If I were a collecting type, I think I'd be going pretty gaga over the "Happy Set" prizes that come with McDonald's kid's meals. They really do look well-designed and better crafted than a lot of the cheap junk that kids get. Fortunately, I am not such a collector so I don't have to buy at least 8 "happy set" meals a month to try and collect them all (not to mention possibly having to trade pieces to complete sets).
The Despicable Me minions are a pretty predictable option since they are very popular right now. I keep seeing crafts including cupcakes and other food items shaped like them. The more curious option is the golden oldie of Tom and Jerry. I didn't know when the cartoon was last in production, but I figured that it was awhile ago. I did a little research and discovered that it's being rebooted by the Cartoon Network, but they're only producing two 11-minute shorts. My guess is that these toys are a cooperative effort between McDonald's and the Cartoon Network (which also airs in Japan) to promote the reboot and generate interest in the series.
Incidentally, when I was in Japan and still had cable, I did run across Tom and Jerry cartoons fairly often on the Cartoon Network during channel surfing. In fact, I don't like the cartoon much so I was always disappointed that it seemed to air so often. I don't know if it was popular or if it was just cheaper to air than other cartoons because licensing fees were lower. I have nothing against the characters. I just love cats and hate to see them repeatedly humiliated by mice (or birds, in the case of Sylvester and Tweety).
Given that Tom & Jerry are old news here in the States, I was surprised when my Japanese nephew asked for T&J merchandise for Christmas a couple of years back (and even more surprised when I scrounged up two T-shirts for him at Old Navy). The series was (and is, it seems) crazy popular in Japan, and, being American, it follows that it must be even more popular over here, right?
ReplyDeleteI've heard that you can choose the individual toy you receive with your kids' meal in Japan. That must be nice for collectors (and kids like my son who are often disappointed by the random toy they receive).