Sonic the Hedgehog Happy Meals Return to Some McDonald's Locations

Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the first video game stars to receive his own dedicated McDonald's Happy Meal, and the Sega mascot has gotten a number of other fast food promotions in the decades since. The character will be racing back to McDonald's in a new promotion, but this one seems to be exclusive to the U.K. for the time being. Unlike the plastic toys that were offered in Happy Meals during the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 promotion, the ones appearing in this one are all made of cardboard, and include options like puzzles, posters, and hovercrafts. 

A commercial for the promotion can be found below. Readers can get a closer look at some of the toy designs at the official Happy Meal website right here. 

Sonic the Hedgehog's Happy Meal Return

Sonic video games are split into two different "eras," with classic style character designs appearing in 2D games like Sonic Superstars, and modern designs being used in games like Sonic Frontiers and shows like Sonic Prime. Interestingly, the commercial uses the Sonic designs that appear in Sonic Superstars, while the toys seem to be using designs that stick more closely to the modern character designs. The biggest difference between these designs is that the classic ones tend to be smaller and "cuter," while the modern era designs tend to be taller with longer limbs. 

Right now, there's no way of knowing whether this promotion will come to U.S. McDonald's locations, or if the promotion will be the same if it does reach our shores. Last year, plastic Happy Meal toys based on The Super Mario Bros. Movie were released in the U.S. and other countries, while the U.K. received cardboard ones instead. It's possible the same thing could happen with this Sonic the Hedgehog promotion, but there's simply no way of knowing for sure. A Squishmallows Happy Meal promotion started in the U.S. late last month, so we probably won't know what to expect next for at least a couple weeks. 

McDonald's Video Game Happy Meals

McDonald's has been offering a number of video game tie-ins over the last few months. U.S. based locations received a promotion centered around Crash Team Rumble last month, while a MultiVersus promotion seems to be in the works at locations in Belgium. Like the Sonic the Hedgehog Happy Meals, it's unclear if the MultiVersus promotion will even come to the U.S. right now, or if it will be held until the game has a return date; the open beta for MultiVersus ended last year, and the game's servers were shut down. At the time, WB Games said that Multiversus would return "in early 2024," but an actual date has not been announced. 

Do you think this Sonic the Hedgehog promotion will come to U.S. locations? Would you prefer to see plastic toys again? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!