McDonald’s launches adult Happy Meal

Somebody call Cher: McDonald’s has finally found a way to turn back time. The fast-food chain is introducing an adult Happy Meal, which becomes available nationwide starting today.

• The new “McDonaldland Meal”, served in a traditional red and yellow happy meal box, comes with your choice of a Quarter Pounder with cheese or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries, and a limited-edition “Mt. McDonaldland Shake,” inspired by a volcano from McDonald's fictional world.
• It also comes with what the company is calling a “first-of-its-kind collectible souvenir that’s sure to unlock core memories.”

Nostalgia, meet Ronald McDonald

As it works to hammer home a message of value and draw back cost-conscious customers, McDonald’s continues to pull out famous hits from the past—like the Snack Wrap, which was put back on its menu last month.

More broadly…The ‘90s nostalgia economy is thriving, leading whomever coined the phrase “history repeats itself” to pat themselves on the back. Think: Instacart’s “Summer Like It’s 1999” campaign, which aims to tap into the fact that nearly 4 in 5 Americans who grew up in the decade reminisce about their childhood summers.

This fuzzy feeling can be v profitable: Consumers are willing to pay up to 10-15% more for a product that evokes nostalgic feelings, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.