15 Wild McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys Based off Movies

Let’s be honest: no one buys a Happy Meal for the meal. You’re not buying a Happy Meal for the apple slices or little cheeseburger (which is quite tasty) but for the fun little toy inside.

Whether you want to play or expand your collection, Happy Meal toys have become a fascinating hobby for children or adult collectors. This is especially true for movie-based toys for the next mega-franchise or another forgettable flop.

Even Happy Meals for successful movies don’t always lead to well-made toys. In cases like this, it can be fun to sit back and gawk at everything that went wrong.

1. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)

While the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is more fondly remembered than the 2017 reboot, longtime fans are still divided over the puzzling creative decision to have the Rangers out of their costumes for the majority of the movie.

At least the 1995 movie delivered on the Zord action, which is represented in these Happy Meal toys of the Power Rangers riding their new respected Zords. All of which hold up much stronger than the CGI effects of the film itself.

2. The Flintstones (1994)

The Flintstones might be remembered more now for their delicious chewable vitamins and their so-so cereal. But they were popular enough to receive a live-action movie in 1994 starring John Goodman as Fred Flintstone.

The momentous event inspired Happy Meal toys of the citizens of Bedrock riding in their foot-powered vehicles to their favorite rock-pun establishment. Even Dino has a vehicle of his own, like he’s Yoshi entering a Mario Kart tournament.

3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

And the award for most unintentionally creepy Happy Meal toys goes to this 2001 tie-in for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

There’s no denying that the 1937 animated movie is a classic, and clip-ons are a fun idea for a throwaway product. But making these accessories actual heads of the characters makes it look like you’re holding a cursed voodoo head of Dopey.

4. Inspector Gadget (1999)

If for any reason you find yourself in a heated argument about whether or not Inspector Gadget is a Voltron, you can cite this 1999 McDonald’s toy as Exhibit A.

These Happy Meal toys are based on the live-action Disney movie starring Matthew Broderick as the dimwitted cyborg detective. Each toy was based on a body part that could be fused to make the big man himself, like the Power Rangers using their Zords to form the Megazord. A ridiculous, but undeniably cool concept for a Happy Meal movie toy.

5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

With a franchise as massive as Star Wars, there’s bound to be some questionable merchandise releases now and then. For the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, McDonald’s released a line of bobble-headed Star Wars toys that had the cast riding their signature spaceships with their gigantic heads popping out on top.

All the toys looked like they belonged in a knock-off Mario Kart game for mobile, but Chewbacca’s dopy look was almost enough to make the whole thing worth it.

6. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Posters (1982)

Perhaps it speaks to the uncertainty of whether or not Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi movie in 1982 would become a hit, but E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has the unfortunate honor of having one of the most bewildering Happy Meal movie tie-ins.

It’s not that the movie’s Happy Meal toys were notoriously bad, but the prize being one of four movie posters seems unaspiring for children who want actual toys. Adult movie fans yearning for the nostalgia of the 80s would absolutely love these E.T. posters, though.

7. The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)

Speaking of unfortunate events, The Lego Ninjago Movie from 2017 had the terrible luck of being the second animated Lego movie in the same year as The Lego Batman Movie. By the third Lego movie, public interest in the franchise was wearing thin, leading to its inevitable demise at Warner Bros. Discovery.

Little interest in The Lego Ninjago Movie was definitely felt in its official Happy Meal toys, as McDonald’s went with a simple camera over any interesting ninja or Lego-related accessories.

8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

There’s no better example of how poorly girls and women were thought of when it comes to superheroes than the gender-based Happy Meal toys that were released for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

The boys get all the cool toys, like action figures or a Spider-Man face mask, while the girls are left with cliche fashion products. It’s even more insulting when you remember what happens to Gwen Stacy, the only important female character in the movie.

9. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Even in its heyday, Star Trek has struggled to win over the attention of younger audiences. Collaborating with McDonald’s for a line of Happy Meal toys for the first 1979 movie was definitely the right move, but there were two problems.

One, Star Trek: The Motion Picture… was definitely an experience, to put it mildly. Two, the Happy Meal toys were boring iron-ons instead of fun sci-fi items like blasters or spaceships. At least the Happy Meal ads had Klingons in them.

10. The Real Ghostbusters (1986)

When one thinks of Ghostbusters, they think of proton packs, the Ecto-1 and the hilarious antics of Bill Murray. The last thing on anyone’s mind is school supplies.

And yet, for reasons unknown, McDonald’s used pencils, erasers and other lackluster items to promote The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. These disappointing toys aren’t even worth feeding Slimer to.

11. Batman Returns (1992)

Today, Batman Returns is highly regarded as one of the greatest live-action comic book movies ever made. However, the 1992 Tim Burton movie was considered a misfire for making less money than its predecessor, with many pointing the finger at the sequel’s darker (and more bizarre) atmosphere.

That’s why it’s funny to look at the Happy Meal toys for Batman Returns, which tried to add some whimsy to the grim superhero movie. Batman, Penguin and Catwoman are all riding in cartoonish vehicles like they’re about to compete in the Wacky Races.

12. Mulan (1998)

The 1998 animated Mulan movie is fondly remembered for a lot of things. A wonderful coming-of-age story about a woman proving she’s just as strong, if not stronger than a man. Insanely catchy tunes like “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”

Eddie Murphy playing a cartoon animal that wasn’t Donkey. Top spinners? Not so much. Which is why it’s so weird that the Happy Meal toys for the Disney movie reimagined all the characters as spinning tops. That said, Shan Yu as one of the spin-top toys is a hilarious inclusion.

13. Hotel For Dogs (2009)

Hotel For Dogs is a movie about a hotel for dogs. It’s a middle-of-the-road family movie with no A-list celebrities or marketable brand behind it, which makes it all the more odd that this was chosen for a Happy Meal tie-in at McDonald’s.

Especially when the toys are stuffed dog toys that are cute but are no different from the generic plushies one can find at the Dollar Store.

14. Night At The Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian (2009)

Given the historical setting, there’s a lot of fun to be had in developing Happy Meal toys based on Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. And to its credit, there are some amusing figurines here, like the little bobblehead of Albert Einstein or the T-rex skeleton.

However, you also have a creepy mini figure of Ben Stiller attached to a goofy-looking Octopus and suddenly I’m no longer hungry for my cheeseburger.

15. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

It takes a lot of effort to make Funko toys look more appealing, but Marvel and McDonald’s found a way with their eye-popping lineup of superhero toys for Avengers: Endgame. Literally eye-popping. Thor’s eyes are about to escape his face, while the Hulk acts like he’s being Thanos Snapd on the inside.

The best-looking Marvel toy of the bunch is Iron Man, but only because he’s wearing a helmet to hide the pain.