Starting October 21, 2025, McDonald’s is bringing back its Halloween buckets with five fun designs. This year, they’ve added new cat and zombie buckets to the classic ghost, pumpkin, and goblin options. Kids can choose from fifteen different versions, as each design features three unique faces.
After some complaints about the 2024 buckets, McDonald’s decided to stick with what fans loved. The 2025 buckets are similar to the popular 2023 design. McDonald’s first introduced these Halloween buckets in 1986, after testing them in 1985. The original designs were McPunk’n, McBoo, and McGoblin. Over the years, the buckets got spookier, even glowing in the dark by 1990 and featuring cookie-cutter tops in 1992.
These Halloween pails haven’t been around every year. They skipped 1988 and 1991 and were missing for parts of the late ’90s and 2000s. Special versions appeared with Scooby-Doo in 2012 and Monster High in 2013.
The competition for Halloween treats is heating up. Burger King launched their Monster Menu with themed buckets on October 13th, while Wendy’s is offering Frosty Frights Kids’ Meals with Halloween toys. McDonald’s stated, “There’s only one original bucket, it comes with a Happy Meal.” These seasonal buckets will replace regular Happy Meal boxes at participating locations while supplies last.
As part of a broader trend, restaurants are bringing back nostalgic items for Halloween. Many collectors use these buckets for year-round storage.
