The popular children's meal is getting an permenant upgrade this month
09:42, 18 Nov 2025
McDonald's has confirmed a 'major' change is coming for its Happy Meals this month - and it is set to be permanent. The fast food chain is well-known for regularly switching up how its Happy Meals look, but it's rare for there to be a change to the classic menu options that isn't temporary.
It comes as the next theme for the meal boxes gets a festive refresh with the arrival of the Elf on the Shelf soon. From Wednesday, November 19, McDonald's fans can get one of 12 official plush toys from The Elf on the Shelf Santaverse alongside their meal.
Or, customers can choose to have a festive storybook included in their box, featuring the same set of characters. Served from 11am at McDonald's stores nationwide, a Happy Meal is available from £4.19 and contains a variety of choices. Little ones can pick from either a Hamburger, Cheeseburger, four Chicken McNuggets, two Veggie Dippers, three Fish Fingers or five Fish Bites.
But that won't be all. Starting November 19, the Mayo Chicken will be added to the lineup as a permanent option. Available normally on the Saver Menu, the crispy-coated chicken burger comes with lettuce and cool mayo.
In addition to the main item, the meal comes with a choice of sides (fries, fruit bag, or vegetable bag) and a selected small cold drink option, including bottled water, orange juice, or milk.
Across the UK, McDonald’s restaurants will host a range of character visits, featuring face painting and themed activity pages. To keep kids entertained during the school holidays and find your nearest character, click here.
In other McDonald's news, the Happy Meal recently lost its iconic, colourful look. The boxes are known for their bold red and yellow design and feature a smile.
In partnership with BBC's Children in Need, McDonald's swapped out the Happy Meal box for a limited-edition white design, as part of a mental health awareness campaign aimed at sparking meaningful conversations between children and their families.
And, away from the kids' menu, all McDonald's customers have the chance to change the way they order- and it will save you time in the queue. The fast food chain is launching a new "order ahead" feature in its app, which allows you to order and pay ahead of time, and then the app will alert your chosen restaurant as you get nearer.
This means your order should only start cooking when you're just a few minutes away. Order ahead can only be used when you're paying with the McDonald's app.
The only order method that won't track when you get nearer to a restaurant is if you're ordering for drive-thru. You can still use order ahead to confirm and pay for your order in advance, but you'll need to share your order code at the window so the restaurant can start preparing your order.