MINNEAPOLIS — McDonald's recently unveiled the Top 10 "Happiest Cities for Families" and the return of the Ty Teenie Beanie Babies plush toys as the chain kicked off the official 30th Birthday of the Happy Meal in Minneapolis, the company has announced.
In a promotion set to run July 17 through Aug. 13, customers will receive one of 30 different Teenie Beanie Baby plush toys with their Happy Meal purchase. Each Teenie Beanie Baby plush toy features its own name tag and includes a special code that unlocks a unique 30th Birthday experience on McWorld, McDonald's virtual world at www.happymeal.com, and on Beanie Babies 2.0 at www.ty.com.
The 30th Birthday Collection will include a variety of the original Beanie Babies 2.0 plush characters such as Chill the Penguin and Pico the Dog and McDonald's exclusive characters, including Ronald McDonald and Grimace.
"Happiest Cities for Families" announced
Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson made a special appearance as the "Happiness Ambassador" to help McDonald's unveil the results of its top 10 Happiest Cities for Families survey, conducted in honor of the 30th Birthday of the Happy Meal. McDonald's commissioned the Happiest Cities for Families in America study with Sperling's BestPlaces and examined 50 of the largest metropolitan areas using family-fun criteria such as the number of social activities, recreational resources and household expenditures on fun activities.
The Top 10 "Happiest Cities for Families" in America include:
- Minneapolis
- Atlanta
- Virginia Beach, Va.
- Washington, D.C.
- Portland, Ore.
- Denver
- Baltimore
- Seattle
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Austin, Texas
Party planning downloads
McDonald's also provides parents a variety of online birthday planning tools at the special Happy Meal 30th birthday Web site. Available for download are printable invitations, thank-you notes and customizable banners, as well as information on Happy Meal choices available on the menu. Families also can test their Happy Meal knowledge through ongoing trivia questions.
