40 YEARS OF HAPPY MEALS

A Geek Daddy received the featured products for promotional consideration

Who doesn't love a Happy Meal?! This year marks the 40th anniversary of the debut of Happy Meals at McDonalds. To celebrate the occasion, beginning November 7, 2019 while supplies last you can get limited-edition Surprise Happy Meals featuring fan-favorite throwback toys from the past four decades at restaurants worldwide. Don't miss out on picking up some of these classic Happy Meal toys because one they are gone … they're gone! Thanks McDonalds for sending us a box of these Surprise Happy Meal toys for this dad blogger to unbox.

The very first edition of the these children's meals was called the Circus Wagon Happy Meal which became available nationally in the United States in 1979. Happy Meals in their first years featured decorative boxes with a variety of themes and included prizes such as a spinning top or an eraser in the image of a McDonaldland character. These eventually evolved into the iconic red boxes with golden arches for a handle that contains a collectible toy that we are all familiar with now.

Over the years Happy Meal toys have been associated with promoting movies, toy lines, and McDonalds' mascots. My favorite toys have to have been the Looney Tunes character action figures dressed up as DC Comics super heroes that were a promotion in the mid-90s. I still have one of these, the Tasmanian Devil dressed up as The Flash, which stays on my office desk as a cherished keepsake. Do you have a favorite McDonalds Happy Meal toy?

From November 7 - 11, McDonalds Happy Meals will each have a blind bag in them which will contain one of 15 throwback toys from the past forty years inside. It will be a surprise which toy is inside until its package is ripped open. These toys are being randomly distributed so there is an equal chance of getting any of these toys from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The toys which can be discovered in these Limited Edition Surprise Happy Meals include:

· Cowboy McNugget (McDonald’s): 1988
· Fireman McNugget (McDonald’s): 1988
· Mail Carrier McNugget (McDonald’s): 1988
· Hamburger Changeable (McDonald’s): 1989
 · Grimace (McDonald’s): 1990
· Dino Happy Meal Box Changeable (McDonald’s): 1991
 · McDonald’s Hot Wheels Thunderbird (Mattel): 1993
· Hamburglar (McDonald’s): 1995
 · Power Rangers (Hasbro): 1995
· Space Jam Bugs Bunny (Warner Brothers): 1996
 · Patti the Platypus (Ty Beanie Baby): 1997
· Tamagotchi (Bandai): 1998
· My Little Pony (Hasbro): 1998
· Furby (Hasbro): 1999
· Hello Kitty (Sanrio): 2013

Ralp McQuarrie Concept Art Statue

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As Star Wars celebrates the 40th anniversary of the theatrical release of A New Hope, Sideshow Collectibles has released a really impressive statue of Ralph McQuarrie's movie concept art portrayal of stormtroopers.  McQuarrie (1929 - 2012) provided the conceptual artwork that was a crucial part of bringing George Lucas' space opera to life on the silver screen.  His influence permeates throughout the Star Wars franchise from the visual vibe of the original movie trilogy to influencing the characters and setting for the newer Star Wars: Rebels animated television show.

I remember as a kid spending hours scouring through art books my aunt had given me featuring scenes from the Star Wars movies by McQuarrie and tearing out my favorite images to decorate the walls of my bedroom. These fantastic images transported me to other worlds and helped develop my sense of curiosity, expanded my imagination, and enhanced my interest in comics and science fiction.  As an adult, I continue to be a big fan of science fiction and still keep a copy of McQuarrie's "The Illustrated Star Wars Universe" on my bookshelf.  So I was really excited to see Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie Stormtrooper Star Wars Statue from Sideshow Collectibles.



Expertly crafted in 1:5th scale, the soldier of the Empire is depicted patrolling a corridor of the Death Star. As seen in McQuarrie’s early incarnations, the Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie Stormtrooper Star Wars Statue comes with multiple display options – carrying a shield in one hand while wielding a lightsaber or blaster in the other - and is fitted with a distinctive helmet and armor that more closely resembled fighter pilot gear than the final costumes seen on screen.

A Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie Stormtrooper Star Wars Statue would make a great decoration for any Star Wars fan's home theater, office, game room or man cave.  Displaying one of the iconic original images of the Star Wars universe would really be a great addition to a memorabilia collection.  Don't hesitate to purchase one if you are interested because supply is limited and it will sell out!