McDonald’s launched the Happy Meal as a children’s menu brand in 1979.
The Happy Meal combined a child-sized meal with colorful packaging and a small toy. Its national introduction followed earlier regional experiments with children’s meal bundles, including a campaign developed by advertising executive Bob Bernstein.
The product was a branding innovation because the package itself became part of the experience. Instead of marketing only an individual hamburger or side item, McDonald’s created a named product aimed directly at children and families.
The Happy Meal is sometimes dated to the first local test rather than the national launch. The exact history includes regional versions before 1979, but 1979 is the commonly cited year for its United States introduction as a national McDonald’s product.