Happy meal toys..

[ArrabellaAM]

Right.. I know this might be a bit divisive but...

Anyone else think the new cardboard happy meal toys are absolute crap.
Like dont even bother wasting the cardboard cause it probably won't even make its way to the recycling bin level crap.

I know they've always been a bit naff but at least they were played with.

I know they are reducing single use plastics and all the eco friendly rationale.
I also know I'll be sent straight to hell for letting my child ingest a happy meal.

@CanofCant

I haven't seen these new toys, they sound rubbish though. Yes, the paper straws are terrible and go floppy really quickly when drinking a milkshake, ruins it really. I always kick myself for not remembering to keep one of my reusable ones in the glove compartment!

I hear that the paper straws aren't recycled anyway as they aren't removed from the lids when disposed of. Is that true?

Nothing is being recycled at the moment due to Covid. It all just goes into the general waste.

You can also have a book rather than a toy.

Honestly we used to throw loads of plastic toys away and it always bothered me.

I liked the previous toys you got

The Jurassic park version gave you either a book or a model to assemble which both kids loved

Spongebob ones are shit

I hope the pokemon ones are good. They will probably be trading cards again

Hate the plastic toys in mcds, kinder, magazines. Anything is better. Sometimes the plastic toys get looked at for 5 secs before going in the bin. It's a travesty.

@CanofCant

I haven't seen these new toys, they sound rubbish though. Yes, the paper straws are terrible and go floppy really quickly when drinking a milkshake, ruins it really. I always kick myself for not remembering to keep one of my reusable ones in the glove compartment!

I hear that the paper straws aren't recycled anyway as they aren't removed from the lids when disposed of. Is that true?

They're fine for what they are - basically little play sets that you fold out.

I’d like an age appropriate book, the books are too old for the children who eat a happy meal. Yes! Bring back fish fingers!

So many people on a crusade over the plastic toys yet whinging about bringing the plastic straws back because that’s something they want.

They were right to ditch the plastic toys but I think that they should have reduced the price of the meal or added a fruit bag to all meals to compensate.

While some HM toys are played with, many others end up chucked or never played with.

My kids used to live rummaging through the HM toys at our local charity shop. They sometimes found toys from films that they liked.

@mogsrus

You go for the food not the gift

Yes because it's really healthy and nutritious

@TrickorTreacle

Totally misses point of this thread, but I went to McD many times as a kid and never had a happy meal. It was all about the food like *@mogsrus* already said.

Free gifts can also be found in:

Cereal boxes
Kinder Surprise Eggs
Magazine cover gifts
Crackers

Last Xmas I didn't see crackers with plastic toys at the supermarket . They came with stickers instead.

Agree. We had spongebob boat or something. Straight to recycling (and it probably had plastic within the gloss of the cardboard which makes it non recyclable)

Use love construction cardboard things things with little tabs. What about a cardboard character with little costumes, shoes, accessories, hairstyles etc to attach? Would that keep them occupied for a while?

About 20 years ago I used to buy myself more than 1 happy meal for the Beanie toys. I had quite a collection. I didn’t go for the food.

I can think of far better places than the golden M,for a treat

Dc still get a happy meal plus extras off the pound saver menu rather than an adult meal. Of course the toy is an integral part of a McDonald's meal. The top grumps were great, dd2 put all hers together to form a giant mega pack ( at the fact I've just exposed how regularly we have McDonald's) and they live in the car - used on nearly every journey. The new stuff though just goes in the bin.

To be fair my DC used to play with the plastic toys and we still have a lot of them. I’m not really sure how the beanie babies are any better environmentally? The cardboard is definitely covered in something and unlikely to be recyclable.

Also agree the books aren’t suitable for happy
Meal age really,

Even the less plastic ones that were about for a while, like the little sticker books, were much better.

I can think of far better places than the golden M,for a treat

We don't go as a treat, we go as there is one very close to the yard where we often finish with the ponies late, hungry and tired and it's quick, convenient and you don't need to leave the car when smelly with straw in your hair

They should bring back the happy toys of old like the ones in the 90s. They were ace and really good quality and actually did stuff. Like the Disney ones that are still going strong here!

@Soubriquet

I liked the previous toys you got

The Jurassic park version gave you either a book or a model to assemble which both kids loved

Spongebob ones are shit

I hope the pokemon ones are good. They will probably be trading cards again

Sadly the Pokemon cards will probably be a shitshow. In the USA scalpers were buying dozens of Happy Meals the moment the McD's opened, just to get the cards to resell and throwing the food straight in the bin.

@RaisinFlapjack

I still have some happy meal toys from when I was a kid, over 30 years old!

We had a happy meal for the first time in a long time this week and yeah, the cardboard nonsense went straight in the bin, they might as well not bother. I think you can ask for a book instead? At least those might have some use!

Somewhere there's a bag on KInder egg toys from 40+ years ago, they used to be great, like tiny, mini Meccanos, kept Dads happy for hours, then they started naff ready made stuff to appease parents who couldn't be bothered to supervise their sprogs with tiny parts!

It's good people like the plastic toys, they'll still be intact floating about the oceans in 1000 years time...

I like the books - they are the perfect length to read to my 5 year old who is still a bit young for Rauld Dhal etc.

I also know I'll be sent straight to hell for letting my child ingest a happy meal.

Well, we had a box of 20 nuggets with our happy meals on the weekend,
so I'll see you down there, in the hottest corner.

They're rubbish, literally- straight into the recycling bin they went. It's the first thing we noticed was how lame they were. I still have the Pixar characters from when DS19 was a tot. Those were the days!

@Ilovemaisie

Oh yeah the stupid straws....bring back plastic please. What really bugs me actually is they have a recycling point next to the bins. A slot to pour any left over liquid, a slot for the cups and a slot for plastic (the lid from the drinks and previously the draws). However this is apparently far to complicated for many many people. 3 slots. 3 !! Why is it so hard? Why is there always a large food bag stuffed into one of the cup slots - shoved in and blocking they whole thing so no one can put their cups in. Why is there always someone's half eaten burger loose in the plastic slot? Why? Why oh why can't people follow really simple recycling rules?

My ex used to purposely put things in the wrong slots to piss me off. He thinks recycling is a total waste of time.