Happy Meal Toys

I loved to go to McDonald's when I was a child.   I have very fond memories of going there for a special treat after the school play when I was in elementary school.   When I was older, our McDonald's got a drive through and you could get your happy meal and if your mom or dad wanted to pay extra, you could get the collectable glass with your order.

There were toys in those happy meals.   My mother always joked that I could put whatever little piece of plastic contraption/puzzle/toy was included before she had gotten to the instructions to read how to assemble it.  I don't really remember what the toys were that came in the happy meals, but I remember mostly playing with them from time to time and then throwing them away.   Years later, I heard some people had kept their entire collections and could sell them for something like twelve dollars (or perhaps it was more) on eBay.

Then there was that time when you could get Beanie Babies with your happy meal.   Or maybe you had to buy them as extras.   Either way, that was a craze I was thankfully too old to care about so I missed it completely.

What I do remember was that those happy meal toys were always something little, but nothing really special.   Today, the happy meal toys at McDonald's are serious business.   They do interesting things.   Some have batteries and now, they even have their own video games with them.

That's right, you go and get that three-dollar-ish happy meal for your child and you get a cool toy that will last a long time because it's built not to break like those dollar store toys.   And the battery-based toys are good too: we still  have one that still sings when the button is pressed a year-and-a-half after getting it.

But let's get to this free video game bit.  There are series of toys that are happening at any given time.  Usually they're movie-based because hey, it's all about merchandising and advertising, right?   There are boy toys and girl toys (you'll get asked which you want when you place an order for a happy meal.)  And no offense to the girls out there, but don't bother with the girl toys.   They're usually cute, but a lot of times don't do anything.   In my household, we like things that do stuff.

So you get your toy from the Lego movie or the item from the Spy Gear series and your child opens it and runs about with it for a while.   While they're doing that, download the McPlay app on your phone or tablet and open it up.    Then have your child bring that toy back over to you for a minute.   Tell the app that you have a happy meal and it will turn on the camera on your device.   You hold up the toy and angle it to match the overlaid picture on the screen.   When you get it just right, their recognition software confirms you have the toy, the app makes some happy sounds and disco, you have a new video game your little happy kid can play on your device.

You know what's coming, right?   This is one of those, "when I was young..." posts.  And yeah, wow. Some of the toys that come for free with a meal these days are ones I would have saved up cereal tops for and mailed off only to wait eight weeks for arrival.    And video games?   Don't even get me started.   When video games were around when I was older, they were a precious and much coveted commodity.

A lot has changed since I was a child, including the food in those happy meals.   Today my children do eat fries and nuggets, but they also eat apple slices, yogurt and drink milk.  So I'm a fan of the McDonald's Happy Meal.

The Big Boy Update:  Volcanos and Lava.   My son did not want to watch a cartoon this evening or a kids movie.  Instead, he asked my husband to put back on the show with the volcanos and lava.   My husband searched Netflix and found that the show Nova had an episode titled, "The World's Deadliest Volcanos."   When he asked if that's what my son wanted, my son said that it was.  He watched the show until he fell asleep on the couch after bedtime.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter was shopping with me at Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday.   As we approached the register I got out the slew of discount coupons that have been stacking up in our coupon holder.   She said to me, "can I help you with the poocons?"   I explained to her she could call them, "coupons" but no matter what I (or the two very nice ladies behind me) said, she was sure they were called, "poocons."

Fitness Update:  Seven miles.   I got a twenty-four hour something or other and twisted my ankle so it's been a bit since I did anything other than eat holiday food and celebrate the new year.    My pace was poor, but I was out there.