McDonald's was all about nostalgia when it announced the limited-edition Adult Happy Meal. But as they have sold like hotcakes, what some customers are doing might make the big purple guy actually grimace.
Each meal includes one of four uniquely-designed figures. Three are well-known mascots of the Golden Arches — Birdie, Grimace and Hamburglar — and the fourth is Cactus Plant Flea Market's Cactus Buddy. They all have the four-eyed smiley faces, of which fans of the streetwear brand are familiar.
Ngl I'm absolutely loving these Cactus Plant Flea Market adult happy meal toys @McDonalds pic.twitter.com/B2TvGemAMo
— GHOSTSHRIMP.nft (@realghostshrimp) October 13, 2022
However, people looking to profit have bought up dozens of the adult Happy Meals in their Cactus Plant Flea Market-designed boxes and are selling the included toys at exorbitant prices. Apparently the sentimentality of the items is worth it to some, because several have sold for far more than the cost of a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets.
For instance, the seller of an eBay listing for "McDonald's Adult Happy Meal Toys Vintage Rare Cactus Plant Flea Market. In original box and toy is unopened" is asking for $20,000. Another, offering "All 4 characters and mint box as well free shipping," is listed for $25,000, and a third wants $300,000.95 for what appears to be three unopened toys.
Of course, you can try to sell pretty much anything on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Mercari or other online platforms, and ask for as much as you want, but that doesn't mean anyone will actually buy it. However, some of these items have sold at high prices.
One eBay listing for 150 sealed toys sold on Oct. 6 for $2,400 (that's $16 per toy), and a listing that ended yesterday shows that a Cactus Buddy toy sold for $10,000, although the details of the listing are no longer visible.
Several other listings that sold on eBay seem a bit more questionable. Multiple sealed, 150-count cases of the toys sold for $2,000 to $3,000 apiece, although it is unclear how the sellers obtained these unopened boxes.
It certainly appears that there is a significant demand for these items, but there's no word yet whether McDonald's will bring back adult Happy Meals.
