McDonald’s Happy Meal creator Bob Bernstein is featured in the fast food episode of the Disney+ series “The ‘80s: Top Ten.”
The National Geographic Channel of Disney+ features Bob Bernstein, Steve Bernstein, and advertising agency Bernstein-Rein in the fast food episode of the series “The ‘80s: Top Ten” hosted by Rob Lowe. The episode counts down the ten most memorable fast foods of the 1980s, and the Happy Meal was unanimously named the No. 1 fast food innovation of the decade.
In addition to an interview with Bernstein, the episode includes comments about the Happy Meal from ‘80s icons such as singers Meat Loaf, Dee Snider, director Kevin Smith, and more.
During the ‘70s, McDonald’s wasn’t the kid-friendly zone that it is today; it didn’t become one until Bob had his idea for the Happy Meal. The idea came from watching his then 10-year-old son Steve be mesmerized by reading the front and back of the cereal box repeatedly as he ate breakfast.
“It was then when I realized kids should have fun or an activity when they are eating,” said Bob.
Today, McDonald’s sells 3.2 million Happy Meals a day – over 1.1 billion annually. For more than four decades, the Happy Meal remains a part of many people’s childhood and is enormously influential as a go-to kids’ menu item.