What was McDonald’s first nationally introduced children’s meal called?

McDonald’s first nationally introduced children’s meal was called the Happy Meal.

The meal was designed as a packaged children’s offering rather than simply a smaller adult order. Its colorful box, child-sized portions, and included toy gave McDonald’s a distinctive family product that could be promoted through its broader children’s branding.

McDonald’s had already used characters and family-focused advertising before the Happy Meal appeared. The new meal gave those ideas a standardized product format that restaurants could sell across the United States.

The Happy Meal is sometimes confused with regional children’s promotions or later themed meal names. Those variations came afterward; “Happy Meal” is the original nationally recognized brand name introduced in 1979.