Peek Inside the McDonald's Archives, a Place Where Every Happy Meal Toy Is Carefully Stored (but the Public Can't Go) (Exclusive)

Deep inside McDonald's corporate headquarters in Chicago is what appears to be a tiny room — but it's actually a massive archive full of treasures.

Run by brand archivist Mike Bullington, the McDonald's archives feature five semi trucks' worth of nostalgic Happy Meal toys, old packaging and treasures from company restaurants around the world, all safely stored in a locked, temperature-controlled environment.

Bullington started working for the company almost 20 years ago, aiming to collect one of just about everything, from a life-sized Grimace and a Hamburglar mask to old milkshake machines and promotional items from other countries.

"We're a company resource, so we support the owner/operators, our suppliers and guests," Bullington explains of the archive's purpose. "I say, 'Everyone has a McDonald's story, my job's to tell you the story of McDonald's.' "

Sometimes the marketing team will tap him for help looking back on Happy Meal toys to revive for nostalgic remakes (see: the collectible cups that flew out of restaurants this summer) and other times, people outside the company will ask him for advice, like when the team behind Loki had him consult on recreating a restaurant for an episode of the show (he told them to add a drive-through, which they did via CGI).

Though the brand strives to save him one of every item — whether it's a Big Mac box or a vintage Fisher-Price toy — he often scours eBay to find sought-after items missing from his collection.

"I don't buy anything from employees, but they give the archives a lot of things, they're very generous," he says. "A lot of collectors reach out too, like if a family member had a collection and they don't have need for it. A lot of people collect McDonald's memorabilia."

On the flip side, he never sells or gives away items, either.

"We have a worldwide convention every couple of years, and this year the archives displayed some heritage pieces," he explains. "A lot of attendees wanted to buy things, and I said no."

While many expected items are in the archives, there are also some gems American fans have likely never seen, including a Tesla Cybertruck-inspired McFlurry spoon from Germany and bottles of wine given to select employees ... in 1984. Relics from a limited-edition Texas-themed meal are among the most rare items in the collection, and yes, Bullington does have one of every Happy Meal Beanie Baby, a.k.a. the Teenie Beanies.

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Three floors up from Bullington's archives sits a brightly lit wall that will take anyone back to childhood: a series of shelves featuring decades of past Happy Meal toys, organized from oldest to newest. Among the more recent Pixar and Marvel offerings are old favorites like Muppets on Big Wheels, Furbies, Little Miss characters and play food. "It's cool to see the blending of some of the newer toys with the older ones," he says.

That past-present balance is what his job is all about, Bullington adds.

"Even though we have this archive, we're constantly moving toward the future," he says. "But we realize our heritage is important, it helps guide what we do. We have a nod toward the legacy, but we're always moving forward."