Festive winter scene with an Elf on the Shelf, a reindeer, a green-tailed bogie, and a McDonald’s Happy Meal box in snow.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Hello Kitty Happy Meal® Toys 

More of our Happy Meal® Toys are made from using the Mass Balance approach as a result of the material trials we began in 2025.

We've had a play

Happy Meal® Toys have been providing children with hours of play time over the past 39 years in the UK, and we want to ensure the toys and books we offer are fun, engaging and durable. That’s why we’re testing a new approach to help us choose the right material for the right toy. This move is the latest in an ongoing journey, and we are committed to continuing our research and development to find the best possible materials that produce great toys, while helping us work towards our global sustainability goals.

Festive winter scene with an Elf on the Shelf, a reindeer, a green-tailed bogie, and a McDonald’s Happy Meal box in snow.

The Science Bit

We’re using the Mass Balance approach for some of our Happy Meal® toys to help ensure they’re robust enough to last for hours of playtime. This move towards using the Mass Balance approach is part of our wider goal to drastically reduce plastics in Happy Meal® toys around the globe and transition to more sustainable materials by the end of 2025*. This process is a little complicated, so let us explain the key stages involved…

Illustration of a person in a white lab coat pouring two colored liquids from triangular flasks into a large beaker labeled “TOY MIX” on a yellow background.

Sourcing

To create the plastic material businesses like us need, our suppliers mix fossil-fuel materials, and renewable or recycled raw materials, such as used cooking oil. We then use this to make some of our iconic Happy Meal® toys.

Illustration of a large certificate with colorful horizontal bars and text at the top. At the bottom, a person in a white lab coat is holding an oversized pencil and signing the certificate. The background is solid yellow.

Producing

Our suppliers provide us with certificates to confirm the amount of renewable materials we’ve purchased when it comes to making some of our toys.

Illustration of a person in a white lab coat holding a clipboard labeled “TEST” and writing notes. Next to them is a small machine with a blue car inside, surrounded by wavy lines suggesting testing. A green checkmark in a thought bubble appears above.

Testing

Our toys are rigorously tested, to ensure quality and safety remain at the heart of everything we do, while continuously improving our manufacturing process.

Image of toys in a circular border with an arrow pointing to another circular border containing books.

Be a Wastebuster!

In the UK, we’ve teamed up with Wastebuster through the Recycle to Read programme to encourage families to rehome unwanted toys once they’ve finished playing with them, or recycle any old or broken small hard plastic toys.

Recycle to Read is a collective initiative that is building a new system for recycling plastic toys, while giving books to schools to support children’s literacy. Simply scan the QR code on one of the Recycle to Read collection bins to log your recycling, and you’ll earn Planet Care Points for registered schools that help them get free books. Find your nearest recycling point in the UK on the link below!

Find Out More

McDonald’s Happy Meal® Service Messages   

Water

© 2025 McDonald’s. Happy Meal and the Happy Meal box design are trade marks of McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates.

Any changes to advertised services will be announced on this page (mcdonalds.co.uk/happymeal). Data charges may apply when accessing online content. Digital devices are not included.

*For plant-based plastics to be considered sustainable for McDonald’s, a minimum of 60% of plastic weight is required to come from recycled or renewable content or a combination of recycled and renewable content

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