Let us now get straight to the topic in hand. What do you do with your children’s toys that have gone old? Not that they age of course, but what exactly can you do with your children’s OLD toys is the right way to phrase it. This isn’t an easy one! Quite a few times in a year, I try to round up all the used toys along with some unused ones which my son has never played with and donate them to a worthy cause. This includes toys that my son just played with a tad bit and left into the wanders of the closet and others that are entirely unused just because we kept on adding new ones to our brigade of toys.

Needless to say, decluttering your own stuff can be a bit tricky. Especially when it comes down to your kid’s toys since there are several other challenges to face along with it. Emotional sentiments, the continuous need of your child’s desire to play with an old toy once in a blue moon, and many more. And most of all, the approach that needs to be exhibited by the parents when informing their child that their old toys are going to be donated to a local charity. Oh, the meltdowns! But fret not, I am going to share some excellent tips in this article that would minimize such meltdowns and tantrums.

How to Donate Your Children’s Old Toys?

There is a lot more involved in donating your child’s old toys to the charity. You can’t just round up all the toys and throw them into a bag and walk over to your local charity and dump them there. This process should be a fun one for both you, the child and eventually the charity shop who would be receiving this gift from your family.

How do we go about ensuring this is a smooth, easy, fun and a learning process for your child? Read further:

Get Your Kids Directly Involved in This

If your idea of decluttering your household from unused toys is by doing it when your kid isn’t’ around, then you sir, are in for a messy surprise once they find out. And dear God! They “DO” find out. Your kids are bound to be upset when they find out their old toy is missing. And secondly, this approach does not promote the concept of sharing and giving. Which is vital for us as a parent to develop right off of an early age.

You can achieve this by quickly asking your kid to get involved in the process. Don’t ever do it when they are not at home. You can start off by convening them and asking them to help around decluttering the toys room. Gradually convincing them on the importance of sharing stuff with the less fortunate ones around us.

The approach that I resorted to was that “Hey, let us give this bag of Legos to a child who doesn’t have a lot of toys as you do?” And guess what, the answer almost every time is a “Sure dad!” – This approach not only solves the problem of making space in for new toys at your home but also teaches your kid a very valuable approach in life that it’s not always about receiving but also the approach to give back should always be there in them.

How to Choose A Charity to Donate Toys

Head over to this link by Forbes which would let you pick from a list of charities around in the US where you can set up an appointment and they would ideally pick up your donations “FOR FREE!”. Other places where you could ideally donate your children’s old toys are:

1. Hospitals
2. Social Services
3. Police and the fire departments
4. Your local Doctor’s office
5. Daycare centres
6. Shelters
7. Children’s homes
8. Military families
9. Churches

Got more than toys that you want to donate. Then these chaps at DonationTown have done an excellent job into making this whole process a lot easier and less cumbersome. Just click on the link above and punch in your Zip-Code. Once done, you would then be contacted by the charity organization that is near to your location, and they would schedule a pickup for you.

The Number Approach

Often at times, when I and the wifey involve my 7-year old to donate his unused; old toys away to the charity. We give him a particular number. For example, sake, let that be 5. We ask him to give away 5 toys of his choice that he wants the other children to have from him as a gift. This approach works wonders, since almost every time he ends up giving double the amount, we advise him to.

Ship Them Yourself

Pack everything up that needs to be given away to the charity. Get hold of a recyclable box and pack out everything in it. Be sure to lash and tape it properly.

Now, get hold of your local freight forwarder and ship the cargo off to countries where you deem fit.

I know of a few family friends who have used the Lego’s RePlay Program to donate their children’s old Lego blocks. You just need to enter your zip code, and your email ID and this link would generate a PRINT LABEL that you can just affix onto your Lego box and send it off.

Go Through the Toys

If you are fond of Kid’s Meal toys from the fast-food restaurants around your town, then you too would have a box labelled “HAPPY MEAL TOYS” (Well, at least that’s what I have labelled it as) lying around in the corner of your house. If all of them are in good shape, then there is no harm in donating those as well to your local charity.

Few things you need to consider before you ship the toys off to the charity are:

1. Make sure the toys don’t have any broken parts. Since broken toys or ones with lost attachments are of no use to the charity.
2. You wouldn’t want the heirloom to be given out into the charity box. Let us say your son loves his kinder toys collection of “The Smurfs”. Since they are old, doesn’t necessarily mean they are useless. If he plays with them and adores them, then keep them as an heirloom for it to be passed onto your other children or even the next generation of your family.

Washing those teddy’s

Before your start packing and zipping the toys to be given out to the charity, ensure that you wash and dry them nicely. This given the toys an added look and somewhat satisfies the requirement of a few charities that recommend the charity-givers to wash the stuffed toys before they hand it over to them. Trust me, it only takes an hour or two; depending on the type of stuffed animals that you are washing. And saves the charity tons of time. A good gesture!

There are a couple of ways you can wash your stuffed animals. If you are washing it by machine then keep the below guidelines into consideration:

1. Place the stuffed animal into a mesh laundry bag.
   or
2. Zipped pillowcase
   or
3. Pillowcase with ends tied for added protection against wear and tear.
4. Choose gentle wash settings on the machine.
5. Add detergent
6. Air dry

If you are washing your stuffed animals with hand, then make sure you:

1. Soak them in cold water for sometime
2. Add the detergent (only small amounts)
3. Gently squeeze the stuffed toy with hands so that the detergent could saturate in
4. Don’t scrub too hard
5. Rinse it with a bucket full of fresh cold water
6. Airy Dry

Composing A List

Once you have decided what toys need to go out to the charity, now is the best time to compose a list of what those toys are. This is practically helpful when the time to pay taxes is nearby. Since a sizeable donation to the charity can result in “charitable tax deductions”. Use this website to calculate your tax reductions by just filling in a simple form. TurboTaxIntuit guarantees 100% accuracy. They also have a smartphone app that you can use on the go year-round.

If you do decide to file for tax reductions, then I suggest head over to the IRS website to make sure that organization you are donating to qualifies for a tax reduction.

Once you have confirmed the organization is in the exempted list, always ask for a signed slip or a formal receipt of a sort, that would then allow you to use it in your W-2 tax forms confirming the reduction.

Follow the Charities Packing Procedures

Specific charities have their own standard procedures for accepting donations, in terms of packing and transportation. Make sure you read their guidelines before you arrange for a pickup or if you decide to drop the toys yourself at their location.

Almost all the charities that I have ever donated to accepted toy donations in boxes. Some even accepted in black garbage bags as well. But to each, their own rules! Such guidelines are easily accessible on the charities website, or you can just give them a quick call to find out more information on this subject.

What I usually do is to pack all the like shaped toys together, which makes the charities life a lot easier into sorting them out once they receive it. Once I have all the like-shaped toys together, if they are boxed then I ensure to put a clearly visible label on the box and write on it as to what type of toys are inside. Similarly, all such toys can’t be put away in boxes, I use big black garbage bags to put them away. A similar rule of sticking a bag label on top of the bag with a note on it allows the charity to organize your donations effectively.

Related Questions

I am sure after reading through this article, you may have some more questions in line with this topic. Therefore, I have tried my best to cover those in the questions below. If you have got any more questions, then please feel free to contact me by using the contact us link at the bottom of this page.

What Type of Toys to Donate?

Most of the charities wouldn’t mind any kind of toys to be donated to them. There are however a few that would publish their wish-lists on their websites requesting for a specific category of toy types to be donated to them.

One such that I know of is Nation Wide Children’s.

Do Fire Departments Accept Stuffed Animals?

The answer is “YES”.

If your stuffed animals are BRAND NEW. Then head over to any of your local fire department and just hand over the stuffed animals to them. They would definitely cherish your donation.

If you are keen into donating used stuffed animals to the fire department, then head over to BrothersHelpingBrothers and contact them for donations directly to the fire departments across the US.

Where to Donate Toys for Christmas?

Head over to Toys for Tots and donate your gathered up used toys at your home. Toys for Tots has delivered almost 566 million toys to children since they founded back in 1947.

To find out about the drop off location, type in your city and zip code here, and you would be given with the list of businesses that would accept your donations.

Conclusion

It is, without a doubt a selfish move to donate toys. You must be astounded by this very statement. Well, yes! It is selfish indeed since now I get to buy more toys for my kid *smile*.

Jokes apart! Donating toys is an excellent way of giving back to the community, and at the same time, it also keeps on reminding your young one that life is not always about getting stuff that you want. Sometimes you also need to give it back. And what better than teaching them to start off by giving away their once-loved toys to those who aren’t able to afford it. Are you convinced that toys should be donated? Love to hear from you. Use the contact us page at the bottom of your screen to let me know your thoughts.

My son had a few particular toys he could not stay calm without, the most important ones being a medium-sized toy truck, and a Mr Potatohead figurine. They were his security toys, he couldn’t be without them and not throw a tantrum. As someone who has ample experience with children crying hysterically on plane rides, I wanted to make sure my son wasn’t the one ruining my (or anyone else’s) sleep.

Just as I had booked our tickets, I was struck with the million-dollar question: were toys even allowed on board? If so, then which ones? The general answer to that question is… Yes. You can take toys with you on an airplane. Airlines usually pose no objection toward your child brining in toys; in fact, several airlines prepare toy merchandise especially for their little passengers. Almost all airlines are toy-friendly, but that doesn’t mean that they consider all toys to be friendly.

The airline you’re travelling with would probably have an in-built entertainment system that will hopefully keep your child, plenty occupied. But, if your child isn’t the one for movies or computer games, or is all burned out from consuming too much media, then toys are your next best bet. Airlines and airports impose specific rules and regulations when it comes to passenger baggage – I’m sure you’re already aware of that. Any item that could pose as a weapon is prohibited, as well as inflammable items due to the fear of combustion. There is also the issue of weight. Each passenger is allowed hand-carry luggage of around 5 to 7 KG (depending on your airline and also depending on what class you choose while booking your flight); according to new regulations, the weight of your laptop and laptop bag are now included in this. Hence you are suggested to get in touch with the customer support after you book your ticket to not end up with surprises while boarding the flight.

So with all these restrictions in mind, the ‘travelling with toys’ situation gets a bit complex. Sure, you can bring toys, but which ones exactly?

What Toys Can You Bring on an Airplane?

There are several toys that you may carry on-board. Based on real experience, I am jotting down the ones that my son and I are acquainted with taking. And frankly, had no issues while having them on board either.

Stuffed Toys

Stuffed Toys would be your safest option. In my world, my son and I call them the “PLUSHIES”. They’re ideal if you are packed heavy, as a majority of the stuff toys are made with light materials and barely weigh anything. Plus, they’re fantastic snuggle buddies for when your child wants to sleep during long flights. They’re soft, they’re quiet, they’re safe – they’re perfect!

Action Figures, Figurines & Dolls

Action Figures/ Figurines/ Dolls are also a great choice. They hold the same benefits as the stuffed toys (except the fluffy material, of course) but provide more room for imagination and role play – they’re sure to keep your kid busy for a great length of the flight.

Little Cars

Little Cars are another great way to appease your child and keep them busy. Although I would suggest, you advise them not to get too carried away and run the cars over other passengers’ seats!

Please be aware that the toys mentioned above aren’t the only toys that you’re allowed to bring – they’re only my suggested favorites! You can bring any toy that fits into the same criteria with you on the flight. But while most toys are indeed harmless (except perhaps the one with occasional added noise), some are advised against bringing with you. Your safest bet would be to check with your airline prior or post-booking.

What Toys You Can’t Bring on an Airplane?

As per experience, please note you are not allowed to bring the following toys on-board. Not that my son and I were carrying nerf-guns on us aboard the flight. But once we had our toys confiscated since they were part of the categories I have listed below, I went ahead and researched all the toys that are prohibited on any commercial airline. They are:

Weapon Based Toys

Weapon Imitations such as guns and knives are definitely not allowed on any flight. Toy guns, water guns, nerf guns, plastic knives are all strictly not allowed. This is because, once detected in baggage security, your luggage will be subject to further scrutiny and note that will cause you unnecessary delay. You will eventually have to give up the toy anyway, so the best course of method is to not bring the toy along at all.

Battery Powered Toys

Battery-powered toys, although allowed, are a bit tricky. Lithium batteries are generally approved by the airlines to be hand-carried than be booked with other baggage; this is in-case if any of the cells were to, unfortunately, combust, the staff would be able to intervene and manage the situation. That being said, it is because batteries pose a slight risk that I would personally advise you against bringing them on board, especially if the toy you are planning on carrying on-board, is significantly larger in size. It may also cause you trouble during security checks, so my advice to you would be to avoid the complication altogether.

Remote Control Toys

Remote Control Toys are also something I would suggest you pack away in your checked baggage rather than in your hand-carry. Although they are allowed in the latter, they may cause you to be held up at security checks and cause you unexpected delay. This is because airlines are usually are skeptical of remote-controlled devices for the part they can play in terrorist activities. It is a known tactic for terrorists to use toys to their advantage. You may ask how? By accessing the components of the toys and reverse engineering them their benefits, disguising explosives as toys and God knows what else!

So while such toys shouldn’t usually pose any problems, it’s better to be safe than sorry and leave them either at home or pack them with your other luggage. Besides, it’s not like there is ample space available in the aircraft for your child to play with their toys.

Personally, I like to pack with myself a deck of UNO, while my wife keeps a small pack of colouring pencils and a colouring book in her bag for emergencies. If at any point we find our son is bored with his toys, we use it as an opportunity to engage him with us in ways that would avoid unnecessary tantrums. Cards and colouring books (or books in general) are an excellent way to not only keep your child busy but you can also use this time to create bonding with your kid. These, for us, are not only group activities but also opportunities to develop a better relationship with him. So my advice to any dedicated parent reading this would be that you pack something similar with yourself, whatever you know your child would enjoy.

Being an apartment dweller has its perks. Rent as compared to mortgaging, fewer maintenance expenses, increased safety and a vast community around you. But yeah, in my case the only CON that I have come across with living in an apartment with my family is “Lesser space to accommodate me and my kid’s toys”.

It has always been a challenge since the day my 7-year old came into this world, that I went overboard with buying him amenities and toys at every stage of his growth. Needless to say, I am a father who loves buying toys and gadgets for his son, but at the same time, get scolded by the wife every time I make a purchase. She goes haywire when I buy something that has a decent amount of volumetric size attached to it, and the only question that I get from her is “Are you going to keep this one on my head now?” – Oh, the irony!

Small living spaces are, no doubt a smart way to encourage family togetherness as opposed to a mansion or a house. This is my personal opinion! I enjoy having my kid’s toys placed in the lounge of my apartment so that whenever the wife and I are watching the TV, we can see our son playing with his toys. This allows us to keep an eye on him and also gives my wife and me the mental peace that he is right Infront of us.

After carefully brainstorming the ideas and to possibly address this very concern and the need of not to hear such statements from your wife, if you too are living in an apartment, then relax, sit back and grab a cup of coffee. As I am about to jot down the best possible ways through which you can store a lot of toys in your apartment and at the same time would not be clobbered by your wife. These techniques are the most effective one, and I have been doing it for years now.

As a parent to a boy, living in an apartment of 30 meter-square, I have found out several ways to store my kid toys without sacrificing the living space and succumbing to the toy mania that my son and I possess.

Organize Toys in A Small Apartment and The Living Room

I too used to struggle with a continuous screaming wife that the toys I buy for my kid are all over the place. Well, she was right! The army of toys my son has used to be all over the place until I decided to come up with the best possible and inexpensive ways to manage his toys. Here is a list of 11 more sought after ways which have proven for me and I am sure would help you organize toys in a small living room and even in your apartment.

Furniture That Converts into A Storage

This should be your first go-to move. Furniture that double out as storages range from Ottomans to Benches that have the flexibility to open up. You can use these two to your arsenal to snuck away books or bins of toys whenever needed.

Coffee-tables and end-tables with drawers can be used to store away puzzles or other board games that you may have.

I agree that Ottomans are expensive and it is not always possible to go out and about replacing the furniture regularly. Thus, keep an eye on the Clearance-Sales of your favourite local store, and once that happens, you may be able to bag in a deal on the Ottomans or drawer attachments to store your favourite toys, at a fraction of a cost.

These Ottomans also are aesthetically pleasing and eliminate conjecture to store away the toys in the most effective way possible.

Woven Baskets Are Great for Toys

If you are like me, who has a deep affinity towards plushes, then get your hands on a beautifully designed woven basket. You can get them for as cheap as $5 from your local town centre or any high-street shop.

You can use these woven baskets to snuck away loose toys and can then tuck in the basket behind furniture without giving out its hiding place.

Storage Box with Lid to Stow Away the Toys

This is the most sought after way of storing, big toys and games. Storage boxes with lid are durable enough to be used every day by you or your kid and quite frankly can withstand the onslaught of kids throwing them around (Not that they should be doing this!).

Storage boxes with a lid are both majestic and pretty and work as a great way to handle all the big toys scattered around in your apartment.

You can very well buy a couple of these boxes of different colours and stash them all together either in a pyramid shape or just as free-standing on the floor. I personally admire them the most, and my kid also finds it a lot of handy to only pick up the box that he wants to play with.

These shouldn’t cost you more than $5. You may as well pick these up from IKEA using this link.

How About Behind the Couch

Does everyone have a sofa? Let’s get cracking!

If your sofa has been pushed flat against the wall, consider requesting your wife to permit you to push it a bit farther away from the wall. Just enough, so you could slide the big teddy and gigantic towers such as the Paw Patrol Lookout Tower that my son has just bought, right behind the couch.

This is the most effective way of stowing away toys out of high traffic zones in your living room, thus eliminating the factor of stepping or toppling over them.

Shoe Rack for Toy Storage

Undoubtedly shoe racks are a great space-saver and have been around for years now. And from the looks of it, they aren’t going to go anywhere. Obviously, you shouldn’t be nestling your soiled shoes in these shoe racks but instead keeping a tidy pair of shoes or your favourite flip-flops in your favourite shoe-rack is the primary purpose behind these shoe-racks.

Now, what if I tell you, instead of stowing away your shoes or slippers in the shoe rack; you can chuck in a load of your kid’s favourite LEGOS into the slots and then hang the shoe rack in your cupboard. Out of sight, out of mind! At least till your kid wants them back, of course!

You can pick a shoe rack up for as low as $5 from eBay.

Stick Them to Your Fridge

This one is my wife’s all-time favourite. You can basically sneak your kid’s toys or in fact anything with a miniature design directly into the pockets of racks. These racks come with a magnet to hold the peripheral against a metal object. In our home, it’s the kitchen, the canopies, etc.

I wouldn’t be wrong in saying, whenever the wife is on about house-keeping; my son and I tend to lose track on which toys are kept into which rack and where exactly is that rack in the house, as she has a plethora of these throughout the house.

These fridge racks can be easily found in your dollar store, but if you are an online shopper like me; then head over to Amazon and buy it for approx. $10 including shipping.

If you are not keen on shelling out $10 on this particular item, then you can also order it at a fraction of a price from AliExpress. Bear in mind the shipping times are anywhere between 20 to 30 working days. That is if you choose the most inexpensive or FREE shipping option. For your purchase to make it worth-the-while, then stay away from paying that extra premium to the seller at AliExpress to ship out your products via Premium Shipping as the charges are sky-high on those.

And if you are DIY (Do-It-Yourself) kind of a person, then get hold of some empty pasta boxes or other small containers. Get a glue gun and a decent sized flat magnet. Apply the heated glue onto the magnet and the container, and voila. Let it try, and you have a full-fledged homemade rack that you can use to store toys in.

Cart with Shelves

You can store your toys in the carts which have multiple shelves installed in it for storage purposes. Not to sound too Hospital-like, but these shelves are a great way to roll in or out your toys with the help of the wheels present on these carts.

You can easily install these shelves with stackable toy bins or baskets and slide these bins in or out whenever needed.

This one is a bit expensive but is readily available at Walmart. The price is approximately $84.01 and it comes with a Free Delivery to your house.

Portable Toy Caddies

Portable toy caddies are once again a convenient way to club those books and tiny toys together in one place. Once your kid is done with playing, just assemble them back into the caddy and snuck it away into the closet.

If your kid is like mine, then this whole exercise of placing all the toys back into the caddy is “YOUR” job.

The one I use for my kid is this. It’s priced at $9.97, and if you are lucky, you can even bag a FREE delivery on the product. Quite handy, I must say.

Pegboard or Wall Hooks

You can use a pegboard or wall hooks inside the closet or perhaps any place that you would want to have it installed into. And then with imagination as your tool, customize away with what needs to be hung up onto those tiny holes in the pegboard.

Notice: Your wife’s permission in this regard is highly appropriate. *Smile*

You can use this one from IKEA as I have found it to be reasonably priced and sturdy.

Toy Hammocks for Stuffed Animals

My son loves his PLUSHES! Guilty as charged, I love them too.

The one thing about these PLUSHES is that you can’t just nestle them into your closet and believe you have done an excellent job storing them. Nah-uh!

These furry friends need proper TLC (Tender Love Caring) if they are to last for a long time. The best way to store them and their appearance is by keeping them all together in Toy Hammocks. You can have multiple Toy Hammocks if you have an army of the PLUSHES.

I have installed a reasonably large Toy Hammock on top of my son’s bed. It works wonders and serves the purpose. You can buy these for as little as a $1 from AliExpress.com.

Under the Bed Storage

You do not necessarily need to go overboard with this one. Just buy some decent sized plastic boxes and place the toys that your kid is least interested in playing with, into these boxes and snug them away. If your kid is interested in playing with these, he/she would just ask you to draw the boxes out from beneath the bed or can do it themselves.

You can also donate the unused toys to Toys of Hope organization.

Conclusion

No one likes a cluttered environment. And that is especially applicable to apartment dwellers since we have limited space, to begin with as compared to those who own a full-fledged house with multiple rooms. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that you do all that it takes to make the surroundings look more appealing and at the same time all your valuables, gadgets and toys are kept in their best shape and easily accessible to both you and the child.

Hope you enjoyed the tips I have shared in this article! Do not forget to share it with your friends.

So, let me reiterate, Are McDonald’s Toys Worth Any Money?

Yes, some of these toys could be worth a great deal of money; but is money really more important or your child’s happiness? This phenomenon is at its peak right now. You can see listings of McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys on almost all the major auctioning websites such as eBay and Craigslist. Collector’s of these toys have hoarded up on them and are now banking hard by putting them out onto the auctioning websites. Bidders are going nuts to get their hands on these collectables that are deemed valuable and limited. So, there is definitely good money to be made if you have got an attic filled with old toys from your childhood or just plain old toys your kid isn’t interested in playing with. Worth the shot to go and explore your attic after reading this article.

Nothing to worry about if your kid just opened up that toy they got with the Happy Meal. It’s theirs to play with, and banking on it sometime later in the future should be the least of your concerns.

We all know that when you take your kid to the McDonald’s store to pick up the Happy Meal, their first and foremost priority is to go and peek at the toys box section where the store is displaying the toys that accompany their Happy Meal’s for the rest of the month. If they are picky, they may even walk up to their store manager (who is just behind the cashier-desk) and request for a particular toy to be handed out to them with their favourite Happy Meal. This, on its own, is an excellent deal for a kid since they get to choose their favourite toy from the collection displayed and thus their mundane meal considerably more memorable.

Out of majority, the Toys from the Happy Meal’s is anything that a kid could ask for, even though the novelty on it wears off relatively within a few hours. Once that happens, these toys end up in either the toybox where they rot for eternity and end up being worthless. Well, if looked from a matured-eye, these “worthless” toys are indeed not useless after all. Here’s why!

What to Do with Old McDonalds’ Toys?

From personal experience, I have seen bidders on eBay going mad over the most expensive toys McDonald’s ever handed out with their Happy Meals. It is absolutely shocking to notice that these FREE toys go out for staggering prices and people are all over the listings. The frenzy of getting their hands on that limited toy that McDonald’s once launched is mind-boggling. And farther the toy dates back to, higher the price that is tagged with the toy at the listing.

Historically, the data that I have collected across these auctioning sites; it is evidently clear that the Happy Meal toys from the ’80s and ’90s tend to fetch a lot more money. Not saying that the ones you get today couldn’t be worth it, but the trend shows all those toys that were handed out FREE with these Happy Meals from the ’80s and ’90s tend to rake in a lot of cash for the sellers.

If you are in agreement with selling yours or your kid’s toys that they don’t bother to look at anymore, then you are in for good news. Get ready to either be happy, or sad; since down below this paragraph, I have listed all the toys that are going crazy over the internet along with their value in dollars. The reason I mentioned “SAD” is because if you can relate having that particular toy but just threw it out for a few dollars at your car-boot sale, then SAD is the emotion you would be engulfed with. But you are in luck if you have some of these toys still lying around in your attic.

Psst! Do not tell your kid that you have been reading this article on selling their favourite McD toys.

McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys Value Price

Before I begin, let me reiterate. Below list is composed after researching on an individual basis. That’s me! So please feel free to use the contact form to update me if you think there is any misinformation or some other toys you believe should have also been added to the list. I would be happy to edit the article for my fellow readers.

Here is a list of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys you might have, or you wish you had!

TY Teenie Beanies

These Teenie Beanie Babies go out for super-high prices on eBay. I came across a listing where the sellers were demanding a staggering $1,000 for a TY Beanie Babies set. This TY Teenie Beanies set dates back to 1993.

Furby Toy Set

You are in for luck if you have this full set of Furby Toys from McDonald’s. These toys were handed out along with the Happy Meal’s back in the 1990’s and today they rake in approximately a $1,000 pure profit, given if you have a complete set.

If you can find one or two Furby’s in your old toys collection. Just list them on eBay for $200 to $300 each, and they should be an easy sell.

Inspector Gadget

The marvellous Inspector Gadget TV series first aired in 1983 and was one of the top 10 watches TV series of the time. Later on, in 1999, McDonald’s started handing out the Inspector Gadget Toy along with their Happy Meals. This toy now goes out for approximately $100+ on eBay and is up for brags as we speak.

Snoopy’s World Tour

A complete set of Snoopy World Tour (composed of 28 pieces in total) goes out for a whopping $459 on eBay right now. Imagine having 2 to 3 sets of this collection from the 1998’s lying in your old-toys collection.

101 Dalmatians

You would be lucky to have this complete 101 Dalmatians set from the ’90s. But if you do, then you are in for luck. This complete set of 101 pups goes out for approximately $500 on eBay. Haste on listing this toy onto eBay right now if you are the owner of one.

Super Mario

Rarest of ’em all, the Super Mario Egg Catch game watch goes out for a whopping $750 if you are lucky and have it in your stash of old toys.

I wouldn’t hesitate to sell this rare watch to a collector even for a $1,000 since I haven’t come across such listings across the web other than this one listed on eBay.

Mr & Mrs Potato Head

Vintage and Rare, Mr and Mrs Potato Head from the McDonald’s Happy Meal 1999 collection bags in almost $1,500 if you own these. No point keeping such a rare toy in your old inventory as this is by far one the most unique McDonald’s toys I have come across.

McDino Changeables Sets

If you have a collection of 10 McDino Changeable Sets, then you may easily be able to bag $100 by listing them on eBay.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Fan of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers of the ’90s? I know I am. God, I miss those days when we used to wait for Saban’s Power Rangers to Air on the TV. Then came in the Power Rangers: The Movie. And then to my amusement, McDonald’s came up with these set of Power Rangers toys that they threw in with their Happy Meals. I wish I had these *frown*

A complete set of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from the Happy Meal collection can bag you a decent $100 to a $150, given it’s a set. But nothing stops you from selling the individual figures if you have a few. Let me know via the Contact Form if you have one and are willing to gift it to me *smile*

Mr Men

A set of Mr Men x 25 toys, can bag you a decent $180 to $200 in profit. Not a big fan of Mr Men, but my son is. Yeap got a couple of these Mr Men’s in my old-inventory of toys.

Diener Keshi

A massive hit in the ’80s, a complete set of 10 can bag you anywhere between a $100 to $200 on eBay.

Hot Wheels

If you were a Hot Wheels lover, then this one is for you. The 1970s to 1980’s Matchbox and Hot Wheels toys from McDonald’s could make you some serious profit. Each car can be sold for a whopping $40 if sold alone, and a set can bank you approximately $400 to $600 in the eye of a collector.

Happy Meal Toys Worth Anything: How to Know

Below are some basic guidelines that I have started following based on the data on these above auctions that I have listed. I am confident that if we all follow these; we might end up with some decent profit in the future.

1. You must keep any McDonald’s toy you deem as a collectable, intact and secure. If possible, try to retain its original packing. Which means not opening it! But if you do end up opening the toy, try to keep the packaging intact as later on in the years, this can too be sold in the “used category”.
2. The second option is to buy two Happy Meals at the same time and keep one Toy for future sales and one for your kid to enjoy.
3. Make sure that whenever there is a set launched by McDonald’s, get your hands on that complete set. A prime example of this could be the LEGO set. As they are tied to specific film promotion, these could be worth a lot of money in years to come.

Following the above could easily allow you to bag some decent profits alongside your daily routine and given I have made up my mind to also follow the above practices to hoard up on toys moving forward, I would sell these toys and use that money as savings for my son’s future life.

Conclusion

Do take out time from your daily routine to search the internet for any McDonald’s Happy Meals collections that are out there on the auctioning sites and keep a note on which particular toy is being sold and for what reason. Given which you can have a fair amount of understanding if the current Happy Meal toy collection is worth the collection or not.

I hope you enjoyed the article. Feel free to let me know if it requires any modifications!

China is the world’s largest toy manufacturer and kids’ products exporter, accounting to almost 70 per cent of the world’s toy supply. The total export value of the toys reached $25.733 billion in 2018 and is growing at an average of 4.5% year-on-year. In 2018 alone, China exported $7.244 billion worth of toys to the United States. Based on these statistics, it wouldn’t be wrong to consider, that out of every 100 toys you find in the world, 50 are manufactured in China.

According to an official report by the CTPJA, the Chinese General Administration of Customs, provide the data that allows us to have a better understanding on how China plays a significant role in the production of toys and other kids related stuff. Let us first understand why exactly China is a self-affluent in producing so many toys that cater to the world’s 50% export.

Why Are Toys Made in China?

There are not one but many reasons as to why OEM toy manufacturers prefer Chinese manufactures to pump out their toy manufacturing. And let me be honest here, this rule is not entirely reliant on the production of toys, in fact almost all the consumer goods, electronics, cutlery and much more are now being manufactured in China.

Below are the reasons why US manufacturers prefer China for their Toys production.

Very Low Wage Rates

The first and foremost reason why the brands prefer China for the manufacturing of their toys is purely due to the inexpensive labour pool that is present in the region. China is home to approximately 1.43 billion people. Which reciprocally means due to a large number of labourers present, the factories present in the country can pump out bulk products, meet the client’s seasonal requirements and are also able to successfully supply merchandise on a bespoke basis. This factor alone has remained one of the significant reasons why US companies prefer China for their toy production.

Strict Quality Assurance

Given the number of exports that China does on year to year basis, all the toys that are being manufactured in China must follow a standard and best practices while making. Overall, there are almost 10,000 toy manufacturers in China, and their workforce is somewhere closer to six million. Any Chinese toy exporter must abide by the strict quality assurance standards before they are eligible to export any goods to the Western countries. Regular quality audits, paint screening and testing are conducted along with the ethical manufacturing standards.

Where Are Toys Manufactured in China?

China is leading its way in the Toy manufacturing industry. Benchmarking their standards to comply with the international regulations and ensuring that each unit they produce is of top quality and is acceptable to the Western consumer-base, there are almost 10,000 manufacturers in China. The list of the most popular cities where the manufacturers have based their Toy production plants are:

1. Guangdong
2. Dongguan
3. Foshan
4. Shantou
5. Shenzhen
6. Yiwu
7. Yunhe
8. Zhejiang Province
9. Yangzhou
10. Linyi
11. Qingdao
12. Jiaxing

Out of this list, Guangdong province alone producers over half of the total export of toys that China does on a yearly basis.

LEGO, which is a very famous brand of toys in both toddlers and kids has opened up their manufacturing plant in Zhejiang province. LEGO by far is the latest toy manufacturer in China and its numbers are continuously growing year after year. This further proves that China is investing heavily in automation, research and development to produce the best quality toys in the market and they want to ensure that they keep on leading the way.

Which Countries Import Toys Made in China?

Based on the data available with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China’s website, the Top 10 export destinations for China’s traditional toys are:

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Hong Kong
4. Japan
5. Germany
6. Netherlands
7. India
8. Russia
9. Mexico
10. Kazakhstan

If you are interested in numbers, then you would be shocked to know that both India and Kazakhstan have recently increased the volumes of importing toys from China.

China Toy Export Statistics

Toys in the Chinese market can be classified broadly into:

1. Electronic
2. Mechanical
3. Plastic
4. Wooden toys

Chinese toy manufacturers set up exhibitions to display their latest products and showcase their autonomy over this industry in a variety of fares throughout the world. Down in the list below, I have listed the Toy exhibitions that are going to take place in the year 2020, in China only:

In the chart below you can clearly see the Chinese toy export market is growing in numbers year-by-year. This indicates that China is doing an excellent job when it comes down to meeting international standards and is widely being praised for it as well, so the figure speaks.

What Are the Most Popular Toys in China?

As per my research, the most trending and popular toy category in China is a PLUSH toy. This is based on the market summary report extracted from prnewswire.com. Other than the Plush toys, there are a plethora of other categories in toys that are widely gaining popularity. Those are but not limited to:

1. Infant and Pre-schoolers toys
2. Activity toys
3. Dolls
4. Games and Puzzles
5. Construction and building toys
6. Electronic and remote-control toys
7. Sports and outdoor play toys
8. Ride-on

And many more!

Are Toys Made in China Safe?

Safety is the first and the foremost concern for any parent when they are buying a toy for their loved ones. So is the case with me. Whenever I hop onto my recliner and get hold of my iPad to browse through a list of toys that I am planning to buy for my kid, safety is the least of the concerns. Now you may ask why?

All of the Chinese manufactured toys that are available online or in your favourite toy shops are imported into the country. And for China to export these toys, their manufacturers need to follow strict international guidelines that are in place to ensure that the toys are not manufactured using materials that are harmful to a human being. Rigorous quality assurance tests are conducted before these products are released and rest assured, you can buy them as you would buy any toy manufactured in the USA, UK or perhaps any other country.

A word of caution here, though. All those toys that have small parts pose a choking hazard. Chinese manufacturers are not at fault here if you end up buying a toy with tiny bits that are detachable and somehow end up in your child’s ears. God, I wish that never happens!

Secondly, a toy with lead or caustic materials is also not considered safe. If any of the toys that you plan on buying have got either of these two substances present, then realistically these toys are not meant for your kids and for some other industrial use or purposes.

Conclusion

The one and the only significant reason why the manufacturers resort to China for their toy production is due to the lower manufacturing costs, which in return results in decent profits. But there is a growing concern to this now since with the inception of Artificial intelligence and latest researches being done to automate the production of these toys, there is an obvious impact on the cost of manufacturing being done in China as well.

Due to this very reason, at the turn of this millennium, factories had no option other than start moving their production units to lower-cost places in China or to automate their manufacturing. They surprisingly choose Automating along with deploying their manufacturing hubs in locations where the cost of land and operations is less as compared to the busy areas of China.

Finally, let us not underestimate China’s domestic buying power as well. When we say that China is the only country that exports the most significant number of toys in the world, then you would be surprised to know that a fraction of China’s middle-class can quickly gobble up this same number of toys exported to other countries. Quite shocking, isn’t it?