Ah, the Happy Meal! Boy, did I love it!
There is no doubt that McDonald's knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to include toys in their Happy Meals.
Step forward a few decades, and some of these toys are worth a fortune!
So after reading our list, you might want to dig around your attic because you might be sitting on several hundred dollars worth of Happy Meal toys.
The 15 most expensive Happy Meal toys
The list of Happy Meal toys and figures mentioned below has been compiled from various sources on the web, such as the Mirror and Wikipedia.
Here are the 15 most expensive Happy Meal toys:
15. Hot Wheels (1983)
Estimated value: $ 40
Hot Wheels was introduced by an American toy maker Mattel in 1968 to compete Matchbox.
The die-cast car brand has become one of the most popular toys of all time, and in 1983 McDonald's decided to jump on the bandwagon and release a set of 14 Hot Wheels cars in their Happy Meals.
A few decades later, each of the 14 small cars is now worth around $ 40.
14. Clone Wars Lunch Box (2008)
Estimated value: $ 50
In 2008, McDonald's released a Star Wars themed Happy Meal to ride the wave of Star Wars: Clone Wars series that operated in 2008 and 2009.
If you find yourself in possession of one of the cardboard boxes the meal arrived in, you might be looking at a $ 50 candy in your back pocket, as they are now considered a very desirable collector's item.
13. Food processing (1987 and 1989)
Estimated value: $ 70
McDonald's produced a series of Transforming toys for their Happy Meals between 1987 and 1989 called "Changeable".
The toys were able to transform into food items on the company's menu, such as burgers, fries, soda and ice cream.
Now, some of the editable items are estimated to be worth $ 70 each.
12. Potato Head Kids (1987)
Estimated value: $ 100
In 1987, McDonald's released a line of miniature Mr. Potato Head dolls with their Happy Meals.
Toys have proven to be very popular among their target demographic.
And now, if you can get your hands on a full set of Potato Head Kids, you can expect to sell them for around $ 100.
11. Jerry the Minion (2013)
Estimated value: $ 120
Jerry the Minion was released in McDonald's Happy Meals in 2013, to coincide with the release of Despicable Me II.
Considering the popularity of the movie franchise, it's no surprise to find that these little plastic figures are pretty good today.
If you have an unopened Jerry the Minion figure in your possession, it could be worth up to $ 120.
10. Furby (2000)
Estimated value: $ 120
Throughout the 90s, children in the United States were fascinated by these tiny stuffed toys.
McDonald's has followed the trend and has released a range in its Happy Meals.
Today, a clip-on Furby from the Happy Meal series could sell for up to $ 120 on auction sites like eBay.
However, if you have a full set, you might need a lot more money.
9. Snoopy (2000)
Estimated value: $ 180
McDonald's released a set of Snoopy toys to include in their Happy Meals in the early 2000s to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Collectors around the world believe the toys are extraordinarily collectable and therefore are willing to pay up to $ 180 to get their hands on a complete set.
8. 101 Dalmatians (1996)
Estimated value: $ 220
In 1996, McDonald's released a series of 101 Dalmations action figures with their Happy Meals to tie in with the film's release.
The toys have proven to be extremely popular, with people lining up outside McDonald's restaurants to try and get their hands on a full set of Dalmatians.
Today, a full set is worth around $ 220. But even one or two individual figures alone are worth a bob or two.
7. Mario (1994 and 1998)
Estimated value: $ 250
Being one of the most popular video game characters of all time, it was fitting that McDonald's featured a series of Mario toys in their Happy Meals.
Well, in 1994 and 1998 McDonald's decided to capitalize on the Mario saga by releasing eight different Mario figures in their Happy Meals.
In today's market, you can get what you pay for if you have a full set, as sales are known to hit $ 250!
6. Fraggle Rock (1992)
Estimated value: $ 300
Fraggle Rock was a children's puppet television series, released in 1983, that followed a group of interconnected Muppet creatures.
The show proved to be relatively popular with kids, so McDonald's released a line of Happy Meal toys to ride the Fraggle Rock hype.
Nowadays, these toys are so rare that they are almost impossible to find.
So if you can manage to find a set of four, you can expect to sell them for around $ 300!
5. Inspector Gadget (1995)
Estimated value: $ 350
Who doesn't love Inspector Gadget ?!
McDonald's new to how popular the original cartoon series was, so they decided to release their own Inspector Gadget Happy Meal toy in 1995, to coincide with the Inspector Gadget movie.
Toys are now hard to find, which is why you plan to pay around $ 350 for one.
4. Power Rangers (1994)
Estimated value: $ 350
A full set of " Mighty Morphin " Power Rangers, including all vehicles, is now worth around $ 350.
The Power Rangers have been such a success and have been so loved by millions of children around the world that McDonald's couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in some of the hype.
The figures were included in McDonald's Happy Meals in 1994, during the height of the Power Ranger mania.
3. Robots by Diener Keshi (1979)
Estimated value: $ 400
Released in 1979, it's still unclear what these Happy Meal toys are supposed to be, however, decades later, and they're now worth mega dollars!
Due to their age and darkness, any of these Happy Meal bots can fetch around $ 400!
So, dig through some of your old boxes and see if you have any lying around.
2. Underwater monsters (1979)
Estimated value: $ 400
These Happy Meal toys were from the same series as Diener Keshi's Robots and are currently valued at $ 400.
Again, just like robots, not much is known about these tiny plastic figures except that they are supposed to be some kind of underwater aliens, but no one knows for sure.
1. TY Teenie Beanie Boos (2000)
Estimated value: $ 450
The most expensive Happy Meal toys are the Teenie Beanie Boos from TY.
The toys are similar to their Beanie Baby cousins and were included in McDonald's Happy Meals on June 13, 2000.
Over the years, they have become more and more sought after by collectors.
Individually, they're not worth that much, but if you have a full set of Beanie Boos in perfect condition, you might consider selling them for $ 450!
summary
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 15 most expensive Happy Meal toys.
You never thought that a toy that was offered for free could now be worth several hundred dollars, right?
Well, I guess we just proved that theory wrong, because that's exactly what has happened to some of McDonald's Happy Meal toys over the years.
If you enjoyed this list, check out:
Here's a quick recap of the 15 most expensive Happy Meal toys:
- TY Teenie Beanie Boos (2000)
- Underwater monsters (1979)
- Robots by Diener Keshi (1979)
- Power Rangers (1994)
- Inspector Gadget (1995)
- Fraggle Rock (1992)
- Mario (1994 and 1998)
- 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Snoopy (2000)
- Furby (2000)
- Jerry the Minion (2013)
- Potato Head Kids (1987)
- Processing food (1987 and 1989)
- Clone Wars Lunch Box (2008)
- Hot Wheels (1983)
