McDonald’s first official children’s meal, introduced in 1979, was the Happy Meal.
The Happy Meal was created to give children a packaged meal with a toy and a distinctive box. It debuted nationally in the United States in 1979 after earlier regional experiments. The concept made the meal itself part of McDonald’s branding: the colorful packaging, changing toy promotions, and child-focused presentation encouraged families to associate the restaurant with an experience rather than only with individual menu items.
The Happy Meal is sometimes described as having been invented entirely by McDonald’s corporate headquarters, but its development involved franchise and advertising ideas from several people. It also should not be confused with regional children’s meal names used by other chains. Although the contents have changed over time, the combination of a child-sized meal, branded packaging, and a toy has remained its defining identity.