21 McDonald's Happy Meal Toys That Are Worth A Lot Of Money

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According to Bob Bernstein, the man widely credited with inventing the McDonald's Happy Meal, the company was skeptical about the concept. Launched across the United States in 1979, and costing $1.10, for many of us, the Happy Meal's cheeseburger and fries were our first experiences of fast food. It has since gone on to become iconic — but not for the food inside the box.

The earliest Happy Meals contained toys such as erasers and stencils but, over the years have expanded to include cool gadgets, an array of beloved characters, and entertainment tie-ins. Everyone, including celebrities, wanted them: Not even Princes William and Harry could resist the lure of Happy Meal toys when they were kids. While many of them came and went, some of Mickey D's giveaways have not only stood the test of time, they've become sought-after collectors' items. Here are 21 McDonald's Happy Meal toys that are worth a tidy sum.

There may not be that many ingredients in McDonald's fries, but they were the recipe for this successful 1997 camera, sold as a Happy Meal toy in European franchises. Although quite rare, thanks to the internet, we can get our hands on this top-notch toy. In a video from 2022, Diego at Aim Shoot Develop shows off his model and the photographs it takes. If you have one lurking in your attic, it could be more valuable than you think.

A fries cam on vintage electronics site Retrospekt sold for a fraction over $225, but it's not the only camera Mickey D's popped in their Happy Meals. In 1980, the fast food franchise partnered with Polaroid for the unimaginatively named Polaroid McDonald's. They are also rare but, if you have one and are considering selling, there's one priced at $750 on ebay and Retrospekt has one listed at more than $800, at the time of publication. 

Fans of McDonald's and Nintendo were in heaven in 1990 when the fast food giant unveiled a quartet of Happy Meal toys to mark the North American launch of "Super Mario Bros. 3" The collectibles comprised a pull-back Luigi sitting in a cloud, a hopping Koopa Para-Troopa, a spring-launched raccoon Mario, and a back-flipping Little Goomba. For under-threes, the collection also included a squeezy version of the raccoon Mario.

McDonald's scored a hit with this tie-in, because at the time Nintendo toys were thin on the ground. Fast forward to 2025 and these plastic figurines can be worth a small fortune. At the time of writing, a display that included all four toys was priced at $800 on ebay. If you have part of this set, or the rarer under-three toy, you could be sitting on a tidy sum.

In 2022, McDonald's teamed up with streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market to create one of the most popular Happy Meal toy collections ever. Aimed at adults, the box was tricked out in CPFM style, with two menus available: The Big Mac (or maybe a hacked double cheeseburger) or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets. Customers had four figurines to collect: Grimace, Cactus Buddy, the Hamburglar, and Birdie, all with CPFM's two sets of eyes.

People went wild for the tie-in, with social media whipping up consumer excitement across the country. Today, the Cactus Plant Flea Market Happy Meals are a valuable collectors' item, with one selling in 2024 for $1,500. On auction site ebay, prices for single toys and entire sets vary from $20 to a few hundred, though one ambitious seller has priced a solo Grimace toy at $15,000.

Although they weren't invented by McDonald's, Chicken McNuggets debuted on the company's menu in 1983, but bosses decided their inclusion as a Happy Meal needed a promotional nudge. In 1988, the first set of 10 McNugget Buddies was launched. Two different characters per were unveiled before the five-week campaign ended. They came back as Halloween-themed toys in 1993, and again three years later. 

The McNugget Buddies returned in late 2023 in an adult Happy Meal, thanks to a collab with New York Artist Kerwin Frost. While the range of six toys from that set were snapped up and could be solid future investments, the original line-up can fetch a pretty penny. At the time of publication, this pre-used but complete set of 10 McNugget Buddies is priced at $145 on ebay.

McDonald's delighted millions of kids (and adults) with the Happy Meal and various collectibles but Mattel took the concept to the next level in 1993. Their Happy Meal Magic series of seven playsets gave children the chance to make their own fast food out of whatever ingredients they had at home. Although strictly speaking these weren't actual Happy Meal toys, among collectors, they are inextricably linked to the concept.

Happy Meal playsets from Mattel are regularly sold online. A list of sold items from ebay shows a sealed, 1993 Meal Maker set sold in 2025 for $285. Another that came with a drive thru playset went for almost $350, while a frozen fruit snack maker sold for $399. Is it worth a rummage around the garage or attic to see if there's one hidden from your childhood? It could be.

Brands today can target their ads to individual customers, but in 1983 things were a lot simpler. In a tie-in with Hot Wheels, kids could collect up to 14 die-cast cars in their Happy Meals but here's the twist: The vehicles up for grabs were different for the east and west coasts of the United States. Just six cars were available across both sets, and these classy cars proved to be a smash hit.

Today, individual vehicles from the Happy Meal Hot Wheels sets are worth around $10 to $15 — but a complete version is another matter. Redline Collectibles is a good example. It had a 1983 Happy Meal Hot Wheels east coast collection that includes 15 cars, with an auction reserve price of $300. If you've got a west coast one, it could be worth as much.

Although a marketing firm pitched several ideas for "Star Wars"-themed Happy Meal toy ideas, it took until the 2008 movie "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" for McDonald's to release its first tie-in with the sci-fi franchise. That goes some way to explaining why the range of 18 bobblehead Happy Meal toys is so collectible today.

Some had pull back or rolling features, others, like Yoda with Republic Gunship, had sound effects, while General Grievous with Starfighter came with two lightsabers that lit up. Fans snapped up these cool toys, which are being sold online for $80 to $150. It's not megabucks but for something that cost around $1 to originally, it's a good return on that investment.

The Transformers cartoon series began in 1984 and for three years it was all the rage. In 1987, McDonald's hopped on the tail end of that bandwagon and launched one of its most successful Happy Meal toys: Changeables. The original set was designed to look like menu items: A Big Mac or a milkshake that transformed into mini robots.

Kids went crazy for them and, unsurprisingly, Mickey D's reissued these toys in 1989 with different characters and as robots in 1990. Changeables were tiny but they have become mighty among collectors of Happy Meal toys. A complete set of the original 1998 Changeables was, at the time of writing, valued at $400 on ebay, while another that includes the 1990 dinosaur Changeables is listed for $399.99.

The iconic Mr. Potato Head toy made its first appearance in 1952, and in 1986, The Potato Head Kids cartoon brought the concept to a new generation. Cue the Happy Meal toy tie-in as McDonald's sought to capitalize on its popularity. The fast food giant teamed up with Playskool to create a line of 12 characters available in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, before they were released nationally in 1992.

The Potato Head Kids toys ticked both the fun and cute buttons, and kids loved 'em. When they grew up, they also realized these forerunners of the McNugget Buddies had grown in value too. On ebay, a single figurine will cost around $12.50, while an almost complete set from 1992 is up for grabs at $69.

Some gamers may have turned up their noses at "A Minecraft Movie" but the surprise box-office hit served up some must-have adult Happy Meal merch, not to mention that spicy Nether Flame sauce. As well as a code that gave customers access to an exclusive game in the movie's world, it also came with one of a dozen limited edition figurines or Block World toys. 

Fans have posted images and updates of their collections to date on social media, but some enterprising collectors are already looking to sell. A complete set of "A Minecraft Movie" Happy Meal toys from the United States has been valued at just under $130. Given the popularity of the film and original game, it's likely that figure will increase over time.

Every child who watched "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV series when it ran from 1979 to 1985 yearned for a General Lee car. In 1982, McDonald's granted that wish with a Happy Meal toy for the ages: "Dukes of Hazzard" boxes. Instead of the usual square packaging, they came in the form of the General Lee and four other cars, including a police patrol vehicle.

Because they were flimsy (and probably played with a lot), they have become rare collector's items — with prices to match. A complete set has been known to sell for $400, but you can find individual vehicles, including Daisy Duke's car for $125. 

If you were a kid in 1998, chances are you owned a Furby, or wanted one with every fiber of your being. They were an incredible craze, so it made great business sense for McDonald's to introduce them as Happy Meal toys. The promo saw Mickey D's team up with a division of Hasbro to make the Furbies, which were snapped up by eager diners. The two companies partnered again in 2023 to mark the Furby's 25th anniversary. 

Although they were a relatively recent Happy Meal toy, Furbys have found their niche in the collectibles market. At the time of publication, a complete set of 80 furry creatures has been valued on ebay at a shade under $200, 24 original Furbys are priced at $49.99, though a full set of key chain Furbys from 2000 will set you back $70. Hang on to them if you have them and who knows, maybe that value will grow.

A year after the "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed Happy Meal boxes, McDonald's tried to repeat the success with their Ship Shape promo. It was a set of four colorful, plastic molds in the shape of various boats, which came with stickers and a tasty burger and fries inside. 

Even though the stickers came off in water and the boat shapes were a bit flimsy, collectors have recognized the value in their rarity. A complete set sold for over $349 on ebay, while a single submarine container has been priced at almost $90. Whether you're the proud owner of one or all four Ship Shape boats, you could be sitting on a small fortune.

Eleven years before the first camera phones hit the United States, McDonald's kept kids of all ages snapping with this camera, offered as a Happy Meal toy in around 1990. All you had to do was push in a roll of 110 film, point and click (then go to a drugstore and wait for them to be developed).

Compared to the fairly limited uses of many plastic Happy Meal toys, these cameras were incredible. Mickey D used them again for a tie-in with the 2001 movie "Spy Kids." Today, McDonald's 110 film cameras are highly sought after by collectors, with one rare boxed example selling for $2,225, while another at the time of writing was valued at $400.

From Jim Henson, the genius behind "The Muppets," came the colorful, musical show "Fraggle Rock." It followed the adventures of Gobo Fraggle, his family and friends, and ran from 1983 until 1987. The next year, McDonald's unveiled a "Fraggle Rock" Happy Meal series, that featured five characters in vegetable cars, as well as Gobo Fraggle and Red Fraggle figures for under-threes.

In the years since, while "Fraggle Rock" hasn't gained Muppet-level iconic status, it has a solid base of fans worldwide. If you have any of the Fraggle Rock Happy Meal boxes and toys lurking in a corner of your home, they could be worth more than you realize. An original box, complete with all five unopened toys was valued at $162 on ebay.

This cartoon hit small screens in the United States in 1986, two years after the original blockbuster movie, and ran until 1991, two years after the sequel. McDonald's marked its beginning and end with Happy Meals. The first came with school supplies, including a pencil sharpener in the form of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. The 1997 tie-in offered a range of bike toys, including an Ecto-1 siren.

"Ghostbusters" fans of all ages went crazy for the Happy Meal toys, and you can find many of them on the internet. A mint 1987 "The Real Ghostbusters" Happy Meal set is valued at just under $70, while the 1997 bike set is going for $160 on ebay. It's worth having a look in old toy boxes to see if there's any blasts from your childhood past.

McDonald's Boo Buckets were three plastic pumpkins called McPunk'n, McBoo, and McGoblin, that launched nationally in 1986 and were big enough to hold lots of Halloween candy. They skipped 1988 but the following year, McBoo had become a white ghost, and McWitch, a green bucket complete with pointed lid, joined the bunch. The Boo Buckets were discontinued in 2016, returning in 2022 and again, for a limited period, in 2024. 

Boo Buckets are collectors' items, and there are plenty that you can pick up online for a few dollars. However, if you have a set stored in your garage or attic ... that could be worth a pretty penny. A complete set from 1994, including a display was, at the time of writing, valued at almost $140.

The Charles M. Schulz cartoon canine was first drawn in 1950 but Snoopy remains as popular as ever, especially as a Happy Meal toy. McDonald's regularly partnered with the Peanuts crew including for its 50th anniversary but in 1998-1999, the beagle was front and center in the Snoopy World Tour series. 

It featured Snoopy in a wide range of national dress, with two releases. The first was in New Zealand and Asia, followed by Europe, while the second was only rolled out in South-East Asia and New Zealand. Thanks to the global reach of the internet, collectors worldwide can get their hands on the figurines, with one 27-piece set valued at $85, and another going for $89.

When McDonald's teamed up with Ty Warner, the man behind Beanie Babies, to put Teenie Beanie Babies in Happy Meals around 1996, little did they know what they were unleashing. The original set was comprised of 10 animals, including an orca whale named Splash and a moose wittily dubbed Chocolate. In 1997, McDonald's ordered 100 million Teenie Beanie Babies to cover a five-week campaign but they were snapped up in a fortnight. 

The rest is marketing history, recounted in Zac Bissonette's book "The Great Beanie Baby Bubble."  Today, Teenie Beanie Babies are still collectors' items, but there's less craziness. This unopened set on ebay is valued at $150, but it's the much rarer beanies, such as these that have a tag error, priced at $200, which go for the really big bucks.

When Mickey D's unveiled a second adult Happy Meal in 2023, fans were over the moon. The Kerwin Frost Box featured a new generation of the much-loved McNugget Buddies but the line-up included a secret nugget that wasn't listed anywhere: The golden nugget.

Officially dubbed the McNugget Legend, fans went wild trying to get their hands on one, and celebrated on social media when they did. It turned out, all they had to look for was box number TCB-775. One Australian vendor asked $1,000 in 2024 for their golden nugget, while in the United States, one has been valued at $395.

Japanese icon Hello Kitty is globally popular and McDonald's has featured the little white cat in several Happy Meal promos between 2000 and 2019. She popped up again, this time in plushie form, in a 2024 worldwide campaign that included Manga series "Yu-Gi-Oh!"

As expected, the set of 10 Happy Meal toys were quickly snapped up by fans of the iconic brands — and canny collectors. A complete — though opened – boxed set is up for grabs on ebay for a cool $100, while nine in their wrappers is valued at a cent under $75.