Three decades of collecting Happy Meal toys can be a great way to chronicle the influence and impact of McDonald’s has had on an entire generation, and those beyond. From the time Richard and Maurice McDonald established the first burger outlet in San Bernardino, California, US Route 66 to today, it is undeniable that our eating habits have been steered by fastfood fare such as McDonald’s.
Ramon Go’s collection is a treasure trove and virtual diary of what kids over the years have been crazy about collecting — along with the global success of this fastfood chain.
Walls covered with everything McDonald’s including an autographed poster of McDonald’s endorser Sharon Cuneta
Ramon’s wife, Norkie, worked in McDonald’s head office from 1982-2002. Those 20 years proved to be an eye-opening experience and fortuitous introduction to the world of Happy Meal toys. It seems this was McDonald’s way of introducing healthier meals for children by cutting down on the calories, sugar, sodium and saturated fat in their boxed meals. And the toys? They were an irresistible attraction and reward for kids of all ages.
I can remember in the ’80s, McDonald’s was unmistakably a part of our weekly fare. From the early years of McDonald’s to the present, there were Star Trek, Hot Wheels, Barbie, Tamagotchi, Nemo, Stitch, Star Wars, Justice League, Dalmatians, SpongeBob, Peanuts, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Angry Birds and Emoji toys — and soon there will be more Disney, Shopkins and Peter Rabbit characters to delight kids.
Antique Happy Meal toys
These and many more can be found in Ramon’s New Manila home where he has created a special room reserved for his McDonald’s Happy Meal toys collection.
“Most of his pieces were gifts and giveaways I got from the head office. These were distributed to participants during meetings, conventions and as incentives. They were not sold to consumers,” Norkie begins. “Others are quite rare and hard to find so he had to purchase them abroad.”
“After Norkie’s retirement from McDonald’s in 2002, we decided to purchase a McDonald’s franchise and established one on E. Rodriguez near St. Lukes Hospital in Quezon City, which she runs now,” Ramon narrates. “Our eldest son, who is based in Japan, sends me stuff he finds.” He says Japan and the US produce the most attractive Happy Meal toys.
American Idol Happy Meal toys from the US
“My wife initially was rather cold about my growing collection. She said my attention was focused on my collection and not on her. Now, as she sees people appreciating my collection, she is very supportive and helps me find rare pieces through her McDonald’s head office connections,” beams Ramon.
From keychains, pins, pens and plates to mugs, caps, toy cars, soccer balls, posters, food models, dolls, magnets, plush toys, uniforms, signs and Band-Aids — Ramon’s got it all!
Yet Ramon says, “What you see in my Happy Meal room is only half of what I actually have.” And where is the rest? “It’s stored in boxes because I simply have no space to display them all!” Ramon changes the items on display every few months so he can showcase the rest of the collection.
McDonald’s bears from China
“One of my most unique pieces is a Joker from the Batman TV series wearing a McDonald’s costume which I got in the US. I also got a life-size bear which was given to me during a McDonald’s convention. One of the participants from Hong Kong learned of my Happy Meal collection and he was so amazed at its extent and my passion for everything McDonald’s — we had to bring home the bear in a huge box or would have needed to buy another ticket for it. So, I now have one out of only 25 giant bears which were given to commemorate McDonald’s 25 years in Hong Kong,” he says.
“I consider my most prized possession to be the ‘Weeping Ronald’ poster. In 2004, we attended the McDonald’s Worldwide convention in Orlando, Florida. The program was over and the McDonald’s CEO, Jim Cantalupa, did not show up,” Ramon recounts. Cantalupa was credited with the company’s recovery when he returned to McDonald’s in 2003.
Cabinet filled with McGoodies
“Later, it was announced that he had died of a heart attack in his home,” says Ramon.
The next day, at the convention, McDonald’s Worldwide printed and distributed 1,000 “Weeping Ronald” posters to the attendees with the slogan, “We miss you, Jim.”
Ramon’s collection also prides itself on having a complete set of the 101 and 102 Dalmatians, the Snoopy Around the World set, Hello Kitty, McDonald’s international commemorative watches, pins, rare die-cast cars, autographed posters of Jasmine Trias and Sharon Cuneta, who were McDonald’s endorsers — all adorning the walls of his Happy Meal room.
The fat Ronald was released in the US when they launched their “upsize” meals.
And he’s not done yet.
With new issuances of Happy Meal toys every year, we can expect Ramon’s collection to grow even more over the years. And he has taken very good care of them, indeed.
Ramon also allowed us to take a peek into another “secret” room — home to other things he collects — miniatures, die-cast cars and even dioramas he makes himself.
One of Ramon’s favorites: The Joker wearing a Ronald McDonald costume
Who knows? Soon, maybe, he’ll have to move out of his house to make way for everything else that isn’t there yet but will be coming in soon!
* * *
Email the author at nikkicoseteng2017@gmail.com or text her at 0997-4337154.