McDonald’s Boo Buckets return Tuesday, October 20, but the Halloween collectibles will look very different this year. Instead of the familiar monsters, the fast-food chain is turning to five Disney villains for a limited-time Happy Meal promotion.
The new designs are another reason families may be heading to McDonald’s, whether they choose a hamburger or nuggets. For anyone comparing the food itself, there’s also a look at some of the chain’s meal options.
Which characters are on the 2026 Boo Buckets?
McDonald’s confirmed five characters for the collection: Jafar from Aladdin, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Scar from The Lion King, Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Each has its own colorful bucket design.
It isn’t just the printed artwork that is changing. The buckets come with villain-inspired lids and stickers, which families can use to customize the containers after the Happy Meal is finished.
How to get a Boo Bucket
The collectibles will be offered in place of regular Happy Meal boxes at participating McDonald’s restaurants starting October 20. McDonald’s has described the promotion as limited-time and subject to supplies, so there’s no guarantee that every design will be at every restaurant or that all five will remain available throughout Halloween week.
McDonald’s has not announced a separate nationwide price for buying a bucket on its own. The announcement centers on the Happy Meal promotion, so customers should check the participating restaurant for local pricing and availability rather than assume a particular bucket can be purchased separately.
Why the buckets have a following
The original Halloween pails made their debut in 1986, making 2026 their 40th-anniversary year. They became a childhood Halloween memory for generations of customers, whether used for trick-or-treating, storing candy or simply kept as collectibles.
McDonald’s brought Boo Buckets back in 2022 after a multiyear hiatus, then continued changing the designs in subsequent years. The new Disney collaboration puts recognizable movie characters front and center instead of repeating the same ghosts and pumpkins.
In an announcement reported by ABC News, McDonald’s identified the October 20 start date and the five-character lineup. That date is the first opportunity to look for the new pails—not an assurance that every design will be available after launch day.
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