McDonald's first introduced the Happy Meal nationally in 1979.
The Happy Meal combined a child-sized serving of food with a toy, creating a distinct product and branding platform for families. It followed earlier regional experiments with children's meals and was designed to make ordering at McDonald's more engaging for young customers.
The original national rollout included a hamburger or cheeseburger, fries, a soft drink, and a toy. Packaging became an important part of the product's identity, eventually developing into the familiar colorful box associated with the name.
Happy Meal promotions later connected McDonald's with films, television characters, and original toys. The product is sometimes confused with earlier children's offerings, but 1979 marks the national introduction of the branded Happy Meal in the United States.