The McDonald’s Happy Meal has been a beloved treat for kids for almost 50 years, but there is some debate about who actually came up with the idea. Three individuals have been credited with inventing the Happy Meal, and one of them has connections to St. Louis.
Dick Brams, a regional advertising manager for McDonald’s in St. Louis, has been referred to as the “Father of the Happy Meal” in a 2010 Time Magazine article. He proposed the concept of a meal specifically for kids back in 1977, using his position to come up with creative ways to promote the idea and expand the company’s reach.
However, a 2019 article from The Chicago Tribune presents a different perspective. It suggests that while Brams played a role in the development of the Happy Meal, it was actually his colleague Bob Bernstein who should be recognized as the true inventor. Bernstein and retired McDonald’s executive Paul Schrage claim that they were working on a similar concept after being inspired by a competitor’s kid-focused meals.
Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño, a McDonald’s businesswoman in Guatemala, is also credited with creating an early version of the Happy Meal. She noticed that children were struggling to finish their meals due to portion sizes and lack of appeal, so she developed a “Ronald’s Menu” with smaller portions and a toy. Yolanda received recognition from McDonald’s for her innovative ideas before passing away in 2021.
While all three individuals have received awards for their contributions to McDonald’s and the Happy Meal, the Missouri Historical Society has stated that they cannot definitively confirm or deny who actually invented the concept. Assistant curator Magdalene Linck mentioned that children’s menus and meal concepts existed before the Happy Meal, indicating that while these individuals were innovators, they did not invent the idea from scratch.
