest 80s kids ever got to winning the lottery was getting the exact Happy Meal toy they'd begged and pleaded for. From social media smash hits to the whackiest toys imaginable, these are the rare Happy Meal toys worth money.
8 Vintage McDonald's Toys Worth a Lot of Money
Never doubt the power of novelty and a Millennial's need for a serotonin boost. These nostalgic (and valuable) Happy Meals toys will have us screaming "I'm Lovin' It" from the rooftops.
| Valuable Vintage Happy Meal Toys | Recent Sales Price |
| McDonald's 110 Film Camera | $2,225 |
| Cactus Plant Flea Market Grimace | $1,500 |
| McDonald's Beanie Babies | $500 |
| Dukes of Hazzard Happy Meal Containers | $400 |
| Happy Meal Magic Snack Maker | $270 |
| McDonald's Furby Keychains | $127.50 |
| McDonald's Boo Buckets | $125 |
| McDonald's Transformers | $50 |
McDonald's 110 Film Camera: $2,225
Back in the 1990s, McDonald's seriously upped their game with their Happy Meal toys. With digital photography being the standard, people are looking back on the wonders of film. Nineties kids and earlier remember summer vacations through the lens of their Nikon or Kodak disposable cameras, and McDonald's helped capture the moment with their own basic film cameras.
Compatible with 110 film, these vintage cameras won't pay for your college tuition, but they will cover a night out on the town. Recently, a micro 110 McDonald's camera sold for $2,225 on eBay. Just think of the rounds you could buy with that price tag.
Cactus Plant Flea Market Grimace: $1,500
Before the adult Happy Meal & Cactus Plant Flea Market collaboration, you might not have heard of the streetwear brand. Yet, its partnership with McDonald's helped draw grown-up 90s kids to the Golden Arches in droves. These specialty toys shared the brand's signature four-eyed faces.
Because of the social media hype surrounding these super-sized adult Happy Meals, these toys became overnight smash collectibles. People will pay at least a few hundred for these toys in the right condition. For example, one sealed Grimace toy with the Happy Meal box recently sold for $1,500 online.
McDonald's Beanie Babies: $500
Nothing screams 90s more than Ty's Beanie Babies, and the company partnered with McDonald's in 1997 to create a special line of Teeny Beanies Happy Meal toys. Of all the 90s toys out there, Beanie Babies are the one that people won't stop collecting in earnest. This makes the novelty Teeny Beanies one of the best-selling and most recognizable Happy Meal toys.
Hilariously, there's very little rhyme or reason as to which Teeny beanies sell and for how much online. Boxed/bagged ones can sell for as little as $1, which seems against the rules for vintage collectibles. But, ones with printing errors always do well at auction.
For example, one lot of 4 boxed Beanies with errors sold for $500 on eBay. But these are rare for a reason, and most McDonald's Beanies will only sell for $1-$30 a pop.
Dukes of Hazzard Happy Meal Containers: $400
They just don't make fast-food packaging like they used to. In the early 1980s, McDonald's packaged up their Happy Meals in new, plastic Dukes of Hazzard containers.
From the General Lee to police patrol cars, these boxes captured McDonald's creative marketing ploys of the past. These toy boxes fetch the most amount of money when sold as sets, as this five-piece lot that sold for $400 shows.
Happy Meal Magic Snack Maker: $270
In lieu of the latest tech toys, kids in the 80s and 90s had the gift of whacky play sets like McDonald's Happy Meal Magic Snack Maker. You could cut and fry french fries or press patties and assemble hamburgers with this early 90s toy.
With McDonald's firmly staying in its fast-food lane today, it's hard to imagine a time when the company had its fingers in all sorts of money-making schemes. Yet, these highly collectible toys prove that they were on the right track. These playsets typically sell for a few hundred dollars, like this sealed Magic Snack Maker that went for $270.
McDonald's Furby Keychains: $127.50
Furby, the toy that launched a thousand nightmares, is still going strong. These multicolored fuzzy Gremlin-like toys have an uncanny spirit to them that, if paired with AI, would absolutely take over the world. Thankfully, these furry plushies are as unanimated as a chair leg, and the grip they had on the 90s has finally waned.
McDonald's wasn't one to pass up on an opportunity for a marketing tie-in, though, and pairing Furby with their Happy Meal toys was a no-brainer. Nowadays, these small Furby keychains are back in the limelight thanks to the return of 90s fashion. Individually, these toys are worth about $10, but selling them in larger sets is where you'll make your money. Take this lot of 29 Furby keychains that sold on eBay for $127.50, for example.
Related: 9 Most Valuable Vintage McDonald's Glasses Worth Toasting To
McDonald's Boo Buckets: $125
Your Halloween costume in 1986 wasn't complete if you didn't have one of McDonald's three boo buckets — McBoo, McPunk'n, or McGoblin. Coming in white, orange, and green, respectively, these seasonal Happy Meal toys were so popular that McDonald's brought them back for the 2022 spooky season.
With new pails in circulation, you can expect that vintage Boo Bucket values will steadily go down. Currently, you can get a pair of the 1990s buckets for about $20-$25, like this duo from 1999. But the original buckets from 1986 are where the real value is. You can sell these vintage boo buckets for anywhere between $25 and $100, like one seller did with a trio of them on eBay for $125.
McDonald's Transformers: $50
Not to be confused with Transformers like Optimus Prime, McDonald's own Transformer toys were plastic playthings that came in the shape of some of their best-selling products. These iconic shapes included a French fry box, an Egg McMuffin, a chicken nugget box, a carton of milk, an ice cream cone, and more. Brightly colored and plastic in that way that Fisher Price seems to do so well, these toys are worth a lot more than they ever were in the 1980s and 1990s.
You can find a lot of them listed online, with most people selling collections of them rather than just individual transformers. These toys really run the gamut in price, though a small collection of four or five typically sells for about $25, like this 7-piece lot that sold on eBay for exactly $25, for instance. McDonald's Transformers that are still in their packaging are worth a bit more, like this 5-piece set that sold for $50 on eBay.
What Makes Happy Meal Toys Worth Money?
McDonald's has been pumping out Happy Meal toys since 1979, so it's important to know which are worth money and which aren't worth your pocket change. Invest in the right Happy Meal toys by knowing what special characteristics to look for.
- Look for sealed McDonald's toys. Sealed toys are always going to be worth more than opened ones. The difference might only amount to a few dollars, but it can add up over time.
- Find licensed McDonald's toys. Franchise toys have a built-in audience, so you have a greater chance of moving product quicker with them.
- Look for novelty items that aren't strictly toys. McDonald's didn't only include toys like figurines and cars in their Happy Meals. The unique pieces, like the aforementioned camera, are going to be much more collectible than your standard plushies or action figures.
McFrickin' Lose It Over These McDonald's Collectibles
McDonald's toys have become something of a legend among Gen Xers and Millennials. Happy Meals toys might not be quite as cool as they once were. But, that's where the rare McDonald's toys of old come in to save the day.
