The Walt Disney Company and McDonald’s have had a strong relationship over the years. Well, more like a rocky romance that’s been a bit hot and cold at times. The two had a multi-decade relationship that began in the 1980s and ran until 2006.
Things really heated up around the turn of the century with a prolific sponsorship deal in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, as well as McDonald’s French Fries and Chicken McNuggets at snack kiosks all around the parks. Burger Invasion was the first McDonald’s in a Disney theme park when California Adventure opened, and was the culmination of that strong relationship between Disney and McDonald’s.
As McDonald’s came under fire for its unhealthy fare thanks to the Super Size Me “documentary,” that relationship soured fairly quickly. McDonald’s started disappearing from the parks, and Disney disappeared from Happy Meals. Fast-forward to 2018 (and people no longer caring about health, I guess?), when McDonald’s and Disney announced a multi-year alliance (and in fairness, the press release did emphasize health). In the years since, we’ve seen a ton of Happy Meal toys, with the biggest set yet coming in December 2025!
In honor of Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary, McDonald’s has announced that it “Celebrate Happy (Meal Toys)” with 70 different toys in Happy Meals for a limited time. There will be two Disneyland70 toys per Happy Meal, meaning you could eat as few as 35 Happy Meals to collect the full set. At least, if you have insanely good luck; if you’re like me, it’d take 140 meals.
Below is a list & photo first look at all 70 for 70th Disneyland Happy Meal toys. These Disneyland70 Happy Meals toys release starting December 2, 2025:
Ahsoka
Anxiety
Anna
Ariel
Asha
Aurora
Baymax
BB-8
Beast
Bing Bong
Black Panther
Black Widow
Boba Fett
Boo
Chewbacca
Chip ‘n’ Dale
Clarabelle
Classic Sleeping Beauty Castle
Crush
Cruella
Daisy Duck
Darth Vader
Donald Duck
Dory
Dumbo
Evil Queen
Elsa
Flounder
Frozone
Gold Sleeping Beauty Castle
Goofy
Green Alien
Groot
Hatbox Ghost
Iron Man
Jack-Jack
Judy Hopps
Kylo Ren
Lightning McQueen
Lilo
Maleficent
Mater
Mickey Mouse
Mike Wazowski
Miguel
Minnie Mouse
Mirabel
Moana
Mr. Incredible
Mufasa
Nemo
Nebula
Nick Wilde
Okoye
Olaf
Pluto
R2-D2
Rapunzel
Rex
Rey
Sadness
Simba
Sleeping Beauty Castle (Classic)
Sleeping Beauty Castle (Gold)
Snow White
Stitch
Stormtrooper
Sulley
Thanos
Tiana
Timon
Tinker Bell
Here are sneak peek photos of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys:
Our Commentary
Let me preface this with a warning: I have more sharp opinions about this than any adult man should have about free toys found in meals for children. I’m aware of this. But what’s the point of the internet if not for criticizing things, especially those for which you are not the target audience?! Isn’t that what being a very online Disney fan is all about?
Longtime readers of this website (we’re talking those who go back a decade or more ago to the trip report days) might recall that I have a certain fondness for McDonald’s. More than a normal person has for a fast food restaurant.
Actually, I’m a recovering McDonald’s enthusiast. We don’t go a whole lot these days, which is in equal parts because we don’t eat much fast food and because McDonald’s and In-N-Out Burger are comparably priced, and the latter is far superior. But one of my (ulterior) motivations for writing this post might be laying the groundwork for justifying a Very Important Research Trip to the Golden Arches.
As for my McDonald’s enthusiasm, that actually dates back to the early 1990s. Before my Disney obsession, I collected McDonald’s items when I was a kid. Not simply Happy Meal toys and common things that every kid “collected,” but rare stuff you’ve probably never heard of, like original artwork, defunct displays from the stores, and rare tray liners (yes, really).
At one time, I was the youngest-ever member of the McDonald’s Collectors Club, which would meet annually in Chicago or Ohio. I was “friends” with the artists who created the commercials and ads. Unfortunately, as McDonald’s decreased production of interesting items, and as controversy over its food increased, membership plummeted–as did the value of the collectibles (many of which are still in my parents’ basement).
The items that were once going to help pay for my college tuition became virtually worthless. If you’ve ever wondered why this blog is so poorly-written, you can thank Morgan Spurlock. That man robbed me of an education, and is indirectly to blame for this blog being unleashed on the world. But I digress.
All of that should either establish my bona fides as a McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy Scholar and/or explain why I care so much about something so trivial. (But in my defense, don’t we all? Isn’t that precisely what we’re doing here?!)
In my expert opinion, these toys suck.
It’s not just that the Disneyland 70th Anniversary McDonald’s Happy Meal toys suck. It’s that they aren’t even toys in the first place. They are collectible minifigures masquerading as toys. They’re aimed at Disney Adults and/or McDonald’s Adults. Yet they’re made of plastic. Sold at a fast food restaurant. In meals for children.
I could get past the bland designs and done-to-death “cutesy” Funko eyes if these were at least toys you could play with. But they aren’t. You can’t do any action or engage in any scenarios such as combat or…I don’t really know what else toys might do. (It was always combat for me.)
They’re not posable and they can’t really do anything. They are very clearly meant for display. I don’t know how to explain their appearance than that they aren’t aimed at kids at all–or at least not for kids who like to be imaginative and play–but rather, are actually for adults who want to display them.
Maybe I’m just out of touch, but I don’t think so. We have a young daughter, and she likes to play with toys. Especially toys that offer a bit of interactivity and the ability to engage with her other toys. This would probably be passable to her, primarily because she loves many of these Disney characters and can turn just about anything into a toy. But even for kids with vivid imaginations, some toys are more conducive to plays and inventive scenarios than others. And these aren’t the conducive-to-play kind.
I also don’t quite get why this matters one way or another to adults who collect Happy Meal Toys. But then again, I don’t really understand why adults favor certain types of toys over others. As an adult collector, I am in touch with this audience, and nevertheless don’t get the appeal of popcorn buckets or myriad other things.
My view is that, if you’re going to collect something, you should meet the product where it is. For example, if I were a thirtysomething who got into collecting something called “McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys,” I would expect the inherent qualities said product to be: 1) toys; 2) included with fast food kids meals. The name kind of says it all!
It’s probably not worth having a strong opinion on this. Or any opinion. After all, Happy Meal toys come and go, and maybe the next release will be better. The “problem” is that this has happened before, on multiple occasions!
McDonald’s did a huge Happy Meal toy campaign for Disney100 a few years ago, and it was almost in the exact same template. Prior to that, they did Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, and the first wave was strikingly similar. In their defense, the second wave of those toys was actually pretty good.
Ultimately, I just want to an excuse to go to McDonald’s and get fun toys for my daughter while indulging in fast food that’s unhealthy (but not as unhealthy as the hatchet job documentary made by my nemesis). I want her to be able to play with the kind of cool toys that us children of the 1990s had. Is that really too much to ask?!
I guess so. In which case, we’ll keep going to In-N-Out where they are happy to serve us better burgers along with free stickers and hats. For the superior McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys, including some great World Showcase ones, we’ll brave the basement at my parents’ house.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
Will you be trying to collect all 70 of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys? Would you consider these collectible minifigures meant for display, or actual toys for play? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
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