McDonald’s Halloween Happy Meal Buckets Returning for Halloween 2022

September 18, 2022, 6:45pm

McDonald’s is putting “Happy Halloween” back in the Happy Meal. The fast food chain is reportedly bringing back a nostalgic treat for Halloween 2022: the Halloween Happy Meal pumpkin pails. The buckets — first offered as the classic trio of jack-o-lanterns McPunk’n, McBoo, and McGoblin nationwide in 1986 — are returning for the first time since 2016, according to NightmareNostalgia. The McDonald’s Halloween Pails Happy Meal begins October 18 and is available for a limited time through October 31, retro site Nightmare Nostalgia reports, based on information from sources with knowledge of the McDonald’s calendar.

ComicBook reached out to McDonald’s Corporation for confirmation.

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Introduced nationwide in 1986 as the Halloween Pumpkin Happy Meal, the plastic Pumpkin Pails returned in 1987 before undergoing a makeover in 1989 with the addition of a white ghost and a green witch. According to Nightmare Nostalgia, glow-in-the-dark vinyl treat bags, known as “McBoo Bags,” replaced the buckets in 1991; in 1992, McPunk’n, McBoo, and McWitch returned with new cookie-cutter lids.

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After a brief hiatus, McDonald’s brought back the Halloween Happy Meal in 1996 with new buckets featuring such McDonaldland characters as Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and the Hamburglar. More themed designs, including Potato Head, Scooby-Doo, and Minions, covered the buckets sporadically until 2016 when the McDonald’s Halloween Happy Meal went on hiatus with the Peanuts-themed pail celebrating It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

McDonald’s recently debuted secret menu “hacks” items, tested the classic menu remix Chicken Big Mac, and introduced a limited-time seasonal pastry to its McCafé Bakery lineup. The Cheese Danish, available since September 14, is a throwback to the 1980s and the latest item to return to McDonald’s restaurants from years past. Along with the return of the McRib in 2021, the fast-food giant brought back its fan-favorite Szechuan Sauce as an app-exclusive item for a limited time earlier this year.

The McDonald’s Halloween Pails Happy Meal is expected to run from October 18-October 31 at participating McDonald’s restaurants.