The Happy Meal was the McDonald's children's meal promotion launched nationally in the United States in 1979.
The concept combined a child-sized meal with a toy and packaging designed specifically for children. Its national introduction followed regional and test-market versions, including an earlier promotion known as the Circus Wagon Happy Meal in the United States.
The Happy Meal expanded McDonald's branding beyond food. Its box, toys, characters, and movie or television partnerships created a recognizable family-oriented identity that could change regularly while preserving the same product name.
The promotion is sometimes mistaken for a single toy campaign, but the Happy Meal is the continuing meal-and-toy program. Individual toys and tie-ins have changed repeatedly, whereas the branded meal concept has remained consistent.