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This entry is trivia, which is cool and all, but not a trope. On a work, it goes on the Trivia tab.

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Kids' Meal Toy

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/happy_meal_rise_of_the_guardians_toys.jpeg
Also comes with free food!

What better way to market your franchise than to give it a fast-food promotion? It's a win-win for you and the fast-food chain. McDonald's started the Happy Meal in 1977 as a way for kids to have their own meals, accompanied with a small plastic toy. Soon, Burger King, Wendy's, etc. followed suit.

The toys tend to be gendered, sometimes even if the franchise is gender neutral. Boys get superheroes, race cars, and robots. Girls get princesses, ponies, dolls, and makeup. Though when a movie comes out, chains will forgo their gendered toys and make the movie toys for everyone.

Apart from products based on pre-existing franchises, chains also tend to make toys based on their Original Generation characters. One notable example is McDonaldland.

Despite the trope name, it's not always a toy. Some chains give out small books or coloring pages. And the franchises featured aren't always kid-friendly. There have been promotions for Twilight, The Simpsons, Avatar and more. In 1992, McDonald's withdrew their range of Happy Meal toys for Batman Returns, after complaints from parents that the film was unsuitable for children. This ties in with the Animation Age Ghetto — the mindset that if it's animated, it's for kids. Also see Misaimed Marketing.

While toys in fast food meals were really popular back in the '80s, '90s, and the 2000s, due to assorted factors, including declining sales, concerns and controversy over selling fast food to children, and environmental concerns. As such, the practice has been experiencing a continuing decline as of The New '10s, with only several of the major fast-food chains (McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, etc.) continuing the practice to this day, while others have since dropped it altogether. Even many of those that continue it, however, have mostly downplayed their presence to where there's barely much advertising for them anymore (at least, not to the extent it was back in the last few decades).

This is page lists works that have gotten kids' meal toys, sorted by restaurant chain. Compare The Merch, Free Prize at the Bottom, The Kiddie Ride, Tie-In Cereal and The Character Ice Cream Bar.

NOTE: Before adding to the page, check to make sure the work actually got a toy at a certain chain. This is a simple task, considering people sell unopened fast food toys on eBay. The Kids Meal Wiki isn't always a reliable source.

Examples:

    open/close all folders 
    Arby's 
Film — Live-Action

Literature

  • Babar got stampers and die-cast racers.

Music

  • Kidz Bop toys appeared in September of 2022.

Video Games

Western Animation

  • Hanna-Barbera Presents, a 1996 promotion that included four mini-storybooks and a paper sack, Nabisco graham crackers, a Yogi Bear & Friends Magic Decoder Puzzle, trading cards, and temporary tattoos.
  • Justice League got paper bobbleheads.
  • The Mr. Men Show got collectible figurines.
  • Scooby-Doo got a bendable Scooby figure, a kit to build the Mystery Machine, a glow-in-the-dark ghost flyer, and a decoder dangler deck.

    Burger King 
Examples of promotions from the Australian equivalent, Hungry Jack's, and the Belgium equivalent, Quick, also go here.

Advertising

  • M&M's had two sets of toys in 1997, one of which was a set of candy dispensers that came with a fun-sized pack of M&M's candies.

Anime

  • Beyblade Burst got four figures with spinning tops.
  • Dragon Ball Z: One promotion had little silver statues of the characters bundled with trading cards. Another promotion included battery action figures of Piccolo, Krillin, Goku, and Gohan.
  • Hamtaro got Halloween-themed toys.
  • Pokémon: The Series:
    • The 1999 promotion for Pokémon: The First Movie featured about 50 different toys and 151 collectible trading cards. It gained infamy for the Poké Balls causing infants to suffocate with the ball halves covering their mouths and noses. They were later recalled.
    • Some of the more iconic kids meal toys are the gold 24K Pokemon cards they released around the same time as Pokémon Yellow.
    • There was another one a year later for Pokémon 2000, but with much less danger.
    • A cross-media one based on Pokémon Gold and Silver existed using anime artwork in toy Game Boy Color systems.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! got collectible pyramid boxes with figures inside.

Asian Animation

Comic Strips

  • Peanuts: In early 2008, a set of eight Snoopy toys were sold.

Film — Animated

  • Aladdin got action figures of Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Genie, and Jafar.
  • Anastasia had two sets of toys. One came with the meal, while the other should be purchased for an extra three dollars. The toys included in the second set included a talking Bartok plush, an Anastasia doll, and a miniature battery-powered train and track.
  • The Ant Bully got toys such as an Etch-a-Sketch-esque doodler.
  • Beauty and the Beast got figures of Belle, the Beast, Chip, and Cogsworth.
  • Beetlejuice had six double-sided PVC figures released in either 1989 or 1990.
  • Chicken Run got playsets involving cannons, airplanes, and a high-wire act. Infamously, it was marketed with chicken nugget-esque products, despite the theme of the movie and the Burger King marketing itself being against eating chicken.
  • Cinderella was promoted in 1992 for the UK, with 3 wind-up toys and a paper castle and character cut-out playset.
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs got a toy of Steve, the Gelatin Jump, and a 'Snowball Catcher', among others.
  • The The Curse of the Were-Rabbit toyline from 2005 would be the last time BK licensed from Aardman.
  • A Goofy Movie had a set of five toys in 1995.
  • Happily N'Ever After was promoted in Europe.
  • Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil had a Delayed Release Tie-In in early 2010, over a year before the film was ultimately released.
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney) got wind-up action toys and hand puppets to promote its theatrical release.
  • The Land Before Time got wind-up toys. The Petrie toy in particular could squirt out water.
  • The Lion King (1994) got toys of Simba, Nala, Mufasa, Rafiki, Scar, Timon and Pumbaa together, and Ed the hyena. There was another promotion for the film's VHS release featuring finger puppets of Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki, Scar, Pumbaa, and Ed.
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas had a set of four wristwatches.
  • Oliver & Company got featured twice in 1996. One to promote the re-release of the movie, and another to promote the VHS release.
  • Open Season got a set of 7 toys.
    • The Hungry Jack's promotion in Australia featured a unique promotion with different body parts of Boog that you can put together as one big toy. Each body part came with another character from the movie.
  • Peter Pan got 5 toys for the UK in 1993.
  • Pinocchio got 4 inflatable bath toys in 1992.
  • Planet 51 got action figures.
  • Pocahontas got collectible cups, figurines, and hide-and-seek finger puppets.
  • Rango got playing cards, toys of Rango, Rattlesnake Jake, and Ms. Beans, a light-up badge, and a spinning pendant.
  • The Road to El Dorado got toys of Chel, Miguel, Tulio, and Tzekel-kan. In addition to the main protagonists and antagonist, there were also toys of El Diablo the bull, Altivo, Bibo the armadillo (as a plush instead of a plastic toy like the rest), and Tzekel-kan's stone jaguar.
  • Robots got trading cards bundled with light-up figurines. Europe features a different set of 6 action toys.
  • Shark Tale got 10 action figures of Oscar and co. Europe features a different set of 6 toys.
  • Shrek got action figures and trading cards.
  • Shrek 2 got a set of eight toys. There was also a 12 foot tall Shrek inflatable on the roofs of select Burger King restaurants.
  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs offered 4 toys for the UK to promote the film's first VHS release in 1994.
  • Toy Story not only got defictionalized versions of Woody and the gang but also hand puppets.

Film — Live-Action

Literature

Live-Action TV

  • ALF got plushies, records containing original songs, and magnets.
  • Power Rangers was featured twice. The first instance was to promote Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, and the second featured Super-Deformed figures to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary.
  • Teletubbies: There were beanbag finger puppets with a clip attached, a bonus break-apart Tubby Toast, and Kraft Foods even made a defictionalized version of the Tubby Custard as part of the promotion.

Tabletop Games

  • Pokémon: Unlike previous promotions, these were based on the trading card game rather than the anime, using Ken Sugimori's artwork.

Toys

  • Furby received a line of figures to promote the new "Emoto-Tronic" line in 2005.

Video Games

Western Animation

Other
  • Disneyland would promote the opening of their Mickey's Toontown land of the park with a set of toys. These wind-up toys featured Mickey and his friends driving or riding different toon-inspired vehicles.
  • Monster Jam had runs of toys in 2006, 2008 and 2012. One notable toy in the 2008 run was a truck based on Burger King itself (the same run used Avenger's orange paint scheme and the toy-only red design for Maximum Destruction).
  • In 1998, Burger King released a set of four figures of Action League NOW! as part of their NickelOZone promotion, which also included toys based on Cousin Skeeter, Hey Arnold!, The Journey of Allen Strange and The Wild Thornberrys. The Flesh and Thundergirl's figures were two-piece figures that could articulate at the waist, while Stinky Diver and Meltman's figures were one-piece figures.

    Carl's Jr. & Hardee's 
Film — Animated
  • The Bad Guys (2022) had a set of activity sheets starting in March 2022.
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 had a set of four toys as a tie-in with the film's Blu-ray and DVD release. There was a pull-back Cheesespider, a barrel of Shrimpanzees, a set of dominoes, and a Buttertoad game.
  • In the 1985 holiday season, five plushes based on Disney movies were released; these consisted of Lady, Bambi, Dumbo, Pinocchio, and one of the 101 Dalmatians.
  • Megamind had a set of four toys from February to April 2011. There was the Hero Meter, a figure of Megamind, the Superhero Checkers Game, and the Gloriously Bad Band.
  • SCOOB! had a set of four toys in May 2020. There was the Scoob collar, water reveal, Mystery Machine with stickers, and the mystery wristband.

Film — Live-Action

  • The Clifford the Big Red Dog movie had a kids' meal promotion in December 2020. This was the intended release date for the film in question, which would later be released in November 2021.
  • Home Alone 2: Lost in New York got punch-out figures, stickers, and cups in the 1992 holiday season.
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol got finger puppets of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo in the 1993 holiday season.
  • Yogi Bear had a run from April-June, 2011. There was a Pie Launcher, Power Canoe, Crazy Ranger Cart, and the "Old Bear" card game.

Literature

Puppet Shows

  • Eureeka's Castle received a set of four rubber stamps in 1994. These consisted of Eureeka, Batly, Magellan, and Bogge and Quagmire together.

Video Games

  • Sonic the Hedgehog:
    • In late 1996, around the time of the initial release of Sonic 3D Blast, Carl's Jr. released a set of four viewfinders featuring stock art of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik.
    • Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice had a set of four toys, which included a splat ball, a figure of Sonic, a board game, and a wrist communicator with a secret compartment. This promotion is notable in that it was released in Fall 2015, the originally planned release date for the game, despite the fact that Sega delayed the game to a 2016 release to allow more development time and to coincide with the Sonic series' 25th anniversary.

Western Animation

  • Bobby's World had a set of five circus figures in 1996. They consisted of Bobby as a ringmaster, Uncle Ted as a clown, Captain Squash as a weightlifter, Webbly in a ring, and Roger on a ball.
  • In the 2002 holiday season, Hardee's sold a set of four toys based on A Charlie Brown Christmas. These consisted of Lucy ice skating, Linus with the Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown rolling a snowball, and Snoopy on his prize-winning doghouse.
  • Cow and Chicken had a set of four toys in February and March 2000. There was the "Evil Cownevil" spring-loaded launcher, the "Watch Out For That Chicken!" wind-up car, the "Just the Tube of Us" rev-up spinner, and the "Take-Along TV" paper punch with motion screen.
  • Duck Dodgers had a set of four toys in 2005. There was the Martian Moped spring-loaded launcher, the Space Cadet bobblehead, the Lt. K9 anti-gravity crawler, and the Morph-O-Matic screen changer.
  • Fender Bender 500 had a set of five toys in 1990. These consisted of Yogi Bear and Boo Boo in the Jellystone Jammer, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss in the Lucky Trucky, Magilla Gorilla and Wally Gator in the Swamp Stomper, Dick Dastardly and Muttley in the Dirty Truckster, and Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey in the Texas Twister.
  • In the 1984 holiday season, a set of five plushes based on Mickey's Christmas Carol were released. These consisted of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Scrooge McDuck.
  • In Fall 1994, Hardee's released a set of eight race cars based on Nicktoons, with each franchise at the time having two characters; The Ren & Stimpy Show had Ren and Stimpy on rockets, Rugrats (1991) had Tommy on a rocking horse and Angelica on a tricycle, Doug had Doug in a drag racer and Porkchop on a skateboard, and Rocko's Modern Life had Rocko on the Suck-O-Matic vacuum cleaner (from "A Sucker For the Suck-O-Matic") and Spunky on a dog dish.
  • Phantom Investigators had a set of four toys given out in January 2002. Not only were they the only merchandise produced for the series, but were released months before the show premiered due to a timing error between Kids WB and Carl's Jr.
  • Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain received a set of four toys in 1999.
  • Space Goofs had a Christmas-themed promotion of five toys offered in 1998. The toys featured the aliens with detachable disguises, including Bud as a reindeer, Gorgious as a Christmas tree, Stereo as a two-headed snowman, Etno as Santa, and Candy as a chicken.
  • The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries had a set of five toys in 1998. There was a pull-back roller, a runaway chair, a chase scene top, a Sylvester squeeze squirter, and Tweety's "The Chase is on" viewer.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures had a set of four toys in November and December 2000, many years after the show had finished its original three-season run and ran for syndication. These consisted of Babs Bunny in a bobsled, Plucky Duck on a snowboard, a Dizzy Devil top, and Furrball and Sweetie in a gift box.

Other

  • In Summer 1989, Hardee's released a set of four Beach Bunnies figures. These consisted of one on a skateboard, one on roller skates, one holding a beach ball, and one holding a frisbee.

    Chick-Fil-A 
Puppet Shows

Radio

  • Adventures in Odyssey has had multiple promotions in which sample cassettes or CDs were given out with each meal, containing a single episode of the show.

Western Animation

  • VeggieTales has been featured a set of CDs containing retellings of specific episodes alongside "Silly Songs with Larry" segments.

    Dairy Queen 
Comic Strips
  • Dennis the Menace (US) recieved several promotions from the restaurant, as its titular character was its mascot from 1971 to 2001. A few examples include:
    • In 1994, toys of Dennis, Joey, Margaret, and Ruff were released. Dennis and Joey's toys were of them driving cars, while Margaret and Ruff's were figures of them with detachable costumes. Dennis drove a fire engine, Joey drove a race car, Margaret had an astronaut costume, and Ruff had a dragon costume.
    • In 1996, a set of four racers were released. These consisted of Dennis in a soapbox racer, Joey in a fire engine, Ruff in a wagon, and Margaret in a baby carriage.
    • Also in 1996, a set of four games were released. These included a vanishing game, a maze, and two wrist flip games.
    • In 1997, a set of four train cars were released. These consisted of Dennis riding an engine, Joey riding a tanker, Ruff riding a flatbed, and Margaret riding a caboose.
  • Garfield had a set of six sports figures in 1998. There were five of Garfield and one of Odie.

Film — Animated

  • Rock-A-Doodle received a set of six figures in 1992. These consisted of Chanticleer, Edmund, Patou, Peepers, The Grand Duke of Owls, and Snipes.

Film — Live-Action

  • CinderElmo had a set of four toys in 2000. There was a matching game, a puzzle book, a CinderElmo finger puppet, and a spinning theater.
  • Kermit's Swamp Years had Kermit playing his banjo on a rolling log, a Kermit and Croaker cannonballer, and Kermit sprawled on a lily pad.

Live-Action TV

  • Wishbone received a set of six toys in 1999. The toys featured were a pirate ship that could squirt water, a Trojan horse, an inflatable ball, a sand fortress, a magic carpet, and a sticker safe.

Puppet Shows

  • The Puzzle Place had a set of four moveable puzzle pieces, each one featuring one or two of the show's characters, in 1998. There was Ben, Skye, Leon and Julie together, and Kiki and Jody together.

Tabletop Games

  • Digimon had a set of seven plushes with trading cards in 2002. These consisted of Agumon, Gaumon, Guilmon, Impmon, Patamon, Terriermon, and Veemon.

Video Games

Western Animation

    Jack in the Box 
Film — Animated
  • The Powerpuff Girls Movie had a set of six toys; Punching Buttercup, Mojo Jojo's Volcano Viewer, Kung Fu Bubbles, Bulging Brains Mojo Jojo, Karate Kick Blossom, and Skyscraper Mo Mojo Jojo.

Film — Live-Action

Live-Action TV

  • Circa 2007, Yo Gabba Gabba! got finger puppets. This was also Jack in the Box's very last kids' toy promotion.

Puppet Shows

  • In 2003, The Muppets got a set called "The Muppets Take Hollywood". Available were figures of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, The Swedish Chef, and Pepe the King Prawn.

Video Games

Western Animation

    Kentucky Fried Chicken 
Western Animation

    Long John Silver's 
Film — Animated
  • Once Upon a Forest had figures of Edgar, Russel, Abigail, Michelle, and Cornelius in 1993.

Film — Live-Action

Puppet Shows

  • In Winter 1997, a set of "Winter Muppetland" figures were released. These consisted of Kermit on skis, Miss Piggy on a Snow Dish, Fozzie on an ice block, and Gonzo rolled up into a snowman.

Western Animation

    Pizza Hut 
Film — Animated

Film — Live-Action

  • Casper got glow-in-the-dark puppets of Casper, Fatso, Stretch, and Stinkie.

Live-Action TV

Toys

  • In 1994, Pizza Hut released a set of four Air Extremes building kits from K'nex. These consisted of a gyro-copter, a stunt plane, a power glider, and a windmill. Collecting all five would give one enough pieces to build the Everglades Airboat.

Western Animation

  • Darkwing Duck got posters.
  • The Flintstone Kids had character glasses of Freddy, Barney, Wilma, and Betty in 1987.
  • Marsupilami had a yo-yo, jump rope, and sports ball in Canada in 1994.
  • In 1991, Pizza Hut released a set of three plastic cups based on Nickelodeon's then-new Nicktoons; Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. The exterior of these cups changed color when filled with liquid.
  • ReBoot had figurines of the main characters. (exclusive to Canada)

    Red Rooster 
Film — Animated
  • Barnyard had toys featuring Otis, Pig, Freddy, Peck, and the Jersey Cows.
  • The Lion King (1994) had character mugs of Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and Scar.
  • Madagascar had figures of Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, and Skipper.
  • Over the Hedge had figures of RJ, Hammy, Verne, Ozzie, and Stella.
  • Shrek 2 had bobbleheads of Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and Puss in Boots.
  • Toy Story had a set of three collectible cups in 1996.

Film — Live-Action

  • The Wiggles Movie had finger puppets of Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, and Wally the Great.

Video Games

  • Sonic the Hedgehog had a pencil/pen pouch, a flip the cards memory game, a bouncy ball, an expandable flyer, and 3D cups of Sonic, Tails, and Amy in 2012.
  • Super Mario Bros. had keychains of Mario, Yoshi, Toad, and Donkey Kong in 1999.

Western Animation

  • The Simpsons:
    • In 2000, figures of Homer, Marge and Maggie together, Bart, and Lisa were released, as well as the couch.
    • In 2003, bumper cars of Homer, Marge and Maggie together, Bart, Lisa, Grampa, and Krusty were released.

    Sonic Drive-In 
Sonic Drive-In's kids' meal sets are known as Wacky Packs. They also have Original Generation characters sold in Wacky Packs, the Tots. Video Games Western Animation

    Subway 
Film — Animated

Film — Live-Action

Literature

  • Clifford the Big Red Dog had a set of four toys in 2000. There was the Doghouse Keeper, a picture frame, and two different poseable figures of Clifford, one of which rode atop a fire engine.

Live-Action TV

  • Hannah Montana received a microphone and guitar toy, alongside stickers and an MP3 download of a Hannah Montana album.
  • iCarly received four toys in 2008. These included cell phone charms, a photo holder, a mousepad, and a sculptor kit.
  • Wizards of Waverly Place received a kaleidoscope, a coin bank, a magic wand, and a stationary kit.

Puppet Shows

  • Bear in the Big Blue House received a set of four toys in 1999. Among the toys issued were a plastic figure of Bear that danced the "Cha-Cha" when a button was pressed, a Big Blue House viewfinder, Tutter's Cheese Chase, and a Pip and Pop Tub Fun roll along vehicle. Customers could also enter to win the contest "Party with Bear", where up to 25 children would win a live appearance of Bear and various products.

Video Games

Western Animation

  • Blue's Clues got several promotions between 1998 and 2000:
    • Blue's Birthday in 1998
    • Blue's Big Pajama Party in 1999
    • There were also two promotions in 2000, with one of them being Blue's Big Musical Movie
  • Bobby's World had a set of four figures of Bobby in different outfits. Besides his normal attire, there were also figures of him dressed as a knight, a cowboy, and an astronaut.
  • Gravity Falls had bags.
  • Green Eggs and Ham had a promotion in 2019. Besides the toys, a special sandwich was made for the kids' menu to tie in with it.
  • Histeria! had a viewfinder, a compass, a changing image block and a notepad.
  • Johnny Bravo had a set of four toys in 2001. There was an articulated figure of Johnny, a microphone, a comb and mirror, and a spinning toy with film reels.
  • Little Bill got figures of Little Bill as Captain Brainstorm.
  • Looney Tunes got clip-on toys of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Marvin the Martian, Taz the Tasmanian Devil, and Foghorn Leghorn in late 1999 to promote Mil-Looney-um 2000.
  • The Loud House got comics.
  • Mickey Mouse (2013) had a set of lunch bags containing jigsaw puzzles.
  • Nick Jr. had a run in 1999, including figures of the following shows:
  • Phineas and Ferb had two sets. The first one was released in 2008 and contained PVC figures of Phineas and Ferb, a race car based on the Season 1 episode, The Fast & The Phineas, and a launching rocket ship. The second, released in 2013 for "Platypus Day" was a set of reusable lunch bags.
  • The Powerpuff Girls (1998) had figures of Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Mojo Jojo.
  • Star Wars Rebels got messenger bags.

    Taco Bell 
A couple of interesting notes about Taco Bell. They started offering kids meals in 1995 and became the first major fast food chain in North America to discontinue kids' meals entirely (along with any associated toy tie-ins) in 2013. Also, in later years they offered two different kids meals, one for toddlers under the age of three and one for kids 3 and up. While the meal for older kids came with the typical assortment of anywhere from 3-5 different toys, the toddler meal usually only had one toy available at any given time that wasn't necessarily always tied to the same promotion as the older kids' meal.

Advertising

Anime & Manga

  • Cardcaptors: Five toys based on the Americanized "Cardcaptors" version of Cardcaptor Sakura were given away in 2002. This promotion drew complaints from the American Family Association which believed the Clow Cards in the series (and featured in one of the toys) were too similar to tarot cards.

Comic Books

Film — Live-Action

  • Godzilla: Taco Bell ran a massive promotional campaign for the 1998 film that included kids' meal toys, in addition to an instant-win game and other merchandise for adults.
  • Men in Black: Toys based on the 1997 movie.
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol got a set of four ornaments in the 1992 holiday season.

Live-Action TV

  • Goosebumps: Four toys were offered around Halloween in 1996 as a tie-in with the TV series then airing on Fox Kids.

Puppet Shows

  • Fraggle Rock: A series of books were available with the toddler kids meal in 2012.
  • Yo Gabba Gabba!: Board books were available with the toddler kids meal in 2010.

Tabletop Games

  • Digimon: Offered in 2000, kids' meals came with promotional playing cards, metal cards, and colored card holders.

Video Games

  • Konami: In 2011, Taco Bell partnered with Konami to offer promotional CD Roms with kids meals for one of five Konami PC games: Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, Dance Masters, Mini-Golf Adventures 2, Mini-Golf Adventures 2: Reloaded, or a 30th anniversary edition of Frogger. These were only offered to older kids; the toddler kids meal came with a different toy.
  • MySims: Kids' meals in 2010 came with either a sticker set, poster, or a free copy of the PC version of the game. These were only given to kids 3 and older.
  • Nintendo: A Nintendo 64 holiday promotion in 1997 offered five toy options. There was a climbing Donkey Kong toy, a Yoshi figurine, a Mario maze, and handheld games based on Mario Kart and Star Fox 64. Notably, unlike most kids' meal toys these were not free but were sold for 99 cents each and came packaged in gift boxes.
  • Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot: A 2000 promotion offered four different kids meal toys, two for each game: a skateboarding Crash (who could be launched off his skateboard), a scuba-diving Crash, a plush Spyro, and a spark spinner.

Western Animation

  • Ace Ventura Pet Detective: A set of four toys offered in 1997 that were very specifically based off the animated TV series and not the not-made-for-kids film.
  • Almost Naked Animals got Taco Bell kids' meal toys in 2012 under the name "Banana Cabana" (after the hotel featured in the show).
  • Batman: The Animated Series: A set of five toys were offered in 1997 under the show's rebranded title, The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
  • Cow and Chicken had a set of four toys in 1999. There was the TV Animator, the Sparking Cow, the Cereal Launcher, and the Pop-A-Wheelie Triycle.
  • Earthworm Jim: A set of four toys were offered in 1996, specifically as a tie-in with the animated TV series rather than the video game series. They included a squeeze toy, piggy bank, bowling game, and wind-up car.
  • The Flintstones (1995)
  • The Mask (1995)
  • Space Goofs (1998)
  • The Tick (1996)
  • Wild Grinders: This 2011 promotion included three different toys and a play scene with stickers.
  • Woody Woodpecker (1999)
  • Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: A series of books based on the TV show were available with the toddler kids meal in 2011.

    Wendy's 
Anime & Manga

Comic Strips

  • Garfield had a set of five toys in 2000.

Film — Animated

Film — Live-Action

  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory got toys such as an Oompa Loompa and a squirrel.
  • Elf got Christmas tree ornaments.
  • ET The Extraterrestrial received a set of five toys as a tie-in with the film's 20th anniversary. These consisted of a VHS case with a light-up figure of E.T. inside, a two-sided glow in the dark puzzle, a viewfinder shaped like E.T.'s spaceship, a calendar with three sticker sheets, and a wind-up waking figure of E.T..
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas! had a set of six toys in the 2000 holiday season. There was a light-up sleigh, a pull-back figure of Max, a sticker dispenser, a viewfinder (with red, green, and yellow variants), a Christmas list ornament, and a mirror.
  • Looney Tunes: Back in Action had toys such as a wind-up Daffy car.
  • Muppets from Space: There was a voice changer, a Kermit keychain, and an activity book.
  • Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird got promo cups.
  • Stuart Little 2 got toys such as a plane, a car, and a can of tuna.

Literature

Live-Action TV

  • Wishbone had a run in 1996, including a toy of Wishbone dressed as Odysseus.

Music

  • From April to June 2010, Wendy's offered four Universal Music Family Car Karaoke CDs. One CD, Disco Fever, was pulled after parents complained about the Donna Summer song "Last Dance" having inappropriate lyrics.

Toys

  • In the 80s, Wendy's gave out Teddy Ruxpin figurines of Teddy Ruxpin, Grubby, Newton Gimmick, The Wooly What's It, and a green Fob.

Video Games

  • Backyard Sports got a basketball pinball game and a viewer shaped like a football.
  • Carmen Sandiego: A top-secret gum pack and a travel kit.
  • Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge had a set of four toys in 2001; there was a hopping figure of Frogger with a finger pump, a maze game, a checkers game, and a digital clock.
  • Nintendo Wii: Similar to the Burger King promotion, Wendy's promoted miniature Wii remotes.
  • Super Mario Bros. got action figures in 2002 and 2004. There were also three Mario toys for a 2007 Wii promotion.

Western Animation

  • Adventures from the Book of Virtues got a coloring book and a slide viewer.
  • All Grown Up! got a set of five toys in 2004.
  • Arthur: In 2008, it got a CD-ROM game, a phone calculator, stickers, and a stationary kit.
  • Bobby's World got a puzzle and a basketball game.
  • ChalkZone had a run in 2003, including a figure of Snap.
  • Curious George was promoted twice: once in 2000, and again in 2006 to promote the movie.
  • Dexter's Laboratory got toys such as a purple spark maker.
  • Felix the Cat had a run in 1997 featuring a plush, a golden trophy, and a 3D mini-poster.
  • Hey Arnold! got bendy figures of Arnold, Gerald, Helga, and Grandpa Phil.
  • The Jetsons was promoted twice: once in 1989, and again in 1990 to promote the movie.
  • Johnny Bravo got sunglasses, a wallet, a toy of him weightlifting, a watch, and a bowling game.
  • Maya & Miguel: A fortune teller, a translator, and a DVD game.
  • NASCAR Racers: Race cars, obviously.
  • Pinky and the Brain: One particular toy was a Polly Pocket-like toy of Acme Labs shaped like Brain.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants: Included the likes of a SpongeBob notepad and a Sandy pen. The toys were branded as a promo for the SpongeBob's House Party special.
  • Teen Titans Go! had a wide variety of toys, promoted as a "party in every bag".
  • Tiny Toon Adventures had a set of four toys in 1999, many years after the show had finished its original three-season run and ran for syndication. These four toys included a Dizzy Devil top, an X-ray machine, colorful connectable figures of Buster and Babs, and a lenticular 3d photo frame where a photo of your head could be placed over Hamton's.
  • WordGirl got audiobooks and a toy of Captain Huggyface.

Misc

  • National Hockey League: In 1998, the NHL got toys including a miniature Zamboni, a hockey puck, and stickers.

    Multiple 
  • Bobby's World had a set of four toys, which were first released by Dairy Queen in 1995. These consisted of the Twister Adventure, Bobby's Bulldozer, the Globe Trotter, and Suction Webbly. These toys were re-issued in 1996 as Carl's Jr. and Boston Market's Kids' Meal toys, but with Rollin' Roger in place of the Globe Trotter. The re-issued toys were also given different names; Twister Adventure became Bobby's Silly Scrambler, Bobby's Bulldozer became Bobby's Double-Duty Dozer, and Suction Webbly became Wacky Webbly.
  • For Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, there was a massive fast-food tie-in with three different restaurants representing the major planets seen in the film: Taco Bell had Tatooine toys, Kentucky Fried Chicken had Naboo, and Pizza Hut had Coruscant.
    • McDonald's would promote the 2012 re-release with a set of spinning tops.
  • Neopets: It had multiple promotions with McDonald's and Burger King, including plushies, figurines, and sticker sheets.

    In-Universe Examples 
Film — Animated
  • Shrek 2: Parodied. The meal that Charming ordered came with a battle-axe.
  • Referenced in The Sponge Bob Square Pants Movie:
    Patrick: Well, saying you're a kid is like saying I'm a kid!
    Waiter: Here's your Goober Meal, sir.
    Patrick: Uh, I'm supposed to get a toy with this? [gets smacked in the face with toy] Thanks.

Radio

  • One sketch on John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme is about a negotiation between representatives of a fast food company and a movie studio, about putting toys based on a certain film into kids' meals. Neither of them have been involved in such a deal before, and both of them are surprised by how smoothly it's going, and how readily the other accepts their terms ... until they realise they both thought they were the one paying the other (the restaurant is using the film characters to attract customers, but the studio is using the restaurant to advertise the film) and neither of them wants to admit to head office that they went into the negotiations without knowing how they worked.

Web Animation

  • Homestar Runner: In "Drive-Thru," Strong Bad orders a "crappy toy meal" for The Cheat at the whale-shaped drive-through restaurant speaker (despite there not being any restaurant). Being told that he can only get a brown crappy toy instead of a blue one with his meal causes The Cheat to burst into tears.

Western Animation

  • In the universe of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, there exists a kids' meal known as "Silly Meals", as shown in the episode "Journey to the Center of Carl", in which Jimmy and Sheen find one of the toys inside of Carl's stomach.
    Sheen: Hey, Carl! You're supposed to play with the toys in the Silly Meals, not eat 'em!
    Carl: I know. But they always look so colorful and chewy.
  • In The Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Menu", during his trek across all the Joyful Burger restaurants, Richard nearly eats a horse toy that comes with a kids' meal, and Gumball pulls it out of his mouth before reading the meal's box, noticing the toy has more nutritional value than the meal itself and throws the toy back into his mouth.
  • Big City Greens: In "Fast Foodie", a Burger Clown restaurant opens next door to the Green family, and when they visit, Mr. Burger Clown gives them free food to celebrate Burger Clown's grand opening. Tilly gets a figure of Mr. Burger Clown that squeaks when squeezed with her meal.
  • King of the Hill: In "Aisle 8A", Peggy takes Bobby to Whataburger so she can explain how Connie has had her first period and is now becoming a woman. He doesn't take it well.
    Bobby: She can't be a woman! I'm still a kid! I even got the kids' meal! I love this toy!
    Peggy: Oh, Bobby, honey, you will catch up eventually. This year, next year, it does not matter when, because you will always be Mommy's little man.
  • Rugrats (1991): In "Hold The Pickles", Taffy takes the babies to Boingo Burger for lunch and buys each of them a Wacky Meal, which comes with either a cheeseburger or Reptar nuggets. The babies also discover that the Wacky Meal comes with a toy. Kimi's is a miniature teddy bear, Tommy's prize is a miniature figure of Reptar, Chuckie's is a miniature head of Boingo Burger's clown mascot (much to his horror), and Lil's is a finger trap.
  • The Simpsons:
  • Meh Burger from Sonic Boom has the Meh Meal. In "Knuck! Knuck! Who's Here?" and "Mombot", one of the toys sold in it is an action figure of Meh Burger's Councilman McMeh mascot. At times, the toys are extremely unsafe. A good example of this is in "Tommy Thunder: Method Actor", when Meh Burger has a tie-in with Tommy's latest movie, Dave the Intern advertises the Meh Meal toys as being "Guaranteed to have 12% fewer jagged edges". He then cuts his fingers on one, which appears to be a metal Nerf football with Tommy's face on it.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants:
    • In "Born Again Krabs", Krabs gives out free Bikini Bottomite action figures at the Krusty Krab until he realizes he is awake.
    • In "Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob", Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are hired to promote the restaurant, appearing in TV commercials for it. Kids' meals are produced featuring Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy toys. Seeing how the promotion attracted kids to the Krusty Krab, Plankton uses mind-control shampoo on the aforementioned heroes to turn them against the Krusty Krab and bring customers to the Chum Bucket.
    • In "Yours, Mine and Mine", SpongeBob buys Patrick a kid's meal (that the latter agreed to share with the former but didn't) and Patrick demands a refund. Mr. Krabs, not wanting to lose any money, inserts some straw limbs and pickle eyes on a Krabby Patty and calls it a Krabby Patty-shaped toy. SpongeBob falls in love with it, naming it "Patty Pal." The whole plot of the episode is Patrick being stingy and selfish by not sharing the toy with SpongeBob, which devastates the latter and causes conflict throughout the episode.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures: In "My Dinner With Elmyra" (part of "Love Disconnection"), Montana Max is forced to take Elmyra Duff to dinner and a movie. Monty tries to ruin his date by taking Elmyra to Weenie Burger, but his plan backfires, as Elmyra loves Weenie Burgers' Happy Baby Puppy-Face Meals, and she makes Monty buy one for her. When Monty tries to secretly order one, the manager and the toons think he's buying one for himself, prompting the latter to laugh at him. The Happy Baby Puppy-Face Meal's choices of side dish are Cutie Clown Crunchy Creamy Coleslaw or Friendly Frilly Funny Fun Fries, and the prize Elmyra gets with her Happy Baby Puppy-Face Meal is a rabbit puppet.
  • Toy Story Toons: In the "Small Fry" short, Bonnie goes to Poultry Palace, where the Fun Meal promotion at the time is for Buzz Lightyear toys. Bonnie wants a Mini Buzz figure, but the only one Poultry Palace has is for display. The Mini Buzz figure on display manages to escape and swap himself out with Bonnie's Buzz, who gets mistaken for a Fun Meal toy and taken to a support group for discarded Fun Meal toys from years past. Buzz tries to escape while Bonnie's toys try to get the Mini Buzz back to Poultry Palace.
  • T.U.F.F. Puppy:
    • In "Mission: Really Big Mission", Dudley and Kitty travel around the world to find the three pieces of T.U.F.F.'s laser system before Snaptrap does with the intent use it to heat up the Earth's Corn Belt. After T.U.F.F. loses the first piece to Snaptrap in the middle of the Pet-pacific ocean, Keswick accidentally sends the coordinates of the second piece to the Meaty Moose restaurant, and Dudley and Kitty his lunch order. Dudley and Kitty order lunch from the Meaty Moose drive-thru along with the coordinates, and Dudley asks the cashier for a toy with his meal. The toy he gets is an action figure of Meaty Moose, which he complains that he already has. When he tries to give it to Kitty, she tells him she already has it as well.
    • In "Quack in the Box", Quacky the Duck opens a fast-food restaurant called Quack in the Box, and one of the things he sells at it is a Sloppy Meal, which comes with a set of Quacktion figures, which are action figures of Quacky and his co-stars; the Sharing Moose, the Counting Cougar, the Phonics Fox, and the Math Moth. As part of his plan to get revenge on T.U.F.F. for foiling his plan to destroy the TV station in a previous episode, "Lights, Camera, Quacktion!", Quacky gives the Quacktion figures to Dudley and controls them to destroy every other fast-food restaurant in Petropolis and frame Dudley.

 
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Rio Happy Meal Toys

The movie Rio had these in McDonalds Happy Meals back in 2011.

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Rio Happy Meal Toys

The movie Rio had these in McDonalds Happy Meals back in 2011.

How well does it match the trope?

4.75 (8 votes)

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