“This is the most ambitious promotional effort ever developed between two of the world’s best-known family-friendly brands. The agreement we announce today is a true McDisney production.” – Michael Eisner, Disney CEO.

McDonald’s and Disney, there was no more perfect pair than these two in the late 1990s and early 2000s! Whether you were young or young at heart during this time, if you spent any time at McDonald’s during this decade, you were sure to find some Disney magic. How did this partnership come to be? Today we’re taking a trip back in time to cover A True McDisney Production!

 

Red Cross Roots

In 1918 Americans were headed off to defend their country in the first World War. One 15-year-old boy was eager to be a part of it, despite being too young. He would lie about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. Later in life, he would find his true calling as an entrepreneur, building up a global household name today. That boy was Ray Kroc, the man behind franchising McDonald’s.

If you’re a Disney fan, I’m willing to bet another name came to mind. If so, was it Walt Disney? I know the first time I heard about this parallel between these two entrepreneurs in this video, that’s where my mind went. Both Walt and Ray were too young and lied about their age to be a part of World War I. They even met as Red Cross Trainees in South Beach, Connecticut!  Although this is only a small part of this big partnership, I find something magical about these two entrepreneurial giants crossing paths at such a young age. While both went on to pursue their own ventures, Ray Kroc would try to make a connection with Walt again almost 40 years later!

 

Grand Openings

The year 1955 would mean iconic openings for Walt Disney and Ray Kroc. McDonald’s first franchise location in Des Plaines, Illinois, in April 1955, and only a few months later, in July, Walt Disney had an exciting grand opening of his own — Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. Before these openings came to be, Ray Kroc was determined to connect once again with his fellow Red Cross trainee from the war.

On October 20, 1954, Ray Kroc sent a letter to Walt Disney:

“Dear Walt, I feel somewhat presumptuous addressing you in this way, yet I feel sure you would not want me to address you any other way. My name is Ray A. Kroc…I look over the Company A picture we had taken at Sound Beach, Conn. many times and recall a lot of pleasant memories… I have very recently taken over the national franchise of the McDonald’s system. I would like to inquire if there may be an opportunity for a McDonald’s in your Disneyland development.”

Kroc saw the potential that could be between the two companies, and with this letter, he hoped to make something happen. Although Walt Disney received the letter, he was in the thick of Disneyland construction, planning, and other ventures like The Disneyland Show, so he passed it on to the VP of Disneyland Concessions to handle. With so much chaos taking place during that one-year-and-one-day construction period, it’s no surprise that Ray Kroc’s request for an in-park partnership may have fallen through the cracks. 

 

Splash For Cash

 Fast-forward to the 1980s, and the Walt Disney Company is going through some major changes. In September 1984, the company hired a new CEO, Michael Eisner. One of Eisner’s focuses in his new position was driving guests of all ages to the Disney Parks — especially teens. You see, Michael Eisner’s son Brock turned down the chance to visit Disneyland because he said the park was “too lame.” This feedback sparked the idea to add more big thrills and teen-focused attractions like Captain EO, Videopolis, and eventually a much-anticipated log flume attraction to the parks.

To create buzz for this coming attraction, Disney partnered with McDonald’s for a new game — Splash For Cash. This game was very close to the famous Monopoly game that McDonald’s became known for. Customers would buy food and drinks that had peel-off stickers on them. Each sticker could reveal a prize, including cash, food, tickets to Disneyland, etc. 

McDonald’s more than delivered this campaign, putting down millions in promotions for the upcoming Disney attraction. There’s even early concept art of Disneyland’s Splash Mountain that hints that the fast food giant may have almost sponsored the attraction! The Splash For Cash promotional campaign featured commercials and ads teasing footage of Splash Mountain — a ride that was still under construction. This push led to local, national, and even international excitement for Disneyland’s new E-Ticket attraction — how great! Unfortunately, while bringing Splash Mountain to life, Imagineers ran into construction and development issues that continued to push the opening date for the attraction back.

Critter Country’s newest attraction would open about six months behind schedule. While occasional attraction delays aren’t uncommon, the major promotional push behind the Splash For Cash campaign had sent quite a few guests to Disneyland, expecting to experience an attraction that ended up still being under construction. The delays left McDonald’s feeling disappointed in the deal on its end. After a few Happy Meal/Disney tie-ins for The Little Mermaid and The Rescuers Down Under they would let the potential Disney partnership fizzle out for a bit.

 

McDisney Deal

From the “Disney Renaissance” to the new push of play places and weekly toy releases, both Disney and McDonald’s were riding high in the 1990s. After collaborating with Pizza Hut and Burger King for a few movie tie-ins, Disney made their way back to the Golden Arches once again in 1996. What better way to get the ball rolling again than with another McDonald’s game, Disney Video Masterpiece Collection Trivia Challenge! 

This new game was similar to the Splash For Cash promotion, but instead of peeling off prizes, customers would peel off Disney film trivia questions. They would then scratch off the correct answer to reveal a potential prize. The game offered over 300 million prizes, including Disney vacations and more. This is a game that could only exist before Google. With so many people calling their local information lines to find the trivia question answers, it left local librarians aggravated!

 After the success of the Disney Video Masterpiece Collection Trivia Challenge, Disney and McDonald’s would create the terms for their exclusive decade-long partnership. On January 1, 1997, the new venture would give McDonald’s exclusive rights to Disney shows, movies, characters, and even theme parks for Happy Meal toy creation. This investment in royalties would cost McDonald’s $1 million, but they more than made their money back in Happy Meal sales!

In fact, McDonald’s pulled in $1 billion from these promotions over the decade-long partnership. Happy Meals would include toys inspired by any and all Disney films. Some of their promotional tie-ins included Hercules, A Bug’s Life, Mulan, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Emperor’s New Groove, Toy Story 2, Dinosaur, Lilo & Stitch, and Cars — to name a few! In 1998 for the release of Mulan, McDonald’s offered a special Szechuan Sauce. (This Szechuan Sauce would resurface again in 2017, thanks to a Rick and Morty episode referencing the 1998 promotion.) The McDisney partnership didn’t stop with the Happy Meal tie-ins. McDonald’s would make its way into the Disney Parks, too!

 

 

McDonald’s in the Disney Parks

McDonald’s Happy Meals with Disney toys were a staple during this partnership, but so were fry carts in the Disney Parks. As another avenue of synergy, McDonald’s fry stands were available in the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World theme parks. 

McDonald’s Locations

West Ward Ho! – Frontierland, Disneyland

Harbour Galley – Critter Country, Disneyland

Burger Invasion – Disney California Adventure

Frontierland Fries – Frontierland, Magic Kingdom

The Village Fry – Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom

Refreshment Port – World Showcase, Epcot

Fairfax Fries – Sunset Boulevard, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Petrifries – Dinoland U.S.A., Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Restaurantosaurus – Dinoland U.S.A., Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Full-service McDonald’s locations were also available on Walt Disney World property near Blizzard Beach and at Disney Springs (then Downtown Disney).

In addition to the fry stands and restaurant locations, McDonald’s dove into a major sponsorship within Disney’s newest theme park — Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The fast food giant sponsored an entire land, Dinoland U.S.A., when the park opened in April 1998.

The Dinoland U.S.A. we know today was not the same as the one sponsored by the Golden Arches. Before Dinorama, there were still quite a few dino-inspired attractions to experience. Dinoland U.S.A. offered attractions like Countdown To Extinction (now DINOSAUR), a Dinosaur Jubilee, the Boneyard Playground, and a Cretaceous Trail. The land’s eatery, Restaurantosaurus, served McDonald’s burgers, fries, nuggets, and McFlurries.

Thanks to creative signage and theming, the sponsorship of this new land was prominent. Inside the E-Ticket attraction, near the loading area, red, yellow, and white piping served as a nod to the attraction’s sponsor. The red, yellow, and white represented ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, with the scientific formulas for each condiment displayed on the pipes. You can still spot this Easter Egg at DINOSAUR today!

 

The End of an Era

As 2007 grew closer, it was clear that the market had changed its tune in America. While the brands entered into this partnership during the height of a fast-food craze, films like Supersize Me had premiered since then. America was becoming much more health-conscious thanks to an obesity crisis, and the two industry giants decided to part ways when the decade-long contract ended. This brought an end to enjoying McDonald’s in the theme parks and ultimately an end to their sponsorship of Dinoland U.S.A., too.

In 2018 Disney and McDonald’s would partner again for a shorter, non-exclusive partnership. McDonald’s would occasionally include Disney toys for their Happy Meals, still allowing for cross-promotions between the two companies! These companies’ news partnering together again brought joy to those who loved their initial decade-long partnership. The toys, games, merchandise, and promotions that happened during that time left their mark on McDonald’s and Disney fans alike.

Although guests can’t buy McDonald’s fries in the parks anymore, there’s still a full-service McDonald’s location on the Walt Disney World property near Blizzard Beach. This newly renovated sit-down location is the perfect compromise for Disney goers needing to get their McDonald’s fry fix on vacation!

For two underage Red Cross trainees for World War I to go on and create such iconic business empires, it’s humbling to see these businesses come together for a massive, decade-long partnership all those years later. It’s been almost 15 years since the end of this McDisney partnership, and if you were a 90’s kid, you’re likely to have some pretty vivid memories of a time when McDonald’s had the coolest Disney Happy Meal toys. Whether you made it to the Disney Parks or not, it was clear to see that McDonald’s and Disney were creating something special and those of us who lived through it are grateful for the memories, toys, merchandise, and promotions that came with it! 

If you love this topic and want to hear even more about it, check out this week’s episode of The Carousel Project podcast! I also published a piece about this partnership on Theme Park Tourist. You can read it here. My favorite video on this topic is by Defunctland, and you can watch it here! Check out the rest of my Disney Throwback posts here.

What were some of your favorite Disney Happy Meal Toys?