McDonald's gave its children's meal the name Happy Meal when it launched nationally in 1979.
The Happy Meal combined a child-sized serving of food with a toy, creating a product that was also a piece of family-oriented branding. Its packaging commonly used bright colors, illustrations, and McDonald's characters to make the meal visually distinctive.
The idea first appeared in selected markets before the national United States launch. The branded name and toy component helped McDonald's connect its restaurant experience with collecting, play, and entertainment rather than treating the meal as a smaller adult order.
The Happy Meal is sometimes confused with regional children's meal programs that predated it. Those test products helped shape the concept, but Happy Meal became the enduring McDonald's brand name used for the nationwide offering.