Mum’s ‘mind-blowing’ Happy Meal trick goes viral - but it’s bad news for Aussie parents

A mum has gone viral after revealing a little-known detail on a Happy Meal box - but Aussie McDonald’s customers don’t get the handy feature.

A mum has shared a little-known trick that turns a Happy Meal box into a disposable plate in seconds and parents have branded it “mind-blowing”.

The British woman created a TikTok video that revealed there was a hidden tab on the side of a Macca’s takeaway box.

All you have to do is pull the tab and it separates the top half of the box from the bottom, leaving the base, which is the perfect size and depth to put your child’s meal into so they can tuck in without struggling to get their little arms and hands into the box.

“Life hack, don’t forget to pull the tab on the Happy Meal box,” the user – who goes by the screen name mumlifemylife – wrote.

But if you’re hoping to do it for your kids here in Australia, you’re going to be bitterly disappointed.

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A mum’s ‘mind-blowing’ Happy Meal trick has gone viral. Picture: TikTok / mumlifemylife

It reveals you can easily transform your kids box into an easy to use tray. Picture: TikTok / mumlifemylife

McDonald’s Australia told news.com.au the feature doesn’t appear on Happy Meal boxes here, but hasn’t ruled out bringing it Down Under in future.

It hasn’t stopped the video from gaining global attention, racking up more than 1 million views and has hundreds of comments, mostly from parents who had no idea the box was designed to be converted into a plate.

“This mum thanks you for blowing her mind,” one wrote.

“What?!?! There’s a tab?!? I’m 40 and a MUM! WHY HAVE I NEVER NOTICED IT??!!” another equally impressed mother wrote.

“Damn whoever knew? Not me,” someone else mused.

While one said: “OMG I’ve been ripping up the box my whole life.”

Others explained that eating their Macca’s meal in the car when they were kids would have been “so much easier” if they knew the trick back then.

More agreed that, stating “my whole life has been changed”.

While the very handy tip is getting a lot of attention, it isn’t new – with other mums sharing it online over the years.

@McDonalds wow the simple things in life make all the difference great little life hack thanks, turn the happy meal into a tray! #goodstuff pic.twitter.com/irxdWj4kCl

— Clive (@gamerCliveD) December 3, 2017

Genuinely never knew the bottom of the happy meal box makes a tray. 😧 pic.twitter.com/GenTRzNenM

— lightupvirginmary 💋 (@lightupvm) May 6, 2017

my eldest is 16 in February, HOW am I only finding out now there is a part to peel off on the happy meal boxes to turn it into a tray 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/t0yJIKlKVA

— Gem (@gemmacaddell86) December 5, 2019

Been taking both of my kids to McDonald's for years and I've only just learned today that the happy meal box can be turned into a tray!!! Share the knowledge this is a game changer 😂 pic.twitter.com/dUZ4qmnVSv

— Greigsy 🎙️📻 (@Greigsy) January 13, 2018

The handy tray feature in the UK Happy Meal box was introduced back in 2017 according to local reports.

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