McDonald's Is Dropping A Happy Meal Inspired By Super Mario Bros.

It's common knowledge that one of the best parts of a McDonald's Happy Meal is the toy, and the fast food brand recently released its latest lineup of collectibles. To celebrate the video game character Mario's transition to the silver screen, characters from the popular series will be featured as the latest toys in every Happy Meal box. McDonald's announced the new toys via its official Instagram page.

Of course, this news should sound familiar to anyone who follows this space closely enough. GameRant reported rumors about these toys almost a month ago after spotting a promotional flier for this particular lineup in a Japanese McDonald's. It featured the eight toys that have now been confirmed by the fast-food giant.

Although these particular playthings are obviously geared toward children, the nostalgic factor of the popular '80s video game series likely means that these will prove popular with adults too. Of course, McDonald's is no stranger to acknowledging the wide-ranging popularity of their toys, having actually made Happy Meals for adults earlier this year. 

This means plenty of folks who haven't enjoyed a Happy Meal since Ronald McDonald was the face of the franchise might be trying to collect all eight toys as well. So, which toys should Mario fans keep an eye out for?

The new Happy Meal toy lineup will feature many of the Mushroom Kingdom's most beloved characters who are featured in Universal Pictures' upcoming film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." 

For starters, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Luigi, a fire-breathing Bowser, and a kart-driving Toad will all be available. Unsurprisingly, Mario, the star of the show, is also featured in two different forms. He appears once in his classic jumping pose, and again behind the wheel of a go-kart. These toys also give us our first look at a character relatively new to the franchise. Luma, a star-shaped species that first appeared in video games via 2007's "Super Mario Galaxy," hasn't shown up in any of the trailers for the movie yet, but we now know exactly what the character's toy looks like. 

Interestingly, although these toys appear to be consistent with what we previously saw in McDonald's in Japan, they are not the only McDonald's toys meant to publicize the upcoming movie. In fact, GGRecon adds that customers in the United Kingdom will also be getting their own set of unique buildable Mario toys. The country's Happy Meal toys are made with cardboard in order to meet a sustainability goal of cutting down on plastics.

According to IMDb, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" won't release until April 7, 2023, but it seems that this is a part of an earlier marketing kick. Nintendo Merch Central reports that these toys will only be around until January 23, so you'll have to hurry to get all eight.