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If you’re ordering a McDonald’s Happy Meal, chances are, you’re most excited about getting the McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. These toys are themed differently from month to month and are based on everything from current movies to top-selling dolls.
There are even specialty Happy Meal “toys” (the McDonald’s Halloween Buckets anyone?) that are given out during special seasons and events. We’ll let you know how much each individual Happy Meal toy costs, what the most expensive Happy Meal toys are on the resale market, and how to determine which Happy Meal toys might be worth more in the future.
Love a good McDeal? We’ve got the best list of ways to save at McDonald’s that’ll get you free fries and more.
You can purchase McDonald’s Happy Meal toys for $1.59 – $1.69 — no Happy Meal required.
McDonald’s Happy Meal toys come with the purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Each Happy Meal costs $3.69 – $4.59 and in addition to the toy, comes with an entree, kids-size fry, apple slices, and a drink.
But did you know you can get the toy without buying a Happy Meal? That’s right, you can always purchase the toys separately for $1.59 – $1.69 each, depending on your McDonald’s location. That’s right — you can get at least two for the price of a Happy Meal.
TIP: If you’re a member of the McDonald’s Rewards program, you can get a free Happy Meal for 6,000 points ($60 spent).
You can always opt for ice cream instead of a Happy Meal toy.
If you don’t want a toy with your Happy Meal, you can always ask for an ice cream cone instead (valued at $1.69). This is an easy way to make the most out of your Happy Meal if you don’t want your toy. This option is not available through the McDonald’s Rewards app, so you’ll have to be in store or in the drive-thru to ask an employee directly.
Not all McDonald’s toys are going to be valuable, but certain characteristics improve the likelihood.
Typically, there are two different criteria that can make a McDonald’s toy more expensive in the future: 1) they use the original McDonald’s characters or designs, or 2) they are a riff on an item that’s already a popular collectible (such as Beanie Babies in the early 2000s).
It’s not always easy to know in advance which toys will be sought-after collectibles in the future, but those criteria will point you in the right direction. Don’t expect your “Sing 2” themed toys from late 2021 to fetch a pretty penny; not all toys are created (and collected) equally.
2023 Happy Meal toys
According to the kids’ meal wiki on Fandom, here’s what Happy Meal toys are coming in 2023:
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie toys (December 2022/January 2023)
- Mickey and Friends (January/February)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February/March)
- DreamWorks All-Stars (March/April)
- We Baby Bears (April/May)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May/June)
- Elemental (June/July)
- The Marvels (July/August)
- TMNT: Mutant Mayhem/The Barbie Movie (August/September)
- Power Rangers 30th Anniversary/My Little Pony: Make Your Marks (September/October)
- Happy meal playset (October/November)
- Wish (November/December)
- 100 Years of Disney (December/January 2024)
Cactus Plant toys are the most valuable in recent history.
Many of us can remember the hysteria that surrounded the Teenie Beanie Babies in the early 2000s, some of which are still being sold for $8,000 each on eBay. That being said, here are the most expensive McDonald’s Happy Meal toys that you should know about. Keep in mind that these are estimated prices based on the resale market, so prices can change:
- NeoPets (2004): A set of 16 NeoPet plushes sold for $59.99 on eBay
- Lego Bionicle (2001): A set of six McDonald’s Bionicle sets sold for $100.99 on eBay
- Halloween McNuggets (1992): All six McNugget characters sold for $110.50 on eBay
- Pokemon Battle Match Cards (2021): A set of unopened Pokemon Battle Match Cards from 2021 specifically can sell for $202.50 or more on eBay.
- Cactus Plant (Adult Happy Meal) figures (2022): Just one of these figures can sell for up to $2,000 on eBay, but the average we’ve seen is around $159.
Kids can find free games and activities at the Happy Meal website.
If you want to know which Happy Meal toys are available now, all the info on the current items are on the Happy Meal website. It’ll let you know every McDonald’s toy available during each weeks-long promotion, and they even include free activity sheets that you can print from your personal computer.
