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In October 2022, we saw a first from McDonald’s: Adult Happy Meals. It not only had an adult-sized McDonald’s meal, but it also came with a toy for adults. It only lasted for a month, so while we can’t get the exclusive Happy Meal toys that were released — they’re selling for big bucks online — we can still get adult Happy Meals no matter what season.
We’ll show you all the ways that you can get an adult Happy Meal and even how to save money on all your Happy Meal purchases.
There are even more ways to get free McDonald’s (and even some exclusive McDonald’s secret menu items that you should know about).
The official Cactus Plant Adult Happy Meal promotion ended on Oct. 31, 2022.
The official Adult Happy Meals from Cactus Plant ended on Oct. 31, 2022. They came with a 10-Piece McNugget or a Big Mac, medium fries, a medium drink, and an exclusive Cactus Plant Happy Meal toy. Each Cactus Plant Happy meal cost $10.79, making it $2.40 more expensive than just buying a Big Mac or 10-Piece McNugget combo.
The toys are based on a few original Happy Meal toys from the 1980s and resembled one of three classic McDonald’s (Birdie, Grimace, and Hamburglar) and a fourth original character called Cactus Buddy. Each toy had four eyes as homage to Cactus Plant’s original branding.
This promotion was the first of its kind. In the past, McDonald’s has paired up with artists and clothing brands to give us merchandise and special meal combos or sauces, but we’ve never seen specific Happy Meals geared toward adults. Unfortunately, there has been no news on if McDonald’s will be brining this promotion back.
The easiest way to get an Adult Happy Meal? Create your own by purchasing a toy separately.
Want a bigger meal but still want the Happy Meal experience? (And by that, we mean the toy.) McDonald’s sells Happy Meal toys separately for $1.59 – $1.69 depending on your location. You’ll be restricted to the Happy Meal toys that are available that month, but if you have a preference for which toy you want, you can ask for that toy.
You can purchase your own Cheeseburger or Chicken McNuggets meal for $7.99 – $8.59, so you’d be paying at least $9.58 for your DIY Adult Happy Meal.
NOTE: In October 2022, McDonald’s also released the McDonald’s Halloween Buckets which cost the same as a regular Happy Meal toy if you purchased it separately. However, if you purchased a Happy Meal, you’d get the bucket and toy without an additional fee.
Adults can totally order the ‘regular’ Happy Meals, if you’re cool with the portion sizes.
The only age restriction on a Happy Meal is that they must be 2 years or older. That means you can get a Happy Meal as an adult — no questions asked.
Currently, there are three different McDonald’s Happy Meals. Each one comes with a main entree, apple slices, kid-sized fries (which are smaller than a small), a small drink, and the toy. Toys change seasonally at least once a month, so you can expect something different every month.
Here are the different types of Happy Meals that you can get:
- Hamburger Happy Meal: $4.09
- 4-Piece McNugget Meal: $4.49
- 6-Piece McNugget Meal: $4.79
Use your McDonald’s Rewards account to get a free Happy Meal when you redeem 6,000 points.
With the McDonald’s Rewards program, you can earn 100 points for every $1 spent. Once you reach 6,000 points ($60 spent), you can use your points to redeem a free Happy Meal. You’ll be able to choose which Happy Meal you’d like, but you can’t use any other deal or redeem another reward with your free Happy meal.
