A Fan-Favorite McDonald’s Seasonal Item Is Headed Back to Menus

There are just 28 days until Halloween. Anyone who plans to trick or treat this year is now in full planning mode, deciding if they’ll be a ghoul or a goblin, a princess or a pirate, Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce. 

Costumes aren’t the only important thing to Halloween-loving kids. What they’ll use to collect their Snickers Pumpkins, Butterfinger Marshmallow, or Reese’s Pumpkins from their neighbors is equally as important. And for many kids, only a McDonald’s Boo Bucket will do. Fortunately for those trick-or-treaters, Mickey D’s has announced that those spooky Happy Meal buckets are returning this year.

How to Get This Year’s Boo Bucket at McDonald’s

Boo Buckets—the plastic buckets that replace Happy Meal boxes—officially go on sale on Oct. 21, at participating McDonald’s, while supplies last. The buckets come with every version of the Happy Meal: the hamburger (or cheeseburger), 4-piece McNugget, or 6-piece McNugget. Each meal also comes with fries, apple slices, and a drink.

After 2024’s Boo Buckets, which featured furry-looking monster faces, received mixed reviews, McDonald’s has decided to go back to its classic designs. This year’s Boo Buckets bring back three classic characters, the Ghost, Pumpkin, and Goblin, plus introduce two new ones, a red Zombie and a black Cat. Plus, this year, all five characters each have three different faces, so there are plenty of buckets to collect.

Mickey D’s Boo Buckets all come with stickers so your trick-or-treater can make their bucket their own before All Hallows’ Eve.

While some fans will forever question why McDonald’s won’t simply “replicate the original” Boo Buckets from the ’80s, many customers are stoked about this year’s new character designs.

“Absolutely have to get the black cat,” one Instagram user wrote.

“The cat and zombie are so sick, I hope they stick around with the original boo crew,” commented another.

We know that many fans wait all year for this spooky arrival, but you won’t have very much time before Halloween to grab your Boo Bucket before they’re gone. The good news is that Burger King’s version of Halloween Buckets hit restaurants on Oct. 13, so you’ll have a backup trick-or-treat vessel if you can’t get to the Golden Arches in time.

In either case, these holiday favorites tend to sell out before Halloween, so if you or your little monster wants a Boo Bucket, don’t wait until the last minute!