McDonald's Is Begging You To Stop Ordering Adult Happy Meals
It all started off so well, didn't it? Sadly, the Adult Happy Meal promotion from McDonald's is already causing havoc. It's true that there's nothing stopping a fully-grown adult ordering a normal Happy Meal, but still, something feels a little off about it, doesn't it?
McDonald's knew it was onto a winner with the Adult Happy Meal - whisking us back to those nostalgic days when you'd ask your mum if you could have Maccies for tea. She'd pull into the car park, where you'd pile out and fight with your siblings over who got which Beanie Baby, simultaneously consuming copious amounts of e-numbers. The Lion King was probably on at the cinema, and you'd dash home to watch The Simpsons. It was a simpler time that McDonald's is trying to unlock a core memory of with the Adult Happy Meal.
What's The Deal With Adult Happy Meals?
We love a good bargain here, and being able to relive your childhood without the stigma of being a 33-year-old ordering a Happy Meal works for us. The limited edition Cactus Plant Flea Market Happy Meals include some dodgy-looking toys that seem like they've been inspired by something you'd see on Rick & Morty. Mascots Birdie, the Hamburglar, and Grimace all have four eyes (for some reason), but it's actually a collab with the streetwear brand, Cactus Plant Flea Market.
It's not all a Ronald McDonald's PlayPlace, though. Posting on Reddit in the McDonald's employee subreddit, one member of staff claims there's a rush on the Adult Happy Meals that are making their jobs harder. Although the anonymous person may have made up that they work at the fast food giant for the clout, we're inclined to believe them. According to the OP, there's a deal where you buy one Adult Happy Meal and get another for a dollar, which is decimating the order system.
Warning that promos are the thorn in the McDonald's employee's side, someone else replied, "I think the last time McD didn't have any promotions or anything on sale was like 1983. Multiple discounts are here to stay. Forever." Someone else said, "We ran out of the meal boxes yet kept selling the meals just with the toy and had full-grown adults go off on us for their boxes. Orders on ubereats and doordash were overflowing too. It was hell seeing 100 nuggets on screen at a time. Oh and we also have the BOGO. Thank god our ice cream was actually down."
Why Are We Obsessed With Happy Meals?
Click to enlargeYou only have to look on auction sites like eBay to find Teenie Beanie Babies, Pokemon Cards, and pretty much any McDonald's promo from over the years being flogged for money. If you search Adult Happy Meal right now, you'll find whole sets or singular toys being sold for silly sums. For those who live in the UK, they can pay £17 for a Grimace toy, and then, an extra £13 postage from the USA. Of course, those in the USA can walk into a McDonald's and then whack the toys on eBay, where some poor fool will pay over the odds for it. Well, at least it will keep you in Adult Happy Meals.
The latest promo shows we're still obsessed with McDonald's promotions. You might remember the madness of the Pokemon Cards promo, where employees had to limit the number of Happy Meals you could buy. Still, that didn't stop scalpers. Only recently, a McDonald's employee was arrested when they were accused of stealing Pokemon Cards from the promo. The Adult Happy Meal promo runs from October 3 until October 30, and with such a short window, expect things to get worse. We salute you, brave McDonald's workers.