Spooky rumors swirled for weeks leading up to the big announcement, but it’s now official: McDonald’s iconic Halloween Pails are indeed returning to participating U.S. locations this fall.
The chain’s Halloween Happy Meals, which feature three different spooky buckets, will become available on Tuesday, October 18, and will stick around until October 31, or until supplies last. So don’t wait until the afterlife if you’re looking to snag one!
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First launched in 1986, McDonald’s Halloween Pails quickly became a major part of the holiday for countless ’80s and ’90s kids and adolescents. Some 20 years later, they disappeared from the ephemera of the spooky season.
Numerous iterations of the Pails have come and gone in the years and decades since their debut, but no design has resonated with customers quite like the original version. That’s why there’s so much excitement surrounding this announcement. McDonald’s original Halloween Pail trio—McBoo, McPunk’n, and McGoblin—are coming back in a big way.
All three were originally orange in the late 1980s, but by the early ’90s, McBoo had adopted a white tone and McGoblin turned green, while McPunk’n stayed orange.
True to their targeted audience, the Halloween Pails were originally intended to be used for trick-or-treating. However, McDonald’s and its fans has found other creative ways to make use of the pail this Halloween (and beyond.)
The perfect fashion accessory
If you’re heading to a Halloween costume party this year instead of trick or treating, a Halloween Pail from McDonald’s can make for a fun accessory that’s sure to be a conversation starter.
Fashion TikToker @saracampz showed off just a few fun, freaky ways to add any one of the three available Pails to a Halloween outfit or costume.
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