tvtropes.org

Kids' Meal Toy - TV Tropes

  • ️Thu Mar 03 2022

This entry is trivia, which is cool and all, but not a trope. On a work, it goes on the Trivia tab.

Kids' Meal Toy (trope)

What better way to market your franchise than to give it a fast-food promotion? It's a win-win for you and the fast-food chain. McDonald's started the Happy Meal in 1977 as a way for kids to have their own meals, accompanied with a small plastic toy. Soon, Burger King, Wendy's, etc. followed suit.

If not based on a movie or show, the toys tend to be gendered. Boys get superheroes, race cars, and robots. Girls get princesses, ponies, dolls, and makeup. Though when a movie comes out, chains will forgo their gendered toys and make the movie toys for everyone.

Apart from products based on pre-existing franchises, chains also tend to make toys based on their Original Generation characters. One notable example is McDonaldland.

Despite the trope name, it's not always a toy. Some chains give out small books or coloring pages. And the franchises featured aren't always kid-friendly. There have been promotions for Twilight, The Simpsons, Avatar and more. In 1992, McDonald's withdrew their range of Happy Meal toys for Batman Returns, after complaints from parents that the film was unsuitable for children. This ties in with the Animation Age Ghetto — the mindset that if it's animated, it's for kids. Also see Misaimed Merchandising.

On that note, while these toys have a notable Periphery Demographic of older collectors, some stores will run a variation targeted more towards teenagers and/or adults. Although actual toys may be offered on rare occasions (such as with the McDonald's Cactus Plant Flea Market vinyl figures), these promotions are more likely to feature collector-focused items such as cups, cards, stickers and keychains. This type of promotion is fairly prominent in the West for shonen anime at Asia-centric chains, due to its demographic skewing slightly older than in Japan.

This is page lists works that have gotten kids' meal toys, sorted by restaurant chain. Compare The Merch, Free Prize at the Bottom, The Kiddie Ride, Tie-In Cereal and The Character Ice Cream Bar.

NOTE: Before adding to the page, check to make sure the work actually got a toy at a certain chain. This is a simple task, considering people sell unopened fast food toys on eBay. The Kids Meal Wiki isn't always a reliable source.

Examples:

open/close all folders 

"True" kids' meal toys:

Arby's 

Film — Live-Action

Literature

  • Babar got stampers and die-cast racers.

Music

  • Kidz Bop toys appeared in September of 2022.

Video Games

Western Animation

  • Hanna-Barbera Presents, a 1996 promotion that included four mini-storybooks and a paper sack, Nabisco graham crackers, a Yogi Bear & Friends Magic Decoder Puzzle, trading cards, and temporary tattoos.
  • Justice League got paper bobbleheads.
  • The Mr. Men Show got collectible figurines.
  • Scooby-Doo got a bendable Scooby figure, a kit to build the Mystery Machine, a glow-in-the-dark ghost flyer, and a decoder dangler deck.

Burger King 

Examples of promotions from the Australian equivalent, Hungry Jack's, and the Belgium equivalent that BK previously owned, Quick, also go here.

Advertising

  • M&M's had two sets of toys in 1997, one of which was a set of candy dispensers that came with a fun-sized pack of M&M's candies.

Anime

  • Beyblade Burst got four figures with spinning tops.
  • Dragon Ball Z: One promotion had little silver statues of the characters bundled with trading cards. Another promotion included battery action figures of Piccolo, Krillin, Goku, and Gohan.
  • Hamtaro got Halloween-themed toys.
  • Pokémon the Series:
    • The 1999 promotion for Pokémon: The First Movie featured about 50 different toys and 151 collectible trading cards. It gained infamy for the Poké Balls causing infants to suffocate with the ball halves covering their mouths and noses. They were later recalled.
    • Some of the more iconic kids meal toys are the gold 24K Pokemon cards they released around the same time as Pokémon Yellow.
    • There was another one a year later for Pokémon 2000, but with much less danger.
    • A cross-media one based on Pokémon Gold and Silver existed using anime artwork in toy Game Boy Color systems.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! got collectible pyramid boxes with figures inside.

Asian Animation

Comic Strips

  • Peanuts: In early 2008, a set of eight Snoopy toys were sold.

Film — Animated

  • Aladdin got action figures of Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Genie, and Jafar.
  • Anastasia had two sets of toys. One came with the meal, while the other should be purchased for an extra three dollars. The toys included in the second set included a talking Bartok plush, an Anastasia doll, and a miniature battery-powered train and track.
  • The Ant Bully got toys such as an Etch-a-Sketch-esque doodler.
  • Beauty and the Beast (1991) got figures of Belle, the Beast, Chip, and Cogsworth.
  • Chicken Run got playsets involving cannons, airplanes, and a high-wire act. Infamously, it was marketed with chicken nugget-esque products, despite the theme of the movie and the Burger King marketing itself being against eating chicken.
  • Cinderella (1950) was promoted in 1992 for the UK, with 3 wind-up toys and a paper castle and character cut-out playset.
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs got a toy of Steve, the Gelatin Jump, and a 'Snowball Catcher', among others.
  • The The Curse of the Were-Rabbit toyline from 2005 would be the last time BK licensed from Aardman. Europe offered a set of Play Doh toys instead.
  • The Garfield Movie had a set of six toys in Singapore. These consisted of a burping Garfield figure, a plush of Baby Garfield, a dancing Jinx figure, an Odie spinner, a figure of Garfield and Vic with a snap-on trenchcoat, and a lasagna-eating Garfield figure.
  • A Goofy Movie had a set of five toys in 1995.
  • Happily N'Ever After was promoted in Europe.
  • Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil had a Delayed Release Tie-In in early 2010, over a year before the film was ultimately released.
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney) got wind-up action toys and hand puppets to promote its theatrical release.
  • Ice Age had a set of ten toys. They could be used separately or connect to each other and run simultaneously. They consisted of Soto, Scrat, Sylvia, Resham, Diego, the Dodos, Carl, Manfred, and two different toys of Sid. In addition to the toys, there was a vanilla and blue cherry frozen float drink.
  • Kung Fu Panda 4 got a set of six figures. These consisted of Tai Lung, Master Shifu, Zhen, The Chameleon, and two different figures of Po.
  • The Land Before Time got wind-up toys. The Petrie toy in particular could squirt out water.
  • The Lion King (1994) got toys of Simba, Nala, Mufasa, Rafiki, Scar, Timon, and Pumbaa together, and Ed the hyena. There was another promotion for the film's VHS release featuring finger puppets of Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki, Scar, Pumbaa, and Ed.
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas had a set of four wristwatches.
  • Oliver & Company got featured twice in 1996. One to promote the re-release of the movie, and another to promote the VHS release.
  • Open Season got a set of 7 toys.
    • The Hungry Jack's promotion in Australia featured a unique promotion with different body parts of Boog that you can put together as one big toy. Each body part came with another character from the movie.
  • PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie got 6 toys of the pups.
  • Peter Pan (1953) got 5 toys for the UK in 1993.
  • Pinocchio (1940) got 4 inflatable bath toys in 1992.
  • Planet 51 got action figures.
  • Pocahontas got collectible cups, figurines, and hide-and-seek finger puppets.
  • Rango got playing cards, toys of Rango, Rattlesnake Jake, and Ms. Beans, a light-up badge, and a spinning pendant.
  • Rio 2 got toys in 2014.
  • The Road to El Dorado got toys of Chel, Miguel, Tulio, and Tzekel-kan. In addition to the main protagonists and antagonist, there were also toys of El Diablo the bull, Altivo, Bibo the armadillo (as a plush instead of a plastic toy like the rest), and Tzekel-kan's stone jaguar.
  • Robots got trading cards bundled with light-up figurines. Europe features a different set of 6 action toys.
  • Shark Tale got 10 action figures of Oscar and co. Europe features a different set of 6 toys.
  • Shrek got action figures and trading cards.
    • Shrek 2 got a set of eight toys. There was also a 12 foot tall Shrek inflatable on the roofs of select Burger King restaurants. Europe offered a different set of toys.
  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs offered 4 toys for the UK to promote the film's first VHS release in 1994.
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had a set of six papercraft buildings. This set was released simultaneously with their limited edition Spider-Verse Whopper.
  • Toy Story not only got defictionalized versions of Woody and the gang but also hand puppets.
  • Transformers One had figures of Orion Pax, Elita-1, and B-127 in both their bot and vehicle forms.

Film — Live-Action

Literature

Live-Action TV

  • ALF got plushies, records containing original songs, and magnets.
  • Power Rangers was featured twice. The first instance was to promote Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, and the second featured Super-Deformed figures to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary.
  • Teletubbies: There were beanbag finger puppets with a clip attached, a bonus break-apart Tubby Toast, and Kraft Foods even made a defictionalized version of the Tubby Custard as part of the promotion.

Professional Wrestling

Sports

  • Monster Jam had runs of toys in 2006, 2008 and 2012. One notable toy in the 2008 run was a truck based on Burger King itself (the same run used Avenger's orange paint scheme and the toy-only red design for Maximum Destruction).
  • NASCAR had two sets of toy cars.
    • The first was from 1997 in collaboration with Cartoon Network, featuring a Flintstones car, a Magilla Gorilla car, the Cartoon Network NASCAR car (with Scooby on the roof), Joe Nemechek's Burger King car, and Jeff Gordon's DuPont Chevrolet car.note 
    • The second set was from 2009 and unlike the previous toys, all the cars were variants of the Burger King Chevrolet driven by Tony Stewart that year.
  • National Football League:
    • In 2006, a set of bobbleheads featuring The Burger King in various football poses was released to promote Super Bowl XLI.
    • 2007 featured mini NFL jerseys of each team. Each came with a suction cup-hanger and cardboard standee.

Tabletop Games

  • Pokémon: Unlike previous promotions, these were based on the trading card game rather than the anime, using Ken Sugimori's artwork.

Toys

  • Furby received a line of figures to promote the new "Emoto-Tronic" line in 2005.
  • SuperThings has had two releases of kids' meal toys at Burger King in Spain. The first series was nine different heroes with a rare golden king, which was given tie-in animations online. The second series was a shared released with fellow Magicbox toyline MojiPops, and featured only six characters, but added villains and a new rare golden king character.

Video Games

  • A Nintendo Superstars promotion was held in 2002 promoting several games on the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. These were based on the likes of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, and Donkey Kong. One of the toys was also directly based on Super Mario Sunshine. There were golden variants of the toys randomly inserted into the bags, and if someone found one, they would win a Game Boy Advance game. No pictures of the golden toys have resurfaced except for the Yoshi and Kirby toys.
  • To promote the Wii, BK launched a line of Mario toys that featured Wii Remote replicas, used to interact with the toy.
  • To promote the Nintendo Switch in 2021, BK sold toys based on Mario, Splatoon 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and the The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake. There was also a 'Super Mario Meal', which contained a Whopper, small fries, and a small fountain drink.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog:
    • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 received a set of four plastic ripcord toys in the UK in 1993. These consisted of Tails, Dr. Robotnik, and two different toys of Sonic.
    • Sonic R recieved pull-back racers of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Robotnik, as well as a mini pinball game of Sonic and a water ring toss game of Robotnik in the UK in 1998.
    • On January 24, 2023, a set of six toys were released in Spain, including a fidget spinner and a maze cube.
    • In June 2024, a set of six chibi figures were released in Brazil. These consisted of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Dr. Eggman.

Western Animation

  • The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius had a set of five different pieces of Jimmy's rocket that could connect to each other, each one featuring at least one of the show's characters. These consisted of Jimmy, Goddard, Cindy, Carl, and Sheen and Libby together.
  • Batman Beyond got a set of 8 toys.
  • Batwheels received a set of 6 toys. Some consist of the vehicles, while others consist of Batman and his partners.
  • Beetlejuice had six double-sided PVC figures released in either 1989 or 1990.
  • Bonkers got PVC toys you could put in "crash apart cars".
  • Butt-Ugly Martians got action figures.
  • Capitol Critters, despite the show technically not being for kids, got toys of the characters situated on various buildings and monuments in Washington, DC.
  • Captain Planet and the Planeteers got flip cars.
  • CatDog had a set of five toys in 1999.
  • Danny Phantom got action figures of Danny and his friends.
  • Dexter's Laboratory got toys of Dexter and Deedee inside things like a gravity chamber or a microscope.
  • Dora the Explorer got Spanish vocabulary cards, a lantern, a measuring tape shaped like Boots, and a magic rocket.
  • The Fairly OddParents! got toys such as "Disappearing Vicky" and "Timmy-to-Cleft Wonder Changer". Two different sets were offered in Europe and Latin America respectively. The commercial for the North American promotion also starred a young Miranda Cosgrove mere months before Drake & Josh started airing.
  • Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends got mix-and-match and create-a-face toys.
  • Gargoyles had a set of four toys in 1995. There was a spinning Goliath figure, a color-changing Broadway figure, a pop-up book, and a color-changing cup.
  • Goof Troop got bowling toys of Goofy, Max, Pete and PJ.
  • Inspector Gadget got four action figures in 1991. For example, one figure had a rotating blade (The Gadget Copter) on Gadget's head.
  • Jackie Chan Adventures got a plethora of action figures in 2001.
  • The Little Mermaid (1992) got wind-up toys.
  • Looney Tunes:
    • A Hungry Jack's promotion based on The Looney Tunes Show had a set of four toys in 2012. These consisted of a figurine of Bugs Bunny, a pull-back of Daffy Duck's parade float, a clip-on of Taz, and a refrigerator magnet of Sylvester and Tweety.
    • The franchise had a set of eight character figures dressed as DC Comics characters in 2023 to celebrate 100 Years of Warner Bros.. There was Bugs Bunny as Superman, Lola Bunny as Wonder Woman, Daffy Duck as Batman, Taz as Cyborg, Sylvester as The Joker, Porky Pig as Robin, Tweety as Harley Quinn, and Road Runner as The Flash.
  • Muppet Babies (1984) had a set of six toys released at Hungry Jack's in July 2004, many years after the series had ended its eight-season run and ran for syndication. They consisted of Baby Kermit on a rocking horse, Baby Piggy on a rocker cushion, Baby Fozzie running, Baby Gonzo in an airplane, Baby Rowlf driving a train, and Baby Animal on a scooter.
  • Mysticons got action figures in 2018. It was paired opposite Skylanders Academy.
  • Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures got toys circa 2013 such as 'Giant Chomping Pac'.
  • At some point around 2007, Pet Alien got toys based on each of the six main characters: Tommy, Dinko, Gumpers, Swanky, Flip, and Scruffy.
  • PJ Masks got 8 books based on the Power Heroes season outside the USA, representing each of the 8 Power Heroes members.
  • The Powerpuff Girls (1998) got toys of the Girls and Mojo Jojo. It was paired opposite Dragon Ball Z in 2002.
  • The Powerpuff Girls (2016): The reboot also got toys, with the same four characters as last time.
  • Rocket Power had figures of Otto, Reggie, Sam, and Twister with interchangeable accessories in 2002.
  • Rugrats (1991): BK not only sold toys based on the TV show, they also did promotions for The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris, and Rugrats Go Wild!.
    • The restaurant's Belgium equivalent, Quick, also sold toys from the March 1998 promotion.
  • The Simpsons has been featured loads of times in BK kids meals despite being an adult animated sitcom. For example, one time they sold toys of each of the family members sitting on a specific part of the iconic couch. They also did a promotion for The Simpsons Movie, as well as three separate Halloween promotions based on the show's Treehouse of Horror episodes in the 2001, 2002, and 2011 Halloween seasons.
  • Skylanders Academy got toys in 2018.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants is another favorite of BK's. They often sold toys to promote the various ratings trap specials such as Atlantis Squarepantis and Truth or Square?. They even sold toys for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. In fact, there was an incident where people stole the SpongeBob inflatables intended to promote the movie. There was also a 2009 incident where Moral Guardians protested a SpongeBob/BK commercial that had women twerking to "Baby Got Back". A set of tiki cups was released in 2024, marking the first SpongeBob collaboration with Burger King in the US since 2011.
  • The Super Hero Squad Show got toys in 2009, such as an Iron Man keychain.
  • Superman: The Animated Series had figures of Superman and a pullback Lois Lane in her car.
  • Taz-Mania had a set of four toys in the UK in 1993. There was the Fast Forward Frenzied Taz Pull-back (which came with punch-out figures of Axl and Bull Gator, Digeri Dingo, Francis X. Bushlad, and the Bushrats), the Wild Wind-up Wheelie Taz Cycle, the Tornado Taz Spinner, and the Tree Tote Taz Carry Case.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987):
    • In 1990, a set of six badges were released.
    • Also in 1990, a set of four VHS tapes were released, each one featuring one episode from the show. These consisted of "Sky Turtles", April Foolish", "Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers", and "The Great Boldini".
    • In 1993, a set of five bike accessories were released. These consisted of spoke sliders, a bike pouch, the ninja sipper, a bike horn, and a license plate.
  • In 2015, Teen Titans Go! got various toy gadgets.
  • Timon & Pumbaa got toys in 1996, such as a pull-string Pumbaa that could slurp plastic bugs.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures got 4 action toys in 1992 for Europe.
  • Tom and Jerry got small soccer-ball-shaped toys in 2014 to promote the World Cup. Another set was released in 2024
  • Toonsylvania had a set of five toys during the 1998 Halloween season.
  • Viva Piñata got figures of the show's main characters in 2007.
  • Voltron: Legendary Defender got promoted in 2017 with toys of the titular mecha. It ran opposite Care Bears.
  • The Wild Thornberrys got toys in 2000. One notable toy was the treehouse slide.
  • Woody Woodpecker got action toys for Europe in 2000.

Other

  • Disneyland would promote the opening of their Mickey's Toontown land of the park with a set of toys. These wind-up toys featured Mickey and his friends driving or riding different toon-inspired vehicles.
  • In 1998, Burger King released a set of four figures of Action League NOW! as part of their NickelOZone promotion, which also included toys based on Cousin Skeeter, Hey Arnold!, The Journey of Allen Strange and The Wild Thornberrys. The Flesh and Thundergirl's figures were two-piece figures that could articulate at the waist, while Stinky Diver and Meltman's figures were one-piece figures.

Carl's Jr. & Hardee's 

Advertising

  • The California Raisins had figures released in 1988.
  • Plushes of the Coca-Cola Polar Bear were given away with the purchase of a Real Value Combo Meal during the 1993 holiday season.

Film — Animated

  • The Bad Guys (2022) had a set of activity sheets starting in March 2022.
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 had a set of four toys as a tie-in with the film's Blu-ray and DVD release. There was a pull-back Cheesespider, a barrel of Shrimpanzees, a set of dominoes, and a Buttertoad game.
  • Coraline had a set of four toys in 2009. There was the Tic Tac Toe game, the Magic Mirror, Coraline's Key, and the "War of the Worlds" card game.
  • In the 1985 holiday season, five plushes based on Disney movies were released; these consisted of Lady, Bambi, Dumbo, Pinocchio, and one of the 101 Dalmatians.
  • Megamind had a set of four toys from February to April 2011. There was the Hero Meter, a figure of Megamind, the Superhero Checkers Game, and the Gloriously Bad Band.
  • Olive, the Other Reindeer had four toys in the 2001 holiday season. There was the Olive picture frame, Olive's Slide and Flip present, the Glacier Glider, and the Flying Olive Motion Ornament.
  • SCOOB! had a set of four toys in May 2020. There was the Scoob collar, water reveal, Mystery Machine with stickers, and the mystery wristband.

Film — Live-Action

  • The Clifford the Big Red Dog movie had a kids' meal promotion in December 2020. This was the intended release date for the film in question, which would later be released in November 2021.
  • Days of Thunder had toys cars based off the ones from the film, including the Hardee's-sponsored car of Russ Wheeler.
  • Home Alone 2: Lost in New York got punch-out figures, stickers, and cups in the 1992 holiday season.
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol got finger puppets of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo in the 1993 holiday season.
  • Yogi Bear had a run from April-June, 2011. There was a Pie Launcher, Power Canoe, Crazy Ranger Cart, and the "Old Bear" card game.

Literature

Professional Wrestling

Puppet Shows

  • Eureeka's Castle received a set of four rubber stamps in 1994. These consisted of Eureeka, Batly, Magellan, and Bogge and Quagmire together.

Video Games

  • Earthworm Jim had a set of four toys in 1997; there was the Earthworm Jim Rocket Ripper, Monster Dog Peter Puppy, the Princess What's-Her-Name Spinner, and the Snott Squirter.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog:
    • In late 1996, around the time of the initial release of Sonic 3D Blast, Carl's Jr. released a set of four viewfinders featuring stock art of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik.
    • Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice had a set of four toys, which included a splat ball, a figure of Sonic, a board game, and a wrist communicator with a secret compartment. This promotion is notable in that it was released in Fall 2015, the originally planned release date for the game, despite the fact that Sega delayed the game to a 2016 release to allow more development time and to coincide with the Sonic series' 25th anniversary.
  • A year after their stint with Taco Bell (see that folder below), Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot spun on over to Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations. There were three Crash toys (one bendable figure and two pull-back toys) and one Spyro light-up toy.

Western Animation

  • Bobby's World had a set of five circus figures in 1996. They consisted of Bobby as a ringmaster, Uncle Ted as a clown, Captain Squash as a weightlifter, Webbly in a ring, and Roger on a ball.
  • In the 2002 holiday season, Hardee's sold a set of four toys based on A Charlie Brown Christmas. These consisted of Lucy ice skating, Linus with the Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown rolling a snowball, and Snoopy on his prize-winning doghouse.
  • Cow and Chicken had a set of four toys in February and March 2000. There was the "Evil Cownevil" spring-loaded launcher, the "Watch Out For That Chicken!" wind-up car, the "Just the Tube of Us" rev-up spinner, and the "Take-Along TV" paper punch with motion screen.
  • Duck Dodgers had a set of four toys in 2005. There was the Martian Moped spring-loaded launcher, the Space Cadet bobblehead, the Lt. K9 anti-gravity crawler, and the Morph-O-Matic screen changer.
  • Fender Bender 500 had a set of five toys in 1990. These consisted of Yogi Bear and Boo Boo in the Jellystone Jammer, Huckleberry Hound and Snagglepuss in the Lucky Trucky, Magilla Gorilla and Wally Gator in the Swamp Stomper, Dick Dastardly and Muttley in the Dirty Truckster, and Quick Draw McGraw and Baba Looey in the Texas Twister.
  • Looney Tunes had a set of eight drinking glasses in 1973, each one with one of the series' characters; Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, Pepe Le Pew, Road Runner, and Petunia Pig.
  • In the 1984 holiday season, a set of five plushes based on Mickey's Christmas Carol were released. These consisted of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Scrooge McDuck.
  • In Fall 1994, Hardee's released a set of eight race cars based on Nicktoons, with each franchise at the time having two characters; The Ren & Stimpy Show had Ren and Stimpy on rockets, Rugrats (1991) had Tommy on a rocking horse and Angelica on a tricycle, Doug had Doug in a drag racer and Porkchop on a skateboard, and Rocko's Modern Life had Rocko on the Suck-O-Matic vacuum cleaner (from "A Sucker For the Suck-O-Matic") and Spunky on a dog dish.
  • Phantom Investigators had a set of four toys given out in January 2002. Not only were they the only merchandise produced for the series, but were released months before the show premiered due to a timing error between Kids WB and Carl's Jr.
  • Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain received a set of four toys in 1999.
  • Shrek the Halls had a set of four toys in November and December 2009; there was the Gingy's Ride car, a set of 3D ornaments, a book of holiday scenes with stickers, and the Gift Exchange fortune teller.
  • Space Goofs had a Christmas-themed promotion of five toys offered in 1998. The toys featured the aliens with detachable disguises, including Bud as a reindeer, Gorgious as a Christmas tree, Stereo as a two-headed snowman, Etno as Santa, and Candy as a chicken.
  • The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries had a set of five toys in 1998. There was a pull-back roller, a runaway chair, a chase scene top, a Sylvester squeeze squirter, and Tweety's "The Chase is on" viewer.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures had a set of four toys in November and December 2000, many years after the show had finished its original three-season run and ran for syndication. These consisted of Babs Bunny in a bobsled, Plucky Duck on a snowboard, a Dizzy Devil top, and Furrball and Sweetie in a gift box.

Other

  • In Summer 1989, Hardee's released a set of four Beach Bunnies figures. These consisted of one on a skateboard, one on roller skates, one holding a beach ball, and one holding a frisbee.

Chick-Fil-A 

Film - Animated

  • Five books based on Joseph: King of Dreams were available at Chick-fil-A.
  • When Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie was in theaters, Chick-Fil-A did a promotion for the film which offered a color-changing Jonah, a soap dispenser shaped like Khalil in a bowling ball, a toy of the ship of The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and a toy of the whale. Each toy came with a trading card.

Literature

Puppet Shows

Radio

  • Adventures in Odyssey has had multiple promotions in which sample cassettes or CDs were given out with each meal, containing a single episode of the show.

Western Animation

  • Adventures from the Book of Virtues had a series of children's books. Among them were The Bear and the Travelers: A Story of Trust, The Tortoise and the Hare: A Story of Perseverance, and Zach and the Beanstalk: A Story of Courage.
  • VeggieTales has been featured a set of CDs containing retellings of specific episodes alongside "Silly Songs with Larry" segments.

Chuck E. Cheese 

  • Chuck E. Cheese not only is featured in the movie Free Birds but also gave away wrist-bands featuring characters from the movie.

Dairy Queen 

Comic Strips

  • Dennis the Menace (US) recieved several promotions from the restaurant, as its titular character was its mascot from 1971 to 2001. A few examples include:
    • In 1994, toys of Dennis, Joey, Margaret, and Ruff were released. Dennis and Joey's toys were of them driving cars, while Margaret and Ruff's were figures of them with detachable costumes. Dennis drove a fire engine, Joey drove a race car, Margaret had an astronaut costume, and Ruff had a dragon costume.
    • In 1996, a set of four racers were released. These consisted of Dennis in a soapbox racer, Joey in a fire engine, Ruff in a wagon, and Margaret in a baby carriage.
    • Also in 1996, a set of four games were released. These included a vanishing game, a maze, and two wrist flip games.
    • In 1997, a set of four train cars were released. These consisted of Dennis riding an engine, Joey riding a tanker, Ruff riding a flatbed, and Margaret riding a caboose.
  • Garfield had a set of six sports figures in 1998. There were five of Garfield and one of Odie.

Film — Animated

  • Rock-A-Doodle received a set of six figures in 1992. These consisted of Chanticleer, Edmund, Patou, Peepers, The Grand Duke of Owls, and Snipes.
  • Tom and Jerry: The Movie had a set of six toys in 1993; three of Tom, and three of Jerry. They consisted of race cars, stampers, and squirters.

Film — Live-Action

  • Baby's Day Out had a set of four children's books; a sticker book, an activity book, and two pop-up books.
  • CinderElmo had a set of four toys in 2000. There was a matching game, a puzzle book, a CinderElmo finger puppet, and a spinning theater.
  • Kermit's Swamp Years had Kermit playing his banjo on a rolling log, a Kermit and Croaker cannonballer, and Kermit sprawled on a lily pad.

Literature

Live-Action TV

  • Wishbone received a set of six toys in 1999. The toys featured were a pirate ship that could squirt water, a Trojan horse, an inflatable ball, a sand fortress, a magic carpet, and a sticker safe.

Puppet Shows

  • The Puzzle Place had a set of four moveable puzzle pieces, each one featuring one or two of the show's characters, in 1998. There was Ben, Skye, Leon and Julie together, and Kiki and Jody together.

Tabletop Games

  • Digimon had a set of seven plushes with trading cards in 2002. These consisted of Agumon, Gaumon, Guilmon, Impmon, Patamon, Terriermon, and Veemon.

Video Games

Western Animation

Denny's 

Western Animation

  • The Flintstones:
    • A set of eight plushes were released in 1989. They consisted of Fred, Barney, Wilma, Betty, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, Dino, and Hoppy.
    • A set of six race cars were released in 1991. Each one had an interchangeable figure, which included Fred, Barney, Wilma, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, and Dino.
  • Sonic Underground had plushes of Sonic and Knuckles in 2000.

Jack in the Box 

Film — Animated

  • The Powerpuff Girls Movie had a set of six toys; Punching Buttercup, Mojo Jojo's Volcano Viewer, Kung Fu Bubbles, Bulging Brains Mojo Jojo, Karate Kick Blossom, and Skyscraper Mo Mojo Jojo.

Film — Live-Action

Live-Action TV

  • Circa 2007, Yo Gabba Gabba! got finger puppets. This was also Jack in the Box's very last kids' toy promotion.

Puppet Shows

  • In 2003, The Muppets got a set called "The Muppets Take Hollywood". Available were figures of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, The Swedish Chef, and Pepe the King Prawn.

Video Games

Western Animation

Jollibee 

  • Man of Steel had toys at Jollibee in the Philippines.
  • Mega Man had action figures of Mega Man and Proto Man for boys in 2011. These were paired opposite Bratz for girls.
  • Mr. Bean's Holiday had toys based on the movie in the Philippines.
  • Jollibee had toys to promote Spider-Man 3, however in October 2007, SFI Designs Limited announced a recall of 1,500 toys because they contained unsafe levels of lead in the paint.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants had four different toy lines throughout its long run:
    • Popsicle molds based on SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, and Sandy in 2006.
    • A journal, pen, and night light based on SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick in 2013.
    • Action figures of Invincibubble, Sir Pinch-a-Lot, and Mr. Superawesomeness, based on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water in 2015.
    • Toys/school supplies of the characters, based on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in 2020.
  • Turbo had wind up toys with a track in the Philippines.

Kentucky Fried Chicken 

Asian Animation

  • From 2009 to 2015, Chinese Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants had Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf toys in their kids meals to tie into the movie series. They came back in 2023 with a collaboration called Pleasant Goat: Nightfall in Paris (喜羊羊夜幕巴黎), featuring books and cups with the Pleasant Goat characters on them.

Comic Books

  • Tytus, Romek i A'tomek had a run in 2002, which was based off the 2002 movie, Tytus, Romek i A’Tomek wśród złodziei marzeń.

Comic Strips

  • Garfield had a set of six Garfield 500 race cars in 1996. The characters featured were Garfield, Odie, Jon, Nermal, Arlene, and Pooky.

Western Animation

Long John Silver's 

Film — Animated

  • Once Upon a Forest had figures of Edgar, Russel, Abigail, Michelle, and Cornelius in 1993.

Film — Live-Action

Puppet Shows

  • In Winter 1997, a set of "Winter Muppetland" figures were released. These consisted of Kermit on skis, Miss Piggy on a Snow Dish, Fozzie on an ice block, and Gonzo rolled up into a snowman.

Western Animation

Nordsee 

Puppet Shows

  • In 2006, a set of plush dolls of the characters from Sesamstrasse was released. The set included Ernie, Elmo, Krumelmonster (Cookie Monster), Bert, Grobi (Grover), and Graf Zahl (Count Von Count).

Pizza Hut 

Film — Animated

Film — Live-Action

  • Casper got glow-in-the-dark puppets of Casper, Fatso, Stretch, and Stinkie.
  • The Rocketeer got a collectible cup with a lid shaped like the Rocketeer's helmet and a cardboard glider.

Live-Action TV

Toys

  • In 1994, Pizza Hut released a set of four Air Extremes building kits from K'nex. These consisted of a gyro-copter, a stunt plane, a power glider, and a windmill. Collecting all five would give one enough pieces to build the Everglades Airboat.

Western Animation

  • Blinky Bill had puppets of Blinky Bill, Nutsy, Flap, Splodge, and Marcia in Australia in 1992.
  • Darkwing Duck got posters.
  • The Flintstone Kids had character glasses of Freddy, Barney, Wilma, and Betty in 1987.
  • Goof Troop had a collectible cup and accessories such as a baseball cap, shoelaces, an iron-on transfer, and a wristband in 1993.
  • Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures had action figures of Jonny (and his Questworld counterpart), Hadji and Jessie in 1996.
  • Marsupilami had a yo-yo, jump rope, and sports ball in 1994.
  • In 1991, Pizza Hut released a set of three plastic cups based on Nickelodeon's then-new Nicktoons; Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show. The exterior of these cups changed color when filled with liquid.
  • ReBoot had figurines of the main characters. (exclusive to Canada)

Red Rooster 

Film — Animated

  • Barnyard had toys featuring Otis, Pig, Freddy, Peck, and the Jersey Cows.
  • Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius had figures of Jimmy, Carl, Cindy, Goddard, and King Goobot.
  • The Lion King (1994) had character mugs of Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and Scar.
  • Madagascar had figures of Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, and Skipper.
  • Over the Hedge had figures of RJ, Hammy, Verne, Ozzie, and Stella.
  • Shrek 2 had bobbleheads of Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and Puss in Boots.
  • Toy Story had a set of three collectible cups in 1996.

Film — Live-Action

  • The Wiggles Movie had finger puppets of Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, and Wally the Great.

Live-Action Television

  • Tweenies had a set of four plush keyrings; Fizz, Jake, Bella, and Milo.

Video Games

  • Sonic the Hedgehog had a pencil/pen pouch, a flip the cards memory game, a bouncy ball, an expandable flyer, and 3D cups of Sonic, Tails, and Amy in 2012.
  • Super Mario Bros. had keychains of Mario, Yoshi, Toad, and Donkey Kong in 1999.

Western Animation

  • In 2009, Angelina Ballerina and Bob the Builder were paired together, with three toys for each franchise. Angelina had a spinning figure of Angelina, a headband, and a flip the cards memory game, while Bob had a hard hat, a hammer, and a tool belt.
  • The Simpsons:
    • In 2000, figures of Homer, Marge and Maggie together, Bart, and Lisa were released, as well as the couch.
    • In 2003, bumper cars of Homer, Marge and Maggie together, Bart, Lisa, Grampa, and Krusty were released.

Sizzler 

Film — Animated

  • The Swan Princess had plush toys of Odette (in her swan form), Jean Bob Frog, Puffin, and Speed.

Sonic Drive-In 

Sonic Drive-In's kids' meal sets are known as Wacky Packs. They also have Original Generation characters sold in Wacky Packs, the Tots.

Video Games

Western Animation

Subway 

Film — Animated

Film — Live-Action

Literature

  • Clifford the Big Red Dog had a set of four toys in 2000. There was the Doghouse Keeper, a picture frame, and two different poseable figures of Clifford, one of which rode atop a fire engine.

Live-Action TV

  • Hannah Montana received a microphone and guitar toy, alongside stickers and an MP3 download of a Hannah Montana album.
  • iCarly received four toys in 2008. These included cell phone charms, a photo holder, a mousepad, and a sculptor kit.
  • Wizards of Waverly Place received a kaleidoscope, a coin bank, a magic wand, and a stationary kit.

Puppet Shows

  • Bear in the Big Blue House received a set of four toys in 1999. Among the toys issued were a plastic figure of Bear that danced the "Cha-Cha" when a button was pressed, a Big Blue House viewfinder, Tutter's Cheese Chase, and a Pip and Pop Tub Fun roll along vehicle. Customers could also enter to win the contest "Party with Bear", where up to 25 children would win a live appearance of Bear and various products.
  • Dinosaurs had a set of five figures of the Sinclair family in 1995. Each one came with a puzzle piece that the figure could stand on.

Video Games

Western Animation

  • Blue's Clues got several promotions between 1998 and 2000:
    • Blue's Birthday in 1998
    • Blue's Big Pajama Party in 1999
    • There were also two promotions in 2000, with one of them being Blue's Big Musical Movie
  • Bobby's World had a set of four figures of Bobby in different outfits. Besides his normal attire, there were also figures of him dressed as a knight, a cowboy, and an astronaut.
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog had a set of four toys in 2003. There was the Courage Scaredy Clock, Courage Chatterer, Scary Well Launcher, and Courage Couch Launcher.
  • Dexter's Laboratory had a set of four toys in 1999; Dexter's Torpedo Soaker, Dexter's Measuruer, Dexter's writing tablet, and Dee Dee's launcher.
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy had launching toys of Ed, Edd, Eddy, and Sarah in 2003.
  • Gravity Falls had bags.
  • Green Eggs and Ham had a promotion in 2019. Besides the toys, a special sandwich was made for the kids' menu to tie in with it.
  • Histeria! had a viewfinder, a compass, a changing image block and a notepad.
  • Johnny Bravo had a set of four toys in 2001. There was an articulated figure of Johnny, a microphone, a comb and mirror, and a spinning toy with film reels.
  • Little Bill got figures of Little Bill as Captain Brainstorm.
  • Looney Tunes got clip-on toys of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Marvin the Martian, Taz the Tasmanian Devil, and Foghorn Leghorn in late 1999 to promote Mil-Looney-um 2000.
  • The Loud House got comics.
  • Mickey Mouse (2013) had a set of lunch bags containing jigsaw puzzles.
  • Nick Jr. had a run in 1999, including figures of the following shows:
  • Phineas and Ferb had two sets. The first one was released in 2008 and contained PVC figures of Phineas and Ferb, a race car based on the Season 1 episode, The Fast & The Phineas, and a launching rocket ship. The second, released in 2013 for "Platypus Day" was a set of reusable lunch bags.
  • The Powerpuff Girls (1998) had figures of Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Mojo Jojo.
  • Samurai Jack had a set of five toys in 2002. There were boxing figures of Jack and Aku, the Minion Buster, the Aku Popper, and Jet Jack.
  • Star Wars Rebels got messenger bags.

Taco Bell 

A couple of interesting notes about Taco Bell. They started offering kids meals in 1995 and became the first major fast food chain in North America to discontinue kids' meals entirely (along with any associated toy tie-ins) in 2013. Also, in later years they offered two different kids meals, one for toddlers under the age of three and one for kids 3 and up. While the meal for older kids came with the typical assortment of anywhere from 3-5 different toys, the toddler meal usually only had one toy available at any given time that wasn't necessarily always tied to the same promotion as the older kids' meal.

Advertising

Anime & Manga

  • Cardcaptors: Five toys based on the Americanized "Cardcaptors" version of Cardcaptor Sakura were given away in 2002. This promotion drew complaints from the American Family Association which believed the Clow Cards in the series (and featured in one of the toys) were too similar to tarot cards.

Comic Books

Film — Live-Action

  • Godzilla: Taco Bell ran a massive promotional campaign for the 1998 film that included kids' meal toys, in addition to an instant-win game and other merchandise for adults.
  • Men in Black: Toys based on the 1997 movie.
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol got a set of four ornaments in the 1992 holiday season.

Live-Action TV

Puppet Shows

  • Fraggle Rock: A series of books were available with the toddler kids meal in 2012.
  • Yo Gabba Gabba!: Board books were available with the toddler kids meal in 2010.

Tabletop Games

  • Digimon: Offered in 2000, kids' meals came with promotional playing cards, metal cards, and colored card holders.

Video Games

  • Konami: In 2011, Taco Bell partnered with Konami to offer promotional CD Roms with kids meals for one of five Konami PC games: Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, Dance Masters, Mini-Golf Adventures 2, Mini-Golf Adventures 2: Reloaded, or a 30th anniversary edition of Frogger. These were only offered to older kids; the toddler kids meal came with a different toy.
  • MySims: Kids' meals in 2010 came with either a sticker set, poster, or a free copy of the PC version of the game. These were only given to kids 3 and older.
  • Nintendo: A Nintendo 64 holiday promotion in 1997 offered five toy options. There was a climbing Donkey Kong toy, a Yoshi figurine, a Mario maze, and handheld games based on Mario Kart and Star Fox 64. Notably, unlike most kids' meal toys these were not free but were sold for 99 cents each and came packaged in gift boxes.
  • Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot: A 2000 promotion offered four different kids meal toys, two for each game: a skateboarding Crash (who could be launched off his skateboard), a scuba-diving Crash, a plush Spyro, and a spark spinner.

Western Animation

  • Ace Ventura Pet Detective: A set of four toys offered in 1997 that were very specifically based off the animated TV series and not the not-made-for-kids film.
  • Almost Naked Animals got Taco Bell kids' meal toys in 2012 under the name "Banana Cabana" (after the hotel featured in the show).
  • Batman: The Animated Series: A set of five toys were offered in 1997 under the show's rebranded title, The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
  • Cow and Chicken had a set of four toys in 1999. There was the TV Animator, the Sparking Cow, the Cereal Launcher, and the Pop-A-Wheelie Triycle.
  • Earthworm Jim: A set of four toys were offered in 1996, specifically as a tie-in with the animated TV series rather than the video game series. They included a squeeze toy, piggy bank, bowling game, and wind-up car.
  • The Flintstones (1995)
  • The Mask (1995)
  • Space Goofs (1998)
  • The Tick (1996)
  • Wild Grinders: This 2011 promotion included three different toys and a play scene with stickers.
  • Woody Woodpecker (1999)
  • Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: A series of books based on the TV show were available with the toddler kids meal in 2011.

Wendy's 

Anime & Manga

Comic Strips

  • Garfield had a set of five toys in 2000.
  • Peanuts had a set of six Snoopy toys in 2000 to celebrate the comic strip's 50th anniversary. These consisted of a clip-on plush, a digital clock, a magnetic spinning top, a two-sided puzzle, a dome with confetti, and a balancing figure of Snoopy resting atop his doghouse.

Film — Animated

Film — Live-Action

Literature

Live-Action TV

Music

  • From April to June 2010, Wendy's offered four Universal Music Family Car Karaoke CDs. One CD, Disco Fever, was pulled after parents complained about the Donna Summer song "Last Dance" having inappropriate lyrics.

Toys

  • In the 80s, Wendy's gave out Teddy Ruxpin figurines of Teddy Ruxpin, Grubby, Newton Gimmick, The Wooly What's It, and a green Fob.

Video Games

  • Backyard Sports got a basketball pinball game and a viewer shaped like a football.
  • Carmen Sandiego: A top-secret gum pack and a travel kit.
  • Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge had a set of four toys in 2001; there was a hopping figure of Frogger with a finger pump, a maze game, a checkers game, and a digital clock.
  • Wii: Similar to the Burger King promotion, Wendy's promoted miniature Wii remotes.
  • Super Mario Bros. got action figures in 2002 and 2004. There were also three Mario toys for a 2007 Wii promotion.

Western Animation

  • Adventures from the Book of Virtues had a set of five toys in 1998. These consisted of the Aristotle maze game, the Plato coin holder, the Aristotle slide viewer, the color surprise poster, and a puzzle.
  • Adventures of the Gummi Bears got plastic cups, lenticular medallions, and promotional posters in 1985.
  • All Grown Up! got a set of five toys in 2004.
  • Arthur: In 2008, it got a CD-ROM game, a phone calculator, stickers, and a stationary kit.
  • Bobby's World got a puzzle and a basketball game.
  • Bruno the Kid had a set of six toys in 1997. There was a balancing airplane, a sports car viewfinder, an arm band, a sunscreen container squirt toy, a decoder pen, and a speedboat.
  • ChalkZone had a run in 2003, including a figure of Snap.
  • Curious George was promoted twice: once in 2000, and again in 2006 to promote the movie.
  • Dexter's Laboratory got toys such as a purple spark maker.
  • Felix the Cat had a run in 1997 featuring a plush, a golden trophy, and a 3D mini-poster.
  • Hey Arnold! got bendy figures of Arnold, Gerald, Helga, and Grandpa Phil.
  • The Jetsons was promoted twice: once in 1989, and again in 1990 to promote the movie.
  • Johnny Bravo got sunglasses, a wallet, a toy of him weightlifting, a watch, and a bowling game.
  • Maya & Miguel: A fortune teller, a translator, and a DVD game.
  • NASCAR Racers: Race cars, obviously.
  • Pinky and the Brain: One particular toy was a Polly Pocket-like toy of Acme Labs shaped like Brain.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants: Included the likes of a SpongeBob notepad and a Sandy pen. The toys were branded as a promo for the SpongeBob's House Party special.
  • Teen Titans Go! had a wide variety of toys, promoted as a "party in every bag".
  • Tiny Toon Adventures had a set of four toys in 1999, many years after the show had finished its original three-season run and ran for syndication. These four toys included a Dizzy Devil top, an X-ray machine, colorful connectable figures of Buster and Babs, and a lenticular 3d photo frame where a photo of your head could be placed over Hamton's.
  • WordGirl got audiobooks and a toy of Captain Huggyface.

Misc

  • National Hockey League: In 1998, the NHL got toys including a miniature Zamboni, a hockey puck, and stickers.

White Castle 

Film — Live Action

  • Godzilla got a set called "Godzilla Devours White Castle" in 1990.

Western Animation

  • Infamously, White Castle promoted the series Hammer Man with toothpaste, soap and sponges. The chain also promoted The Real Ghostbusters with Slimer branded toothpaste.

Multiple 

  • Bobby's World had a set of four toys, which were first released by Dairy Queen in 1995. These consisted of the Twister Adventure, Bobby's Bulldozer, the Globe Trotter, and Suction Webbly. These toys were re-issued in 1996 as Carl's Jr. and Boston Market's Kids' Meal toys but with Rollin' Roger in place of the Globe Trotter. The re-issued toys were also given different names; Twister Adventure became Bobby's Silly Scrambler, Bobby's Bulldozer became Bobby's Double-Duty Dozer, and Suction Webbly became Wacky Webbly.
  • For Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, there was a massive fast-food tie-in with three different restaurants representing the major planets seen in the film: Taco Bell had Tatooine toys, Kentucky Fried Chicken had Naboo, and Pizza Hut had Coruscant.
    • McDonald's would promote the 2012 re-release with a set of spinning tops.
  • Neopets: It had multiple promotions with McDonald's and Burger King, including plushies, figurines, and sticker sheets.

Adult-oriented promotions

Bubble tea chains 

The Alley

  • The Alley ran a Chainsaw Man promotion in North America and Europe, featuring two new drink flavors that came with sticker sheets, Pochita cup holders, and cardboard Denji ornaments for straws. Multiple locations (particularly in Canada) also encouraged fans to come in cosplay, offering a special discount if they did.

Bearology

  • Bearology ran a Spy X Family promotion that featured different collectible flasks with designs of Loid, Anya and Yor, along with a limited in-store design that featured the whole family.

Coco Fresh Tea

  • Coco ran a Diablo IV promotion in late 2023, with two themed flavors along with goodies such as cup sleeves, trading cards, postcards, stickers, pins, mousepads and keychains. While a rare example of a worldwide Western franchise promotion at an Asian restaurant, it can easily be attributed to Blizzard Entertainment games being popular in East Asia and with East Asian populations in the West as well.

Carl's Jr. 

Jack In The Box 

  • One of Jack In The Box's most popular promotions was the Jack Antenna Balls. They first appeared in 1995 and were given away with every purchase of their Sourdough Jack Burger. Since then, there have been a couple of variants apart from the standard Jack ball.
    • A few miscellaneous antenna balls replace Jack's crayon hat with other hats, notably a cowboy hat, a graduation cap, and a knitted hat.
    • Several Holiday/Christmas balls were given out over the years, including a Winter Ball, Snowman Ball, Reindeer Ball, Nutcracker Ball, "JOY" ball, Christmas Lights ball, and "Dashing Jack" balls.
    • A few New Year's balls were also given, including "Millennium Balls" to celebrate the Turn of the Millennium.
    • A Halloween ball, which was just a simple Jack ball with a purple crayon hat, black eyes and smile, and Frankenstein-like stitching on the head.
    • Football Jacks, featuring teams from the NFL and the NCAA. There was even one based off the Carnivores, a fictional football team that Jack owned in some of the commercials.
    • Baseball Jacks, featuring various Major League Baseball teams.
    • Soccer Jacks, released during the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Each ball had a flag of a different country on the headband.
    • A George Washington Jack, based off a Super Bowl Special where Jack was depicted crossing the Delaware River.
    • In collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a few special antenna balls were sold for a dollar each. This included a propeller beanie Jack, a sunglasses Jack, and a red beanie Jack.
    • To promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, special Facemask Jacks were given out.
    • After reaching one million likes on Facebook, a select number of followers were given one of 50 special edition gold antennas balls.
    • A Pineapple Jack was released that was exclusive to Hawaii.
    • As part of a promotion with Deadpool & Wolverine, special Deadpool balls were given out with purchase of the Mini-changas, while supplies last.

Pizza Hut 

Subway 

  • Along with the kids' meal toys, Subway also offered collectible The Force Awakens plastic cups geared more towards collectors.

In-universe examples

Film — Animated 

  • Shrek 2: Parodied. The meal that Charming ordered came with a battle-axe.
  • Referenced in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie:

    Patrick: Well, saying you're a kid is like saying I'm a kid!
    Waiter: Here's your Goober Meal, sir.
    Patrick: Uh, I'm supposed to get a toy with this? [gets smacked in the face with toy] Thanks.

Literature 

  • In The Berenstain Bears' Mad, Mad, Mad Toy Craze, Beary Bubbies become in such high demand that pretty soon, they are everywhere. At one point, Brother and Sister get them in their Krazy Meals at the Burger Bear.

Radio 

  • One sketch on John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme is about a negotiation between representatives of a fast food company and a movie studio, about putting toys based on a certain film into kids' meals. Neither of them have been involved in such a deal before, and both of them are surprised by how smoothly it's going, and how readily the other accepts their terms ... until they realise they both thought they were the one paying the other (the restaurant is using the film characters to attract customers, but the studio is using the restaurant to advertise the film) and neither of them wants to admit to head office that they went into the negotiations without knowing how they worked.

Web Animation 

Western Animation 

  • In the universe of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, there exists a kids' meal known as "Silly Meals", as shown in the episode "Journey to the Center of Carl", in which Jimmy and Sheen find one of the toys inside of Carl's stomach.

    Sheen: Hey, Carl! You're supposed to play with the toys in the Silly Meals, not eat 'em!
    Carl: I know. But they always look so colorful and chewy.

  • In The Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Menu", during his trek across all the Joyful Burger restaurants, Richard nearly eats a horse toy that comes with a kids' meal, and Gumball pulls it out of his mouth before reading the meal's box, noticing the toy has more nutritional value than the meal itself and throwing the toy back into his mouth.
  • Big City Greens: In "Fast Foodie", a Burger Clown restaurant opens next door to the Green family, and when they visit, Mr. Burger Clown gives them free food to celebrate Burger Clown's grand opening. Tilly gets a figure of Mr. Burger Clown that squeaks when squeezed with her meal.
  • King of the Hill: In "Aisle 8A", Peggy takes Bobby to Whataburger so she can explain how Connie has had her first period and is now becoming a woman. He doesn't take it well.

    Bobby: She can't be a woman! I'm still a kid! I even got the kids' meal! I love this toy!
    Peggy: Oh, Bobby, honey, you will catch up eventually. This year, next year, it does not matter when, because you will always be Mommy's little man.

  • Rugrats (1991): In "Hold The Pickles", Taffy takes the babies to Boingo Burger for lunch and buys each of them a Wacky Meal, which comes with either a cheeseburger or Reptar nuggets. The babies also discover that the Wacky Meal comes with a toy. Kimi's is a miniature teddy bear, Tommy's prize is a miniature figure of Reptar, Chuckie's is a miniature head of Boingo Burger's clown mascot (much to his horror), and Lil's is a finger trap.
  • The Simpsons:
  • Meh Burger from Sonic Boom has the Meh Meal. In "Knuck! Knuck! Who's Here?" and "Mombot", one of the toys sold in it is an action figure of Meh Burger's Councilman McMeh mascot. At times, the toys are extremely unsafe. A good example of this is in "Tommy Thunder: Method Actor", when Meh Burger has a tie-in with Tommy's latest movie, Dave the Intern advertises the Meh Meal toys as being "Guaranteed to have 12% fewer jagged edges". He then cuts his fingers on one, which appears to be a metal Nerf football with Tommy's face on it.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants:
    • In "Born Again Krabs", Krabs gives out free Bikini Bottomite action figures at the Krusty Krab until he realizes he is awake.
    • In "Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob", Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are hired to promote the restaurant, appearing in TV commercials for it. Kids' meals are produced featuring Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy toys. Seeing how the promotion attracted kids to the Krusty Krab, Plankton uses mind-control shampoo on the aforementioned heroes to turn them against the Krusty Krab and bring customers to the Chum Bucket.
    • In "Yours, Mine and Mine", SpongeBob buys Patrick a kid's meal (that the latter agreed to share with the former but didn't) and Patrick demands a refund. Mr. Krabs, not wanting to lose any money, inserts some straw limbs and pickle eyes on a Krabby Patty and calls it a Krabby Patty-shaped toy. SpongeBob falls in love with it, naming it "Patty Pal." The whole plot of the episode is Patrick being stingy and selfish by not sharing the toy with SpongeBob, which devastates the latter and causes conflict throughout the episode.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures: In "My Dinner With Elmyra" (part of "Love Disconnection"), Montana Max is forced to take Elmyra Duff to dinner and a movie. Monty tries to ruin his date by taking Elmyra to Weenie Burger, but his plan backfires, as Elmyra loves Weenie Burgers' Happy Baby Puppy-Face Meals, and she makes Monty buy one for her. When Monty tries to secretly order one, the manager and the toons think he's buying one for himself, prompting the latter to laugh at him. The Happy Baby Puppy-Face Meal's choices of side dish are Cutie Clown Crunchy Creamy Coleslaw or Friendly Frilly Funny Fun Fries, and the prize Elmyra gets with her Happy Baby Puppy-Face Meal is a rabbit puppet.
  • Toy Story Toons: In the "Small Fry" short, Bonnie goes to Poultry Palace, where the Fun Meal promotion at the time is for Buzz Lightyear toys. Bonnie wants a Mini Buzz figure, but the only one Poultry Palace has is for display. The Mini Buzz figure on display manages to escape and swap himself out with Bonnie's Buzz, who gets mistaken for a Fun Meal toy and taken to a support group for discarded Fun Meal toys from years past. Buzz tries to escape while Bonnie's toys try to get the Mini Buzz back to Poultry Palace.
  • T.U.F.F. Puppy:
    • In "Mission: Really Big Mission", Dudley and Kitty travel around the world to find the three pieces of T.U.F.F.'s laser system before Snaptrap does with the intent use it to heat up the Earth's Corn Belt. After T.U.F.F. loses the first piece to Snaptrap in the middle of the Pet-pacific ocean, Keswick accidentally sends the coordinates of the second piece to the Meaty Moose restaurant, and Dudley and Kitty his lunch order. Dudley and Kitty order lunch from the Meaty Moose drive-thru along with the coordinates, and Dudley asks the cashier for a toy with his meal. The toy he gets is an action figure of Meaty Moose, which he complains that he already has. When he tries to give it to Kitty, she tells him she already has it as well.
    • In "Quack in the Box", Quacky the Duck opens a fast-food restaurant called Quack in the Box, and one of the things he sells at it is a Sloppy Meal, which comes with a set of Quacktion figures, which are action figures of Quacky and his co-stars; the Sharing Moose, the Counting Cougar, the Phonics Fox, and the Math Moth. As part of his plan to get revenge on T.U.F.F. for foiling his plan to destroy the TV station in a previous episode, "Lights, Camera, Quacktion!", Quacky gives the Quacktion figures to Dudley and controls them to destroy every other fast-food restaurant in Petropolis and frame Dudley.