The History of McDonald's Happy Meals

Anyone who has ever let their kids out of the house knows that the simple McDonald's arch icon perched high over an interstate exit can spark fits of excitement from the back seat. You roll your eyes and explain how you're going home for dinner, but every once in a while you give in, because McDonald's is crack for little children. My kids usually already had a drink in the car, so I would order coffee for their Happy Meal drink, causing some consternation behind the microphone. You can't do that anymore, since they now limit Happy Meal drinks to milk or water.

Surprisingly, McDonald's was actually late to the game in luring children to become dependent on fast food. It took a Guatemalan mother and McDonald's franchisee to decide children needed a smaller meal, and the company did not designate the Happy Meal as we know it until 1977. Even then, it was a slow rollout. Once the Chicken McNugget was developed, there was no going back. From there, it was full speed ahead in getting each new generation hooked on the McDonald's menu.