When you think of Halloween the first thing that comes to mind are usually ghosts, goblins, and monsters. But what if I said it can remind some people of Mcdonalds? During Halloween, McDonalds usually does something special for the holiday. These special Happy Meal toys, along side their booklets of coupons are known around the Halloween season and well remembered among the young at heart. 

Halloween Trick or Treat Pails

     When it comes to Halloween at Mcdonald's the first thing that will come to people's minds are the trick or treat pails. They first came in 1986 and still continue to this day. The first three pails were a pumpkin, a ghost, and a witch. While the styles have changed on the pails, they are still the theme of those three characters. That was until towards the 2010s where they changed it to promotions of Book of Life, Monster High, ect. Along with a make your own silly face pail, which seems to have stuck since the first one. 

The pails are timeless, plain and simple. It's also a practical Happy Meal toy as every kid needed one for Trick or Treating, and it gave a change to the line up from toys that will just collect dust. 

Dress up toys

     So, we got our trick or treat pails, now comes the costumes, with these though they aren't for you they are however for one of the Mcdonalds Land Crew. It first started with the McDonaldland characters in 1995 and then the McNuggets the following year. Though with the Mcdonaldland characters they did come with a tape to play.  

While not as remembered as the pails, people do know of these toys and the tapes. The toys themselves were cute and had a simple idea for a simple holiday.

Candy Dispensers

     In 1998, Mcdonalds did another aspect of of Halloween, candy. However it wasn't just Halloween candy, it was candy dispensers in the shape of the Mcdonaldland characters with masks on, they did come with Nerds candy or M&Ms . But they could fit M&M Minis and small candies as well.

     While not as fondly remembered, they are still part of the Halloween line of Happy Meal toys and should be remembered at the very least because while not entirely new in the kid's meal scene, using their own characters and releasing them on a holiday known for candy makes this a bit more off the path than it could have been. 

     Looking back on these, most feel nostalgia with these Happy Meal toys, however a closer look gives them some charm. While not original at it's face, time has given them a feeling of timelessness and for lack of a better word, nostalgia. Of times of going door to door and getting candy and putting it in the pail or bag you're carrying, of dressing up in costumes. So this Halloween, with all the spooky haunts and the crisp fall air, take some time to enjoy the little things.