Large corporations and businesses have continued to target the global child audience through the fast food franchise for generations. They have achieved more than successful advertising.

Yes, the Happy Meal four-piece Chicken McNugget entrée was sensational. Yes, the Hamburger King Jr. Meal was more than fulfilling. But neither, nor any kids menu item is to be credited with the iconic experience of fast food dining over classic toys like the Sonic the Hedgehog Handheld Games, Polly Pockets, or half-lidded Furbies.

While restaurant meal toys were purposed for propaganda, they have evolved into valued mementos. Similar to time capsules, the cheaply made and mass marketed trinkets represent the social and media culture of the year they were released. As kids everywhere traded, collected, and often hoarded these toys, they shared a collective childhood experience. Now as adults, they share the same memories of nostalgia.

However, looking at this list, it’s apparent that these toys are best reminisced about rather than used. This walk down memory lane recounts the humorously malfunctioning and distorted toys.

While useless, some of these are surprisingly far from worthless! Whether in new or used condition, vintage fast food toy items are selling online at competitively high prices. While childhood memories are invaluable, maybe yours will have a more... financially compensating benefit.

So keep a lookout while going through this list of The Worst Fast Food Toys From The Last 20 Years, And 10 That Are Worth A Fortune, for familiar figures that might be collecting dust in your childhood home.

29 Worst: The Muppet Babies (1990)

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“Muppet Babies, we make our dreams come true/Muppet Babies, we'll do the same for you…” – Muppet Babies Theme Song

Yikes. These toys are practically relics, and absolutely a mistake. But before you crucify me, I would like to clarify that I love The Muppets. Kermit the Frog? A rotational meme. Miss Piggy? An empowering female role model.

But what was the goal of reverting the fan favorite TV cast back into babies? Who would ever want to play with a tricycle riding baby named Gonzo?

Further, these prehistoric toys were pre-hazard regulations. With the dwarfed Muppets detaching from their vehicles, the Muppet Babies were a source of safety concerns for their baby consumers in more than one way.

28 Worst: McDonald's Water Games (1991)

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I’ll admit, I was hooked on these aquatic games... until I exhausted its single button push function. After spraining a thumb playing the impossible game, I as well as many kids resorted to shaking the screen, hopeful for success. Between the screen art of the single-toothed Hamburglar and the single button mechanic, kids today would flee to Burger King.

The Water Games were original but drowned in poor execution. In the sink or swim competition of fast food toys, at least two buttons are necessary to qualify.

27 Fortune: 1990 McDonald McDino Changeables Set ($25-$40)

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One of the most original toy series designs, the McDonald’s McDino transformers were memorable, to say the least.

While the company dabbled in many forms of transforming meal items, from burger-robots to combat-ready French fries, the prehistoric twist to the classic design was a  meteor-sized hit with the right crowd. The dinosaur changeables are for sale in both, used and new conditions. They can be found on eBay as individual dino purchases, or for sale as a collective herd. With the rapid sale rate, the McDinosaurs may fall extinct once more!

26 Worst: McDonald's Vintage Disney Sinclair Dinosaurs (1992)

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Unfortunately, these were the only dinosaurs that didn't remain extinct. While the show Dinosaurs, starring the reptilian middle-class Sinclair family, was buried deep with other American fossils, the hatching baby seems to be the blueprint for the later inspired Jabba the Hutt. Although the archaic show may have been a hit, McDonald's Sinclair Dinosaurs were petrified with bad character designs.

In regard to what the toys actually do... the answer is close to nothing. Their minimally moving appendages are an awful tribute to their prehistoric ancestors.

25 Worst: Glow In The Dark Trolls (1993)

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What is the true function of the troll doll? Too small to cuddle, with hair too wild and shedding to tame, it was no surprise when these three-inch figurines went missing or collected dust on shelves. However, Burger King made sure their presence was never forgotten... by making them glow in the dark.

While it seems like every child has had a previous traumatizing memory of troll dolls, like the mythical creatures they’re based on, they never fully disappear and continually appear in popular culture. Twenty-three years after Burger King released the glow in the dark meal toys, Trolls re-emerged in theatres and kids meal purchases in 2016.

24 Fortune: Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron ($40-$80)

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While the movie Spirit portrays the horses’ struggle to outwit his captors and remain untamed, it’s more than odd that Burger King chose to pair him with his greatest villain in the toy set.

Maybe even the Stallion of the Cimarron can be coerced into a partnership for a good movie promotional package? Either way, the Burger King meal toys are roundin' up big bucks online, selling for up to $80 in a complete set. For that price, Spirit will have to confront his commitment issues, and stay paired with his rider. As he claimed in the film, "Sometimes a horse has got to do what a horse has got to do."

23 Worst: Walt Disney Collector Series Cups (1994)

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These were the worst. Burger King Collector Cups are not toys, just extra dishes to wash. Judging by the targeted age range, parents spent the most time with the ‘toys’... hand-washing them.

Burger King showed an obvious preference for the movie Pocahontas, seeing as four out of the collection of twelve cups depicted scenes from the movie. However, I am curious as to who pitched and authorized the concept of giving the movie’s villain, John Ratcliffe, his own cup?

22 Worst: Gargoyles Stone Warriors (1995)

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Judging by the design of these Gargoyles toys, Burger King must have exceeded their budget, making extra Pocahontas cups for the Disney series. While historically, the magical nocturnal creatures were petrified to stone, Burger King managed to petrify them into the cheapest brand of plastic.

In terms of creativity, these figures did manage to reawaken the concept of originality in fast food toys. Playing into the hidden in plain site theme, the toys each held a secret function. Maybe better spending habits and increased quality would have made this series more memorable.

21 Fortune: 2017 Holiday Express Train ($80-$90)

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Between the holiday theme and the inclusion of Minions, it’s no surprise that this recent 2017 McDonald’s collection is generating so much online attention. The Holiday express collection is an extremely accurate reflection of the past couple years. Even now, over a year later, we still love Minions, and with the previous success of the last movie, can't predict the extinction of the Jurassic Park franchise.

While limited in entertainment functions, the holiday express is already foreshadowing a future as a classic toy set.

20 Worst: Looney Toons Space Jam Set (1996)

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Space Jam seemed to do the impossible by pairing our idolized all-star athletes with our favorite animated Looney Toons. In the humorous movie that seemed to have it all, the McDonalds toy is crudely comical in how badly it missed all of the marks.

While the concept held potential, the final production dropped the ball. The creators completely fouled out for creating a puzzle that didn’t even have enough pieces to complete itself, and for making immobile characters who held no active entertainment functions.

19 Worst: Hercules Plate Collection (1997)

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Ah yes. Like the Burger King Collectable Cups, in the realm of toys, these were a miss. I don’t care how much you love domestic games, cutlery do not equal toys.

But I will confess, I did consider this to be my first china set. The Muses and Pegasus plates were truly art. McDonald's delivered us a fine dining experience on Mount Olympus.

But if your hoarding techniques are as severe as mine, you might find the financial benefit of keeping them around. In good condition, these antiques run anywhere from $60 to $150 on eBay. And that’s the gospel truth. 

18 Fortune: McDonald Land Happy Meal Play Set ($100-$120)

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One of the less appetizing McDonalds creations, The McDonaldland plastic Happy Meal set is a prime example of exhaustive advertising. The Meal set includes an extravagant menu of thirty item pieces, because if kids weren’t eating Happy Meals, seeing them on TV, or playing with their toys, they might as well make a plastic rendition of their favorite fast food staple meal.

But besides the questionable purpose of the toy, between the Grimace character cookie, and the promised coupon for free french fries inside, the toy definitely shows it age.

17 Worst: Furby Meal Toy (1998)

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Like Troll dolls, Furbies just never seem to fade out of popular culture. Their mix matched neon plastic skin and tuffs of hair seem to bully themselves into your line of sight, only to ensnare your eyes in an absolutely horrifying gaze.

I truthfully can not remember a single kid who was excited to receive one of these freakish animal like toys. It’s unclear to me why these owl-rat like rodents continue to exist, but how can we exterminate them?

16 Worst: Pokémon: The First Movie Collectables (1999)

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While the release of Pokémon: The First Movie was an exciting time for gamers and future Pokémon trainers, the release of the Burger King toy was a time of trauma and crisis. As strict safety regulations had yet to put on fast food toys, the Pokéball became a risk and even resulted in two tragedies. Only the Pokéball container was recalled for reconstruction.

While it’s fun to "catch ‘em all", the fast food industry learned that it’s even more important for toy manufacturers to "double check ‘em all" for safety risks.

15 Fortune: The Little Mermaid Plush Set ($120-$130)

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Of all of the gadgets and gizmos aplenty you may have hidden away in storage, you should hope to find pieces of the Little Mermaid Plush Set. And if your collection’s complete? You’ll have found a small treasure.

Produced in 1997, the McDonald's toy set is an extremely rare collectors item. The complete set is on the market for $120 and more even in used condition. So stroll along down to your basement, clustered closet spaces, or designated storage areas, and maybe you’ll find a mermaid or two to cash in.

14 Worst: Emperor's New Groove Toy Set (2000)

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While the movie was an instant fan favorite, these roll away toys of Kuzco, Pacha and the crew would for sure throw off the emperor’s groove. While the potion turned Kuzco into a llama, he is almost even more unrecognizable as a McDonald’s toy. He, as well as the rest of the cast, fell victim to poor facial designs in plastic form.

While the concept of a roll away toy is unique, the size of the trinkets made them easy for young children to lose and the low quality of the characters made it easy for kids to not care enough to look for them.

The toys’ creators should beware of the groove after this let down.

13 Worst: Monsters, Inc. Toy Set (2001)

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Monster, Inc. holds a true piece of our hearts. While we loved the concept of the toys having individual doors, the execution was as feeble as Mike’s scare tactics.

Simply put, these toys needed more. With so much potential for a well executed toy set that could have consisted of scary feet, a personal voice automated scream tank, or even a detachable sock to initiate a 2319, these toys fell as flat as the doors they came paired with.

12 Fortune: Balto Movie Steele Figurine ($135)

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And with this 1995 Steele toy, KFC has made the list! Surprisingly, the movie's antagonist is an item of competitive bidding online. While KFC is not known for their meal toys, the Balto meal toy set is considered to be an extremely rare collectors item.

The toy is a simple figurine of the aggressively competitive Husky. However, Steele's bidding price in used condition is almost double that of the movie's protagonists and other characters. Steele's quite the steal.

11 Worst: Ice Age Happy Meal Toy Set (2002)

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While the movie Ice Age melted our hearts, it would be no surprise if kids gave these Happy Meal toys the cold shoulder. The premise of the toys is interesting, as all of the characters call for creative methods of entertainment.

However, the makers may have been too crafty. The toys are slightly too complicated for the young demographics of users. Consisting of too many components, pieces, and instructions, these toys failed to break the ice with young users.

10 Worst: Finding Nemo (2003)

via: metro.co.uk

For the movie that taught us fish are friends and how to find the East Australian Current, these toys are less than righteous. Yes, in the water they did their purpose of swimming in single directions. However, the toys only catered to the single demographic of kid users who had large enough bodies of water to enjoy the swimming actions.

Whether in a pool or, weather permitting and with parent supervision, or tub of some sort, these Finding Nemo toys made it difficult to find the time and spaces to enjoy them.