The 1970s McDonald's Toys That Could Be Worth Money Now

McDonald's has been offering toys with the purchase of food since the national launch of Happy Meals in 1979. The brand has gone through phases of offering everything from "Shrek"-themed glasses to Beanie Babies to Disney-related toys. Certain Happy Meal toys are worth a pretty penny these days, especially if you happen to find one of those McDonaldland plush pillow toys from the 1970s sitting around in your old memory box.

In the early 1970s, the chain released a series of 15-inch-tall plush pillow toys in the shapes of characters from its make-believe world named "McDonaldland." There were characters we'd recognize even today, such as Ronald McDonald and Grimace (here's how to DIY that viral Grimace milkshake), but also a slew of other characters, such as Officer Big Mac, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, the [Mad] Professor, and Captain Crook. The plush toys didn't last very long, and by the middle of that same decade, there were plastic versions of the McDonaldland characters taking their place. Which means, given the rarity and limited-edition run of the plush characters, these seemingly insignificant toys can put some extra cash in your pocket.

In 1971, the McDonald's corporation worked with an advertising agency named Needham, Harper & Steers to create McDonaldland, an imaginary world where Mayor McCheese made the laws and Officer Big Mac was on a mission to capture the Hamburglar. Through a series of colorful, wacky commercials, McDonald's brought the world of fast food to children, snagging their attention with toys and planting ideas about milkshakes and Big Macs (here's how much a Big Mac costs in 1974 vs. 2025). The idea was to expand the McDonald's name into more than just fast food, but a kind of children's attraction, coupled with the PlayPlaces added to restaurants around the same time (check out five of the coolest McDonald's locations in the U.S.).

The McDonaldland plush toys from the '70s range in price depending on condition. On eBay, a singular wrapped Mayor McCheese plush toy can often go for upwards of $200, with similar listings for a singular unwrapped Officer Big Mac plush toy going for $150. Meanwhile, a Ronald McDonald plush toy on eBay was listed for only $9.25, and the plush version of the Hamburgler was going for $15. The range in price is most likely because characters like Mayor McCheese and Officer Big Mac are lesser known and lesser seen than big-name characters like Ronald McDonald or Grimace, making them more valuable.