McDonald’s is tapping into nostalgia for this year’s trick-or-treat season.
The fast-food chain announced last Thursday that it is bringing back its iconic Halloween Pails to participating McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from October 18th – 31st, while supplies last.
What are McDonald’s Halloween Pails?
First released back in 1986, McDonald’s Halloween Pails are adorable Halloween-themed buckets that come with an order of a Happy Meal. Perfect for storing candies during trick-or-treating, this year’s Halloween Pails will be available in three varieties: white McBoo, orange McPunk’n and green McGoblin.
After you’ve enjoyed the delicious eats inside, you can reuse the Halloween Pails in different ways all year round. In the blog post announcing the return of limited-edition Happy Meals, the fast-food giant shared that the Halloween Pails can be recycled as makeshift drums, planters, Halloween décor, and costume accessories. Check out the image below to see how you can revamp your Halloween Pails.
McDonald’s nostalgia marketing
McDonald’s has been relying on nostalgia marketing quite recently. As announced last month, the chain has teamed up with the streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market to create the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box, a limited-edition McDonald’s meal that aims to take adult fans on a trip down memory lane to the time they had their very first Happy Meal as a kid.
Available from October 3rd, while supplies last, the Cactus Flea Market Box has a size and shape similar to the Happy Meals from the old days. Featuring a design that reflects the clothing brand’s signature style, the box comes complete with McDonald’s iconic Golden Arches that serve as the handle.
For the actual meal inside the box, customers can choose between a Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets. The reimagined Happy Meal also includes fries and a drink for a complete fast-food treat.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Happy Meal without a toy inside. Each order of the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box comes with one of four collectible figurines of Grimace, the Hamburglar, Birdie, and Cactus Buddy ― a character designed by Cactus Plant Flea Market.
The collaboration also includes custom Cactus Plant Flea Market x McDonald’s merchandise items, which are now exclusively available on cpfmmcdonalds.com. The collection features tees, hoodies, and other collectibles bearing McDonald’s and Cactus Plant Flea Market signature logos, characters, and slogans.