McDonald’s has Super Mario Bros movie toys

Mcdonald’s’ Happy Meals will feature toys from the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie, despite the movie not releasing for several months yet

McDonald’s Australia has launched a new range of Happy Meal toys featuring characters from the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie, despite the movie being months away from release.

Starting from today, anyone who buys a Happy Meal at McDonald’s and opts to receive a toy will get a small papercraft Mario figure to buy.

McDonald’s says there’s twelve different toys to collect, ranging from a simple figure of Bowser or Luigi, to more complex figures like Mario and Luigi’s plumbing van or Donkey Kong’s racing kart.

Mario toys will be available in Happy Meals from now until January 25, or until stocks last. McDonald’s says that the papercraft toys are all made from 100% renewable materials.

The promotion is interestingly timed, given the Mario movie isn’t scheduled to launch in cinemas until well into next year. The movie, officially titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie, will be released in cinemas in Australia on March 30, 2023.

The twelve toys available over the next month to celebrate The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Picture: McDonald's Australia

It’s not particularly surprising, however, that McDonald’s is jumping the gun with its promotional tie-in. The Mario movie was originally planned to launch in the holiday season for 2022, which is right about now, and these kinds of deals are usually planned out months, if not years, in advance.

It was recently revealed that Princess Peach would get an expanded role in the Mario movie, in a new trailer released late last month. Peach, who is voiced in the movie by The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy, is typically kidnapped in most Mario games, with Mario having to rescue her as she’s locked up in Bowser’s castle.

Here, though, she seems to be much more involved in the story, even at one point wielding an axe. She’ll also seemingly be in charge of training Mario for the fight against Bowser, as the plumber is a newcomer to the Mushroom Kingdom in the film.

Another trailer revealed Chris Pratt’s Mario movie voice, and has some fans underwhelmed. While the general consensus is that Peach, Luigi, Toad, and Bowser are all spectacularly voiced, some levelled complaints about Pratt’s performance, calling it “boring”. More recent trailers have been better received, as fans saw more of Pratt’s performance, but some still aren’t convinced.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.