McDonald’s Archivist Details How Collector’s Meal Celebrates Decades of Brands

McDonald’s has launched a blast from the past. This week, the fast food giant unveiled the Collector’s Meal, a new limited time package that features McDonald’s signature Happy Meal accompanied by a collector’s cup inspired by “iconic collectibles” of yesteryear.

“We just thought we’d like to share the brands over the time with our fans,”McDonald’s Corporation archivist Mike Bullington told ComicBook in an interview conducted at McDonald’s 8th Avenue location in New York City. “We’ve got pieces from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s. These are some of the great pieces that we have in the archives that we thought we’d share with the Collector’s Meal.”

Those archived pieces take form in the Collector’s Meal cups, as Bullington and the McDonald’s team pulled from famed franchises like Barbie, Hot Wheels, Beanie Babies, Coca-Cola, Hello Kitty, Peanuts, Shrek, Jurassic Park, Minions, and the McDonald’s brand itself.

“There are over 53 items and artifacts featured in the cups,” Bullington explained. “Our marketing team and the social media team looked out and determine which were our most popular collectibles over a period of time.

“We meet what our fans like, what’s popular in culture. They become a key element,” Bullington continued. “You’re going to see all these and others in the future. Just look how they’ve all evolved. They’re going to continue to evolve.”

At the top of that list is Beanie Babies. The storied stuffed animal was shrunk down to “teenie” form for a McDonald’s Happy Meal in 1997.

“The Teenie Beanie Babies were so popular in fact that McDonald’s had an ad, ‘Harder to get than Chicago Bulls playoff tickets.’ That’s how difficult they were [to collect],” Bullington shared. “I remember going to restaurants with my young daughters trying to get the Teenie Beanie Babies, and we had a heck of a time but I eventually scored a couple of them. I was a proud dad at that moment.”

Beanie Babies occupy just one of the six different cups that consumers will have the chance to collect, which Bullington teases will be “tough” to secure the full collection.

“There are six different cups available. They’re going to be available in blue plastic bags. Go to McDonald’s, get the McDonald’s Collector’s Meal, and bring a friend. You may have to trade,” Bullington said. “It’s going to be tough [to collect them all], but people are going to do it.”

The Collector’s Meal is available at McDonald’s now.