Spaceship

The Spaceship promotion is often regarded by collectors as the very first Happy Meal toy set released in the UK, dating back to 1984. However, this sits slightly at odds with McDonald’s official history, which states that Happy Meals were not introduced in the UK until 1986 making this an interesting point of debate among enthusiasts.

The set was based on an earlier US promotion from the early 1980s and featured lightweight, vacuformed plastic spaceships. Each toy came in three parts – top, base, and a sheet of stickers allowing children to assemble and customise their own design using McDonaldland characters.

Measuring approximately 7¾ inches in diameter, the completed spaceships could also be thrown like frisbees. One design was released each week, encouraging customers to return and collect the full set.