People are just realising this hidden feature in Happy Meal boxes

One mum said it's been a 'game-changer' for mess-free meals with kids, but others reckon it could cause a lot of crying and tantrums... What do you think? 

It's a beloved treat for kids, complete with a hamburger or chicken nuggets, fries, apple slices, a drink, and a toy. 

But did you know there's a secret feature in the Happy Meal box that even some McDonald's staff are unaware of?

Mum-of-two Kirsty Fox recently discovered the hack, which sees the packaging turn into a plate for a mess-free meal, and took to TikTok to share her find.  

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Image: TikTok

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"Just finding out"

In her clip, she said, “Thirty-two years old and just finding out that Happy Meal boxes turn into a plate.”

Kirsty then points out how the box has a serrated line of cardboard around the outside. 

By pulling along this line, the top becomes separated from the bottom, creating a little cardboard tray that can be used as a plate. 

Genius!

She then filled the DIY plate with fries and handed it to her child.

She captioned the video, which has since racked up over 8.2 million views, “Am I the last person on the planet to notice this?”

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"This is definitely new"

It turns out Kirsty isn't the only one who was shocked by this nifty feature. Some McDonald's employees even admitted they had no idea either. 

One former manager commented, “Was a manager at a McDonald’s for eight years. This is something new, they haven’t always been like this." 

Another worker added, “I’ve worked at McDonald’s for four years and I didn’t know this until now.”

And this user chimed in, “Gonna say this is definitely new, not an old thing.”

Others simply praised the mum for sharing the hack.

“I had no idea - thanks for sharing!” one wrote.

Someone else said: “This is a game-changerrrr.”

However some parents claimed that the trick might cause more issues than it solves.

“Watch your kids have a meltdown cause you ripped up the box,” said one parent.

And someone else agreed: “My toddler would lose to mind because I’m ‘breaking the box’.”

Kidspot has reached out to McDonald's Australia for comment.

Originally published as People are just realising this hidden feature in Happy Meal boxes