Happy Meal toys have been an essential component of the McDonald’s roster since 1979. Gone are the days where you held onto your Happy Meal Beanie Baby toy, complete with its cellophane bag in the hopes of it being ‘worth something one day’, but that just means kids can actually enjoy their friendly little accoutrement.
Not that I’m bitter, but where’s the Beanie Baby windfall, dad?
Anyway, that’s enough childhood trauma for one morning. The long and short of it is that Squishmallows have returned to Happy Meals in the US after a two-year absence. From May 13th, you can collect one of 12 Squishmallows in every Happy Meal.
Squishmallows are similar to the Beanie Babies of yesteryear’s Happy Meals: cute and cuddly little animal-styled friends. The brand launched in 2017 and has developed an extensive range covering everything from cows and cats to apples and avocados.
The new Happy Meal roster features a never-before-seen one too: Halley the Intergalactic Axolotl. Isn't it funny how axolotls – creatures very few of us have actually seen in the flesh – live so firmly in the public consciousness?
Happy Meal Squishmallows are of course smaller than the main toy range, but they have similar levels of detail and each come with their own detail-rich name tag so the kids can get to know their cuddly new pals.
Today reported that they’ll only be available until June 9th 2025, so head down to your local Maccies soon to grab a Squishmallow before they’re gone!
Social media is already awash with Squishmallows fans old and young who’ve picked up their Happy Meals.
One TikToker posting under @thesouthernsnack shared his Squishmallows haul and gave them a quick review, noting that they come in opaque bags for a little extra excitement.
“I was gonna give this set a 10,” he says, “but I think the texture is a bit firm and not a bit not as squishy as a Squishmallow would be, so I’m gonna get this a nine out of 10.”
This is par for the course with shrunk-down Happy Meal versions of full-size toys available elsewhere, but a nine out of 10 is still pretty high praise.
Another TikToker, @mrthomasenglish, was absolutely buzzing to get down to his local McDonald's to snap up some Squishmallows. Four Happy Meals later and he'd pulled a pair of doubles, not that he seemed to mind all that much.
Featured Image Credit: Madzia71/Getty Images
Rachael Davis