Key Points: McDonald’s Boo Buckets Turn Wicked
- McDonald’s Boo Buckets return Tuesday, October 20, at participating U.S. restaurants with a Disney Villains theme and five collectible designs.
- The five villains are Jafar, Ursula, Scar, Cruella de Vil and Maleficent, each on a different color bucket with a villain-inspired lid and stickers.
- McDonald’s has not announced an end date, and the buckets are a limited time offer while supplies last.
- Three of the five villains come from Disney’s 1989 to 1994 run, which lines up with the kids who held the very first pumpkin pails in 1986.
What Are The New Disney McDonald’s Boo Buckets For Halloween
McDonald’s Boo Buckets are coming back with a Disney twist this year. McDonald‘s said its Halloween buckets are “inspired by Disney’s most notorious scene-stealers” and jokingly called the theme its villain era.
Boo Buckets are plastic Halloween containers that replace the cardboard Happy Meal box. This year, each one comes with a villain-inspired lid and a sticker sheet to decorate it.
McDonald’s Halloween Boo Buckets Return: Dates And How To Get One
The McDonald’s Halloween Boo Buckets return on Tuesday, October 20, at participating restaurants nationwide. You get one with a kids’ Happy Meal purchase, and they last only while supplies do.
No end date has been announced, and Halloween is 11 days after the launch. McDonald’s did not publish a national price, and Happy Meal prices vary by location.
If you are collecting all five, go early in the run. Call your local restaurant first to ask whether it is participating and which colors are in stock.
The Five Villains, Color By Color
Each bucket has its own color, and all of them share the same yellow handle with the Golden Arches.
- Jafar from Aladdin is on the red bucket.
- Ursula from The Little Mermaid is on the purple bucket.
- Scar from The Lion King is on the orange bucket.
- Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians is on the white bucket.
- Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty is on the green bucket.
The sticker sheets are specific to each movie and include details McDonald’s says “true fans will recognize.” That makes the set more fun to complete.
The 40 Year Nostalgia Math
Here is an angle most coverage skips. McDonald’s first sold Halloween buckets in 1986 as Halloween Pumpkin Happy Meals, three orange pumpkin pails with different jack-o’-lantern faces.
Those kids are now adults in their 40s. Check the release years of this year’s movies and the pattern jumps out.
The Little Mermaid came out in 1989, Aladdin in 1992 and The Lion King in 1994. That is three of the five villains from one stretch of Disney films that many of the original pail holders watched as kids or teens.
The other two are older classics, Sleeping Beauty from 1959 and 101 Dalmatians from 1961. McDonald’s has not said the nostalgia link is deliberate, so this is my reading, but it fits a promotion that is marking 40 years.
Why A Villain Theme Makes Sense
Villains tend to appeal to adults too, since they are often the characters people quote and dress up as. A collection built around them can pull in parents and collectors, not only children.
It also helps the sales math. A set of five colors gives families a reason to come back more than once, which is how limited collections tend to work.
Last year’s buckets used traditional Halloween images such as a ghost face, a cat and a zombie. This year’s switch to licensed characters is the clearest change.
What Is Confirmed And What Is Rumored
McDonald’s has confirmed the October 20 start, the five villains, the colors, the lids and the stickers. It describes the buckets as replacing the usual Happy Meal box.
One outlet mentioned mini trading cards and a themed meal bag. McDonald’s had not confirmed those details in the reports I reviewed, so treat them as unconfirmed.
You may also see lists of unrelated character names circulating online. They do not match the five villains in McDonald’s announcement.
Quick Tips For Collectors
Order early in the day if you want the best chance at a full set, since popular colors can run out first. Check that the restaurant will let you pick a color when you order, as policies can vary.
Keep the lids and stickers together. The stickers are what make each bucket unique, and a set is easier to display when everything stays complete.
The Bottom Line
McDonald’s Boo Buckets are turning 40 by going villain, and the choice of characters looks aimed at adults who grew up on these movies as much as at kids. Start looking on October 20 if you want all five.
Trenbuzz will update this story if McDonald’s announces an end date or more details.