McDonald’s is part of many people’s childhoods. And, for good reason — back then, the fast food chain always tried their hardest to appeal to kids, and with their colorful characters and yummy food they managed to do just that. However, the popular restaurant has gone through a ton of changes between then and now.
For one, they weren’t quite as focused on providing healthy options until recent years. Known for their burgers, they occasionally added a few healthier options in, but didn’t make them a priority. Just last year, McDonald’s introduced fresh beef in their quarter pounder patties, and the difference in taste is incredible. Additionally, their famous McNuggets are now free of artificial preservatives. In fact, all of their burgers had a similar makeover.
But when you think back to childhood, nutritional information hardly mattered. Instead, it was all about the good, fun memories — the memories that involve ball pits, in-store character appearances, and the iconic Happy Meal. Because when you went to McDonald’s, it was a time to celebrate.
One of the best Happy Meal finds was a McDonald’s Changeable. Three sets of them came out — one in 1987, one in 1989, and one in 1990. While they look like McDonald’s products, they flip to reveal something entirely different.
Personally, I remember this particular commercial airing almost every commercial break on Nickelodeon in the early ’90s. Who knew Ronald would look best with his signature style?
Nobody ever assumed that supersizing would be discontinued, but alas! All of the sudden, the option to upgrade to a bigger portion vanished in 2004.
Teenie Babies, which were released in 1997, were one of the biggest deals out there. As you may recall, Beanie Babies were absolutely everything in the ’90s. Fans assumed that the mini versions would be just as collectible. Actual fights reportedly broke out at McDonald’s locations over these things.
These days, throwing a birthday party at McDonald’s seems a little lame. In fact, it’s possible you haven’t physically stepped into a McDonald’s in years, with the drive-thru available. But back in the day, they were everything.
Whatever happened to the Fry Kids? They appeared in a ton of commercials for McDonald’s until 1996, at least, and had their own merch. They seemed to be a staple in McDonaldland. Speaking of…
Ronald, Grimace and the Hamburgler have managed to stay in the spotlight — sort of — but nobody talks about Birdie anymore.
The ’90s were all about advertising with kids in mind, but of course, McDonald’s wanted to appeal to parents as well. Thus, in 1996, the Arch Deluxe was born. It was a burger that was catered toward adults with the tagline of “burger with a grown-up taste.”
In 2001, Ronald visited a museum and kidnapped a tour group, inspiring people to put a smile on. It quickly became a classic.
Yes, these still exist — but they were much more prominent back in the day.
For a few years, almost every kid on the block collected Halloween candy in one of these.
If you were born before 1994, you were probably the perfect age to enjoy the Toy Story 2 collectibles that McDonald’s was dishing out in 1999.
Any new burger from McDonald’s is worth trying. And much like the Arch Deluxe, the Big ‘N Tasty had a lot of press behind it. Trying to compete with Burger King’s Whopper, this burger was one of the most notable additions to the Dollar Menu. But, these days it’s gone extinct.
Surprisingly still available in some U.S. locations (like Ohio and West Virginia), the McPizza really went big in the ’80s and ’90s. Customers definitely did love the McPizza, but McDonald’s couldn’t afford to keep anything that slowed down their fast food joint, which this item did.
An interesting seasonal menu item from the ’90s, the McHotDog was truly the meal of the summer. If you’re in Japan, you don’t have to just remember what these were like — the McDonald’s locations there still sell these.
Yes, McDonald’s released an actual lobster roll in the early ’90s. It was released again for a short time in New England a few years ago, which is a pretty bold move for McDonald’s considering New England literally invented the dish.
Oh, the memories of actually eating inside the McDonald’s, instead of heading straight for the drive-thru. If you preferred eating inside (or were forced to by your parents), you’ll remember how these didn’t even turn all the way.
This wonderful addition to McDonald’s restaurants started to fade out in the ’90s, sadly. They inspired the birth of the indoor PlayPlace (which is what I remember). Still a fun time, but I could only imagine how exciting a real playground would be there — play for awhile, get your Happy Meal, play some more.
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