USA TODAY tries ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ McDonald’s meal
USA TODAY samples McDonald’s “KPop Demon Hunter” menu, featuring bright purple “Demon” sauce and Ramyeon Mac shaker fries.
The FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 11th, and it looks like McDonald’s is getting in on the fun with a special Happy Meal.
On May 28, the fast food chain teased a new FIFA World Cup Happy Meal featuring Squishmallows on its social media platforms with a graphic promoting its June 9 release date.
“It’s hard to choose a favorite in this Squishmallows huddle puddle. FIFA World Cup Happy Meals will be available on June 9th,” the company posted on its X account.
Details about how long World Cup-themed Happy Meals will be available and which Squishmallows will be featured are unclear, but a graphic posted by McDonald’s on social media appears to depict Squishmallows wearing jerseys representing each country participating in the tournament.
McDonald’s has a history of squishmallows.
The special World Cup-themed menu comes after the fast food chain brought back its popular fluffy plush Happy Meals for a limited time earlier this month.
These meals include one of more than a dozen toys, including a new character named Halley, a never-before-seen Squishmallow in the shape of a salamander and axolotl.
Each Squashmallow toy comes with a character hang tag with its name and story details. For example, in Halley’s case, his ability to travel between galaxies is mentioned. Each toy also includes a code that can be scanned to play an interactive game.
The Squishmallows Happy Meal was a huge hit when it was last released in December 2023. Toy manufacturer Jazzwares has sold more than 400 million Squishmallow plush toys worldwide, and the toy brand has a huge following.
Gabe Hauari is USA TODAY’s national trends news reporter. You can follow him at X @gabehauari Or email Gdhauari@gannett.com.
Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trends team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at:mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
