A media representative told me Yolanda “was the first to have this idea” of a value meal for kids. History. In 1973, while Burger Chef was at its peak, it introduced the concept of the kids' meal. Discerning the popularity of the kids' meal, McDonald's introduced its Happy Meal in 1978, and other fast food corporations, including Burger King, followed suit with their own kids' meals. The Flipping Holder | Mess Free, Mom-Invented Kids Snack Product - 490 Followers, 11 Following, 6529 pins | Products to make life easier and a little less messy for moms of kids, toddlers, and babies. Some fast food corporations considered youngsters their "most important" customers, owing to the success of the kids' meal. Inspiration for family-friendly activities, meals, and living. In fact, McDonald’s didn’t even invent the concept of a kids’ meal. The first kids' meal, Funmeal, emerged at Burger Chef in 1973 and succeeded. As Business Insider reports, the "Fun Meal" was the first fast-food meal to bundle burgers with a dessert and a toy. McDonald's is well known for its Happy Meal, but it wasn't the first to serve a bundled kids' meal.. Fast food has been around for a long time, and it seems to get more popular every day. The “Menu Ronald” was invented to help parents keep their kids satisfied when the family went out to eat. While Burger Chef was at its peak, it introduced a concept most people associate with McDonald's: the kids' meal. But as recognizable as the Happy Meal is, it wasn’t the first of its kind. Kids meals tend to come with a main, a drink, and a side for way less than if you ordered all of the items separately from the regular menu. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a box with the McDonald's logo. … In the 1960s and early 1970s, McDonald's had a major competitor: Burger Chef, a hamburger chain that started in 1958. The classic kids' meal started as a gimmick, a way to lure in parents with small children for an easy-to-order lunch or dinner. Naturally, word eventually got back to McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago they decided to adopt the practice as their own. A Happy Meal is a form of kids meal specifically marketed at children, sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979. Unfortunately, fast food often takes the place of nutritious food in our diets. He doesn’t doubt her — again, the idea was in the air — but he insists he invented the Happy Meal as we know it. The packaging and toy are frequently part of a marketing tie-in to an existing TV show, film, or toy line. The original “Menu Ronald” included a hamburger, small fries and a small sundae. … The chain was originally created by Donald and Frank Thomas, whose father started the General Equipment Company in the 1930s to manufacture machinery for fast … As for McDonald’s?