This Texas City Was Home To A McDonald's Shaped Like A Giant Happy Meal

Fast food restaurants often get a bad rap as bland, uniform corporate outposts with no local flavor, but they're not all so boring — in fact, some fast food restaurants are even beautiful. McDonald's, arguably the most famous fast food restaurant of them all, operates some 44,000 locations in over 100 countries, and although the vast majority of McDonald's buildings are decidedly boring and boxy, there are some notable exceptions. Case in point: For many years, one whimsical McDonald's in Dallas, Texas, charmed kids of all ages with its unique architecture. The golden arches outpost was shaped like one of the best-selling food items in McDonald's history – the Happy Meal.

Located in North Dallas, the fast food franchise included an enormous Happy Meal-shaped structure complete with cheerful paintings of Ronald McDonald and the McDonaldland gang. The whopper Happy Meal box, rather appropriately, housed the franchise's McDonald's PlayPlace. The building's one-of-a-kind design also included a giant Big Mac over the front door, supersized fries, and an eye-catching red and white striped paint job. If that wasn't enough, the inside of the fanciful fast food joint was surprisingly elegant, complete with Ralph Lauren wallpaper and Austrian crystal chandeliers.

The Happy Meal-shaped McDonald's was a local Dallas legend throughout the early 2000s, and even became a bit of a tourist attraction (the swanky interior design and luxurious mahogany booths probably didn't hurt). However, in 2016, McDonald's completely renovated the unique building, and the Happy Meal box was tragically destroyed. These days, the former architectural gem sports the same boring and boxy beige design as thousands of other McDonald's across the country.

Why McDonald's would destroy such a singular and beloved building is truly a mystery, but what is clear is that the destruction of Dallas' Happy Meal-shaped McDonald's isn't a unique case – McDonald's architecture is losing its pizzazz across the globe. PlayPlaces are disappearing, and colorful 90s' designs are being replaced by lifeless minimalist modernity. These days, it can feel like if you've been to one McDonald's, you've been to them all. Still, all hope is not lost — while Dallas' Happy Meal-shaped McDonald's unfortunately only lives on in our memory, there are still a few unique McDonald's to be found in the world. And hey, considering that McDonald's is returning to its McDonaldland roots, who knows? Maybe the Golden Arches will bring back eccentric architecture and menu item-shaped buildings before we know it.