Enjoy an easy meal for kids when you order a Happy Meal® with options like a Hamburger or Chicken McNuggets®, complete with kids fries, apple slices, choice of beverage, and a Happy Meal toy!

Bob Bernstein The company gave the development of the product to Bob Bernstein, who then came up with the idea for the Happy Meal. In 1977, the McDonald's restaurant owner clients who regularly met with Bernstein were looking for ways to create a better dining experience for families with kids.

1979. The Happy Meal was born! The box had a circus theme and came with fries, cookies, a soft drink, and a toy. The toys were “McDoodler” stencils, “McWrist” wallets, small bracelets, puzzles, erasers, or spinning tops.

- Price Range: $4 – $8 depending on location.

It was something of a revelation, and he realized that “kids want something to do when they eat.” So Bernstein and his team decided to create a kids' meal box for McDonald's, with the company's golden arches as handles and puzzles, riddles, games and comic strips on the outside for kids to engage with while they ate.

Guatemala Hispanic Heritage: Happy meals migrated from Guatemala The McDonald's Happy Meal has become a childhood staple around the world, but few know the marketing idea began in Guatemala as "Ronald's menu." What happened: Jose Maria Cofiño and Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño founded the first McDonald's in Guatemala in 1974.

The Innovator's Tale: Yolanda Fernández de Cofiñ It wasn't too long after acquiring the franchise that she realized the portion sizes were a little too big for children. Looking to market her new restaurant as a place for families, Cofiño came up with the idea of a kid's meal.

The McDonald's Happy Meal has become a childhood staple around the world, but few know the marketing idea began in Guatemala as "Ronald's menu." What happened: Jose Maria Cofiño and Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño founded the first McDonald's in Guatemala in 1974.

(Deep breath.) The limited-time eats will include a choice of 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Quarter Pounder with Cheese or Big Mac Sandwich along with medium fries, a medium soft drink and the newly-branded Sweet 'N Sour Sauce.

It seems McDonald's 2022 McRib "farewell tour" was nothing but a ruse. The famous (or infamous) barbeque-slathered pork sandwich will return from its brief retirement for the 2023 fall season, McDonald's confirmed Wednesday.

With more than 38,000 McDonald's restaurants all over the world, it may not be surprising to learn that the fast food giant sells about a billion (with a "b") Happy Meals a year to toy-fixated children (about 2.7 million per day).

Since 2012, we've made changes to the U.S. Happy Meal menu in favor of a well-balanced menu, including: Adding apple slices or Yoplait® Go-GURT® Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt to every Happy Meal. Featuring bottled water as a beverage choice and removing soda from Happy Meal Menu boards.