Dick and Mac McDonald established McDonald’s in 1937. They began by simply selling hamburgers and milkshakes. In 1955 they met Ray Kroc who purchased their business, renamed it and incorporated it. The first McDonald’s was in Des Plaines, Illinois. Ever since then, McDonald’s has been making history.
One part of this history was the Happy Meal, which first became available in the United States in 1977. Since then hundreds of millions of Happy Meal items have been created. The items that are given away inside of these meals are free to children and sometimes they are also available to be purchased.
McDonald’s collectibles actually pre-date the Happy Meal itself. In fact, the marketing productions for this restaurant have featured the Ronald McDonald mascot, as well as other characters, for well over 20 years now. Some of the early toys and promotional materials are actually quite popular.
Some collectors choose to specialize in certain types of toys, such as Disney or wind-up ones. As technology and production costs increase, these toys are actually growing more and more elaborate and including things like mechanical or lighted parts. These toys with things that move, light or play music are more sought after and thus much more valuable too. For instance, a Ronald McDonald telephone sold on eBay for $386 in August of 2010. The McDonald’s collectibles Coca Cola bottles can also sell for up to $150 a piece. Many of the toys that feature the original cast of McDonald’s characters are rare, which makes them highly sought after today as well.
The McDonald’s collectibles glasses and mugs that were sold as promotions between the 1960s and the 1980s are also very popular. They sported the McDonald’s Happy Meal characters, renowned figures from the United States’ Olympic teams and cartoon characters.In order for these items to be a collectible, they must have been discontinued, made for only a limited time and still be in their original box or packaging. Oftentimes you can sell vintage pieces without their original packaging because collectors still really want them. Nevertheless, you are still going to receive the most money for unopened, mint condition collectibles.
