Some may remember when McDonald's Happy Meals and toys featured McDonaldland characters.
In 1971, McDonald's introduced McDonaldland through commercials and marketing to further market its brand to kids. This fantasy world featured multiple fictional characters, including Grimace, Birdie, The Hamburger, Officer Big Mac, Mayor McCheese, the Fry Kids, McNugget Buddies, and the iconic Ronald McDonald.
💵💰 Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💵💰
This cast became memorable for those who grew up during that era since they were seen at every McDonald's location, in Happy Meals, and on merchandise.
Related: McDonald’s brings back unexpected breakfast item after 6 years
However, in the early 2000s, McDonald's changed its marketing strategy and began phasing out the characters to appeal more to adults. After all, they are the ones with credit cards.
Although this might have seemed like the end of an era, this tactic worked in McDonald's favor, allowing the chain to grow immensely and become one of the largest fast food chains worldwide.
McDonald's returns nostalgic characters
Over the last few years, McDonald's (MCD) has begun using nostalgic marketing to boost growth. This strategy creates a strong connection between a product and customers' emotions, promoting familiarity and creating a positive association, which, if managed correctly, could eventually develop a loyal customer base.
The fast food giant brought back some of the most beloved McDonaldland characters in 2023, including the Hamburglar, to promote its burgers, and a purple Grimace Shake to celebrate Grimace's birthday.
Related: Forget the Whopper, Burger King has a wild new burger
This year, McDonald's also returned the seasonal Shamrock Shake to its menu, featuring O'Grimacey, Grimace's green Irish uncle.
To kick off the beginning of June on another nostalgic note, the fast food giant has released another menu item that will take customers back to their childhood and remind them of “winning that big prize at every summer carnival you’ve ever been to,” as stated on the McDonald's website.
McDonald's debuts a new milkshake on its menu
After teasing its debut on social media for a few days, McDonald's has finally unveiled its latest milkshake, the Cotton Candy Shake. This newest menu addition features vanilla soft serve mixed with cotton candy syrup.
But there's a catch: Unfortunately for the U.S., this milkshake is only available at all participating locations in Canada, which once again excludes its home country's fans.
McDonald's adapts its menu in different countries based on cultural preferences or conveniently available foods. The same goes for limited-time additions or seasonal items.
More Food News:
- Walmart makes deal to open popular food chain in stores
- Popular fast-food burger chain to open first store in new market
- Popular chicken chain brings back beloved menu item after 7 years
However, just because McDonald's launches a new menu item in one country doesn't mean the chain can't launch it elsewhere.
If the same ingredients are available in another country for around the same rate, and there's enough demand for it, the item can be brought to other markets. This is why exclusive menu items may overlap across some countries.
McDonald's has neither confirmed nor denied that it will bring the Cotton Candy Shake to the U.S., but fans can only hope its debut is successful enough in Canada to potentially launch it in the States.
