McDonald's Boo Buckets Return For Halloween With 2 New Spooky Characters

When October hits and the leaves on the trees start to turn, you can count on spooky season going full speed ahead. Your favorite stores will be stocked to the brim with fun-sized Halloween candies, and horror movie marathons will take over the airwaves. Meanwhile, at McDonald's, it is time for the return of the legendary Boo Buckets in Happy Meals.

Classic characters Pumpkin, Ghost, and Goblin are returning, but the buckets are getting a revamp with two more characters, Cat and Zombie, for the first time. The Boo Buckets all come with three face variations, giving you 15 different designs to collect. Each bucket also includes stickers, allowing you to fancy them up a bit if you like.

The black cat Boo Bucket features a worried expression, a confused one, and a feisty expression for those looking for something slightly creepier. The red zombie has a Jack-o'-lantern-style mouth and a scar on its face, and comes with a fiendish expression, an upset one, or a tired and drooly zombie-esque look. They're a noticeably spooky upgrade compared to last year's fluffy monster designs, which, while cute, did not have the same family-friendly creep factor that this year offers. These new designs lean heavily into the look of the buckets made famous in the 1980s.

Boo Buckets have gone through many changes since debuting in 1986. Back then, the original three were called McPunk'n, McBoo, and McGoblin, but all three were orange. Those original buckets are rare collector's items today. Over the years, there were redesigns, and sometimes they were not issued at all. In 1988, there were no Boo Buckets, but in 1989, they introduced the white ghost and a green witch. The big innovation in 1990 was that the ghost bucket glowed in the dark.

Some years, McDonald's swapped out Boo Buckets for Halloween bags, which were never as popular. At other times, the buckets came with lids that doubled as plastic cookie cutters. It's clear that McDonald's continually innovates its designs and offers something new for Halloween, even if the results are sometimes hit and miss. Boo Buckets returned after a six-year absence in 2022, featuring throwback designs that looked like the pumpkin, ghost, and the witch from the 1980s.

The popularity of Boo Buckets has been steady, and now, with many adults feeling nostalgic for the buckets from their childhood, that trend looks set to continue. In fact, in 2024, there was some fan disappointment with the new Boo Bucket designs because they lacked a nostalgia factor. Fans who want to recapture that feeling will likely be excited by what 2025 has to offer. Even though the Cat and the Zombie are new, they fit in well with the old designs, capturing much of the same creepy '80s magic that has brought them back so many times. You can get your own Boo Bucket in a Happy Meal starting October 21 while supplies last.