The dawn of McDonald’s collectible toys is directly linked to the 1977 creation of the Happy Meal. The Happy Meal, conceptualized by McDonald’s management member Bob Bernstein, was originally inspired by a McDonald’s restaurant operator in Guatemala named Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño, who believed a pre-packaged children’s meal would be immensely convenient for working mothers. Early Happy Meals included a burger, fries, cookies, a small drink, and an advertising premium, similar to the Cracker Jack prize—the soon-to-be coveted McDonald’s toy. The first trial run of the Happy Meal occurred in Kansas City on November 4, 1977, and featured round-top boxes that resembled the metal lunch boxes popularly used by working-class folks at the time. Similar introductory trials were conducted in Wichita, Kansas; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Evidently successful, the national roll-out of the Happy Meal occurred in 1979. McDonald’s debut Happy Meal toys were not yet informed by popular culture. These early plastic toys took the form of generic puzzles, tops, “McDoodle” stencils, “McWrist” wallets, and multicolored erasers shaped like McDonaldland characters. However, later that same year, McDonalds introduced its first round of toys inspired by a major motion picture. Banking on the timely hype around “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” McDonald’s released “Star Trek”-themed games, rings, bracelets, iron-on sheets, and a plastic handheld “video communicator” with one of five comic strips inside. The decade that followed would herald an influx of McDonald’s toys in the forms of action figures, video-game-themed toys, and culturally influenced candy dispensers. Notably, Ronald McDonald LEGO building sets were introduced regionally in 1983 and offered nationally in 1984. Variations of these LEGO building sets would continue to be hot commodities through 1999 and beyond. Another particularly successful promotion was the dual introduction of Transformers and My Little Pony charms, which regionally debuted in 1985. Transformer toys came in four multicolored variations, while the My Little Pony Charms came in six. The second dual rollout of Transformers and My Little Ponies occurred in 1998, with three variations of each toy brand. In 1987, McDonald’s rolled out its first Happy Meal collaboration with Disney. This collaborative effort featured characters from many classic animated Disney films, including “Cinderella” and “101 Dalmations.” By the early 1990s, McDonald’s had also partnered with Mattel, which granted the McDonald’s corporation access to Mattel’s ever-popular Hot Wheel cars (initially introduced on West and East coasts in 1982) and Barbie dolls (introduced alongside another release of Hot Wheels in 1990). In 1996, McDonald’s unveiled their Teenie Beanie Babies, small animal plushies made with polyester and PVC pellets. These Teenie Beanie Babies were an especially notable hit, and customers often demanded hasty restocking at their local McDonald’s. Popular vintage McDonald’s toys from the late ‘90s include Nintendo action figures, Furbies, and Pokemon Trading Cards. Public interest in such toys also blossomed significantly following the establishment of the McDonald’s Collector’s Club in 1991, originally organized by a woman named Linda Gregorski, and the club helps collectors find the rare McDonald’s toys missing from their sets or collections. Indeed, Happy Meal toys continue to excite consumers. Some favorites over the past decade include Marvel’s Avenger action figures, Spongebob Squarepants toys, and Hello Kitty trinkets.