What percentage ofAmericans born after 1980 have eaten at least one McDonalds Happy Meal in their life? 70 percent? 80 percent?More than that?For 45 years,it has been a cornerstone ofmost childrens culinary demands. The concepts creation is credited to a man named Bob Bernstein, who took an idea hatched by a McDonalds franchiser in Guatemala for a packaged meal targeted at families with small kids, and streamlined it for mass production in the United States. He supposedly hatched the notion to put it in a cardboard box with McDonalds golden arches as handles,and came up with the name Happy Meal. After early tests in 1977, McDonalds across the nation added them to their regular menu in 1979.Within a few years,Happy Meals hadbecome enormously popular, especiallyafter McDonalds began focusing their toys around popular films and television series. (For you trivia nerds: The very first tie-in between Happy Meal and movie was forStar Trek: The Motion Picture, because if there is one thing children love, it is ponderous, slow-moving science-fiction films about hairy middle-agedmen contemplating their mortality in deep space.) At that point,the food itself was no longer thestar attraction. It was just the excuse to get the latest themed action figure or vehicle.While the golden (arches) era of the Happy Meal toys arguably didnt arrive until the 90s, there were still some classics in the 1980s especiallyin the decades final years,after McDonalds struck a cross-promotional deal with Disney. Here are 15 of the best Happy Meal toys of the decade. (By the way, if this triggers some intense sense memory and you want torebuyany of these for your desk or bookshelf, most are availableand very affordable on eBay.)The Best 80s Happy Meal ToysIf you grew up in the 1980s, you definitely remember these iconic Happy Meal prizes.Get our free mobile appREAD MORE: Once-Beloved Fast Food Items That No Longer ExistThe Craziest Fast Food Menu Items EverFiled Under: Fast Food, McDonald's, NostalgiaCategories: Galleries, Lists, Longform, TV News