Burger King rolls out Scooby‑Doo toys and Halloween buckets in direct bid against McDonald’s
Promotion comes as both chains expand value offers and marketing efforts to regain customers after earlier sales slowdowns.
Burger King is packaging a Halloween promotion and a nostalgia tie‑in into a broader effort to draw customers back from rival McDonald’s, beginning a push that the company says will start Sept. 16.
Beginning Tuesday, King Jr. Meals will include one of six Scooby‑Doo toys inspired by the cartoon’s spooky specials, Burger King said. The characters in the set are Scooby‑Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred and the Headless Horseman. The chain also plans to reintroduce its $2 Halloween Buckets for a limited run starting Oct. 10.
The timing of the promotion follows a period of intensifying price and product competition between the two largest U.S. burger chains. Burger King has rolled out its "Whopper By You" deal suite and is investing roughly $400 million in restaurant upgrades, moves the company and franchisees say are intended to improve value perception and traffic. On its social channels, some customers welcomed the Scooby‑Dooby‑Doo tie‑in: "Yeah these might be the best ones out of all the fast food toys," one fan wrote on Instagram.
McDonald’s has mounted its own countermeasures. Earlier this month, the company relaunched its Extra Value Meals for the first time since 2019 and extended its $5 Meal Deal through 2025, adding items such as a Daily Double cheeseburger into the offering. McDonald’s also credited product promotions including McCrispy Strips and a Minecraft Movie Meals tie‑in with helping lift same‑store sales.
Both chains sought to stabilize results after sales weakened earlier in the year. Burger King reported a 1.3% decline in North American sales in its first quarter before a subsequent recovery that showed sales up 1.5% in the following quarter. McDonald’s suffered a 3.6% drop in U.S. same‑store sales in its first quarter — its largest decline since the pandemic — before reporting a 2.5% gain in the second quarter.
Analysts and executives have framed the recent promotions as part of a wider playbook to win back price‑sensitive customers as inflationary pressures ease and consumers reassess discretionary spending. Fast‑food chains have increasingly leaned on limited‑time toys, meal bundling and lower‑priced value options to sustain traffic gains.
A McDonald’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the company plans new toy promotions this fall. Burger King’s Scooby‑Doo items and the return of Halloween Buckets will be available at participating locations while supplies last.