Why didn’t this ever happen when I was a kid? Nintendo has teamed up with McDonald’s to encourage children to “get active” with a Happy Meal promotion featuring some of its most famous characters. Launching in store on the 19th March, the toy inside every Happy Meal will be one of eight Super Mario-themed toys, and there will be fun activities on every box.
The promotion is likely an attempt to rescue the underwhelming sales of the Wii U by bringing the Nintendo-exclusive Mario franchise to the attention of a younger generation. It’ll no doubt work for adults too. I’m 27 years-old, and I’m already willing to fight any kid who dares get in my way – these toys are just so cool!
The toys will feature classic characters from the Mario series, including Mario, Luigi, Toad, Donkey Kong and the classic Super Mushroom power-up. Four of the toys will be interactive, including Mario’s Hovering Coin, Donkey Kong Barrel Projector, a Super Sound Mushroom and Mario’s Warp Pipe Embosser. Take a look at them below:
The Run, Jump and Power-Up with Super Mario promotion also aims to inspire children to get active using some of Super Mario’s moves. They will be encouraged to run, jump and complete active tasks set out by Mario and friends.
McDonald’s is also launching a Super Mario-themed advertisement to support the promotion which will be available from McDonald’s restaurants across the UK and run until 29th April. Sorry to our U.S. readers, it doesn’t look like Nintendo and McDonald’s have any immediate plans to launch the promotion in the states.