I can't help but notice that many members who chase after the McD's toys feel they need to buy the meals to get the toys. So, let me share my experience about how I avoid buying ANY food and still get the whole set....

Of all the McD's in this town (Boise), the one by the airport is so small, it always gets the Customer Satisfaction Packages, which are the boxes that contain EVERY toy (as opposed to just one or two). Knowing that this and the Spiderwick sets were coming up, I rifled thru a big garbage bag of toys I bought during the Summer at a garage sale for 10 cents per toy. I took out all the doubles, as well as some of the lamer toys such as Barbie or Hot Wheels. Most of the toys in this bag were over 10 years old.

I took the toys to the airport McD's and they took them without a flinch of an eye in exchange for all 8 of the Spiderwick toys and all 16 of the Disney toys. All in two trips only. They don't care how old the toys are you exchange for the new ones as long as they are McD's toys and unopened.

So, if there is a set that is especially cool that you want and you want to avoid the cost of Happy Meals or exchanging other toys you have purchased for full price, here's the trick - 1) use toys you got for your kids but they didn't like yet you kept anyway and didn't open, 2) snag any free or cheap UNopened toys at garage sales, no matter how old and lame they are, or 3) grab unopened toys from the thrift stores where they are likely 25 cents or less.

No need to eat 16 Happy Meals. Yuck!

Happy hunting,
Geoff

Is the promotion over? I have not gone to McD's in a week or so...

I still need quite a few of these cards.... But not as bad as when they had 50 different cards!

Mike.

The promotion is over now (at least in my area). They now have American Idol toys.

Yeah, I went today. American Idol too!

Mike.

American Idol in Indy as well. Pretty sorry excuse for toys I might add.