McDonald’s Officially Announces Return of Halloween Pails

October 6, 2022, 9:00am

It’s official: the McDonald’s Halloween Pails are coming back. First launched in 1986 as the Halloween Pail Happy Meals, rumors began to spread earlier this fall pointing to the return of the nostalgic item. Thursday, McDonald’s finally acknowledged those rumors, confirming the Halloween Pails would return to participating locations beginning October 18th.

Videos by ComicBook.com

The pails—ice cream-like buckets featuring the original McBoo, McPunk’n and McGoblin characters—will be available nationally between the 18th and 31st as supplies last. They were last available in 2016, making this year’s offering the first time in six years they’ve been available.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Markie_devo (@markie_devo)

Because of the plastic nature of the pails, McDonald’s is partnering with TikTok creators on ways to repurpose the items after purchased.

“They may have vanished for a while… but that didn’t stop you from finding clever ways to keep their spooky spirit alive – from potting plants in them to using them as OOTD accessories,” McDonald’s added in a press release. “So, in honor of the return of one of your fave Happy Meals, we’re serving up five fan-inspired ways to reuse your Halloween Pail after you’ve enjoyed the delicious eats inside. Check out the ideas from @sidclusive, @beatsbyjblack, @saracampz, @themartinezcasita and @laurdiy!”

While the pails originally debuted as all-orange pails with different faces, they were quickly changed to orange (McPunk’n), green (McGoblin), and white (McBoo).