If you've been around the Golden Arches your whole life, you know that as a kid, there was nothing better than that box full of golden fries, that little cheeseburger and some Hawaiian Punch. But the BEST thing of all in that box was the toy, and McDonald's always had some pretty spectacular things you could collect, from Barbie figurines to transforming McDonald's food items, Hot Wheels, Beanie Babies and more.
That trend continued for the Gen Z among us, with Squishmallows and all sorts of trendy items that they just had to beg their parents to get them. And as it has for so many years, it led to a collectors craze, with people giving away the food or throwing it out (which we do not condone) just to get a chance to get those collectors items they'd missed.
Now as grownups, we've been targeted with this same tactic, with all manner of McDonald's "collabs" that feature bizarre four-eyed Grimace like the Cactus Plant Flea Market collab or the return of the Nugget Buddies for the nostalgic, to varying success, but with the same sort of crazy aftermarket madness on Ebay we've seen, well, since the dawn of Ebay, really.
This year's current collector craze centers around the Collectors Cup meal, which is a sort of inception of a collectible, being that it's actually cups that play on our already strong McDonald's nostalgia and feature the toys we were getting in our Happy Meals as kids. And the crowd goes wild. We picked up a few on a lark, because we enjoy the occasional Big Mac or McNugget meal anyway, and we figured why not, but we didn't see the storm coming.
Cups are being traded on Facebook Marketplace and among friends and family, people are travelling to other towns, and employees are snaking some for themselves - but not just to put on their shelves or give to their kids- these cups are selling for almost $70 a piece even before the promotion has ended (though many restaurants, including ones local to us, are reporting that they're sold out).
If you're in the market, one Reddit thread may be the key to finding the elusive Coca Cola cup, or the Hello Kitty cup, which seem to be two of the most sought after finds - as a McDonald's employee and several others confirmed that you can figure out which cup is in the blue bags by looking at the number printed on them. Or, if you're desperate, you can check out Ebay and place your bids as more and more stores sell out.
And sure, it may be a trap - but we can't deny we went out of our way once or twice to pick up a few ourselves, though you won't see them on Ebay.
Happy hunting, and may your cups be enjoyed!
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