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McDonald’s Is Releasing Happy Meals for Adults

The fast-food giant is hoping children of the 1980s crave nostalgia

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If you’re a child of the ’80s, you likely recall popping a salty fry into your mouth as you dug inside your McDonald’s Happy Meal box for the toy. The fast-food giant is hoping you’ll want to relive that moment starting today, when an adult version of the Happy Meal joins the menu.

McDonald’s teamed up with design firm Cactus Plant Flea Market to reimagine the Happy Meal for adults. The little red box is being replaced with a themed design, and the choice of meal is either a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets with fries and a drink. Then there’s the toy. Each box will contain one of four figurines; three returning characters — Grimace, the Hamburglar and Birdie — will be joined by Cactus Buddy.

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“We’re taking one of the most nostalgic McDonald’s experiences and literally repackaging it in a new way that’s hyper-relevant for our adult fans,” Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s USA chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in a statement.

The Happy Meal will be available in restaurants, at the drive-through, by delivery or on the McDonald’s app. It will continue for a limited time. Customers who purchase the box using the McDonald’s app will automatically be entered in a weekly free drawing for prizes. The contest ends Oct. 30.

In case you were wondering, the first Happy Meal was sold in 1979. The box featured a circus theme, and the toys available were McDoodler stencils, McWrist wallets, small bracelets, puzzles, erasers or spinning tops.

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