The Discontinued McDonald's Cookies We Wish Would Return

McDonald's customers of a certain age remember McDonaldland first hand, a fantasy world that gave Ronald McDonald a supporting cast of now-familiar characters, including Mayor McCheese, the Hamburgular, and Grimace. This McFantasyland was featured in company marketing to children from the early '70s until 2003, which also spelled the demise of a one-time favorite sweet treat.

Part of the initial McDonaldland rollout included a big box of McDonaldland cookies. Similar in taste and texture to animal crackers, they were embossed with the faces of McDonaldland characters and made exclusively for the fast food giant by Keebler. Each box had interactive kids activities on the side, but it was their addition to the 1978 debut of the Happy Meal when they truly became popular. 

The Happy Meal was an instant smash hit for McDonalds, and for decades, McDonaldland cookies were one of the available sides for every meal sold. Their sustained popularity led to the eventual debut of a cinnamon graham variety. But amid both an aging marketing gimmick and early 2000s concerns about childhood obesity, the company discontinued everything McDonaldland-related in 2003 and replaced the cookies in Happy Meals with apple slices.

McDonald's still sells cookies, but the soft-baked chocolate chip totes are nothing like McDonaldland cookies. However, people craving the vintage experience can look to a certain discount grocery store for answers. Aldi has a lot of excellent product dupes, and though Benton's Animal Crackers likely imitate a current brand, they are commonly said to resemble the taste and texture of McDonaldland cookies. As it stands, McDonaldland cookies are one of the discontinued cookies we are never getting back. There are no known plans to revive the cookies in any form. But modern marketing suggests it's not impossible.

One of the reasons McDonald's got rid of McDonaldland characters in 2003 was to project a more adult image in general. But with the children of that era now in adulthood, what was once for kids is now for nostalgic adults. McDonald's has already brought McDonaldland and its characters back from the dead for merchandise and limited-time meals and menu items. With enough customer demand, perhaps McDonaldland cookies could be the golden arches' next nostalgic product revival.