This Vintage Happy Meal Toy Is Worth A Bunch Of Money Today

Global fast food giant McDonald's dates all the way back to 1940, but its iconic Happy Meal didn't come about until June 1979. The first Happy Meal toy set was rather random: a stencil, a puzzle lock, McDonaldland character erasers, and spinning tops, among others. It didn't take long, however, for the Golden Arches to realize that it was sitting on a goldmine and to start churning out wildly popular collections of Happy Meal toys based on video games, movies, toy franchises, and other aspects of popular culture. Today, determining which vintage Happy Meal toys are worth the most money can be difficult, since waves of nostalgia are forever rocketing different old-school prizes to the top of eBay listings. With some of these toys potentially worth a small fortune, it bears investigating whether you have any old specimens sitting in your attic.

Of particular note in the annals of Happy Meal history is a series of toys that weren't based on a popular third-party IP but on McDonald's lore itself. McNugget Buddies, which debuted in the late '80s, feature plastic toys of Chicken McNuggets with removable costumes. McD's may not have invented the chicken nugget, but it sure as heck was the one to dream up the idea of dressing plastic effigies of your food in cute outfits, not unlike a protein-packed Mr. Potato Head. Especially popular with collectors is the 1992 release of McNugget Buddies, which were garbed in classic Halloween apparel: a vampire, a ghost, a witch, and so on. A full set of these nuggies, combined with the display board they were fastened to in restaurants, can sell for hundreds of dollars.

McNugget Buddies first appeared in Happy Meals in 1988, followed quickly by releases in 1992, 1994, and 1996. For a long time, millennial collectors could only trade around the vintage sets, spending increasing amounts of money on plastic nuggets dressed like police officers, cowboys, or scuba divers. In 2023, however, McDonald's made a calculated decision to awaken the nostalgia monster lurking in aging '90s kids and released a new set of McNugget Buddies in December 2023, in conjunction with DJ and style influencer Kerwin Frost. The Happy Meals were only available for just under three weeks and featured McNuggets dressed in the finest modern street style. Today, full sets of these nugs in their original packaging, including the rare chase character Golden Nugget, can top $100. The Golden Nugget by itself is worth at least a 20-spot.

If you are considering selling your own cache of McNugget Buddies, there are a few things to keep in mind. Namely, the condition of your toys matters a lot. Pristine specimens fetch the highest value, especially if they are still wrapped in the original plastic. Unwrapped toys should be clean and free of chipped or peeling paint, discoloration, or other defects. A full year's set of these is worth a premium. Alternatively, if you have a bunch of miscellaneous Buddies from various years, you can sell them as a lot, which could still be worth a pretty penny. Of course, you could always hold onto your own toys for the sheer nostalgia factor.