McDonald's introduced the “Super Size” option for French fries. The company launched the supersized option in the United States in the summer of 1987, offering customers a portion larger than the standard large size.
Super Size became associated with both McDonald's fries and soft drinks. It reflected the fast-food industry's broader move toward larger portions and value-oriented upgrades, in which customers could pay a small additional amount for substantially more food.
The option became especially recognizable in the early 2000s, when filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary Super Size Me examined the effects of eating McDonald's meals exclusively for 30 days. The film brought renewed attention to portion sizes, though McDonald's said its decision to remove Super Size was part of menu simplification and healthier-choice initiatives.
McDonald's announced the phase-out of Super Size in March 2004, and the option disappeared from U.S. menus later that year. The term remains part of fast-food vocabulary, even though the original McDonald's offering is no longer standard menu fare.