McDonald's Iconic Boo Buckets Are Back — This Time With 2 New Faces

Candy companies aren't the only ones getting in on the Halloween action this year. McDonald's famous Boo Buckets are returning to the Golden Arches just in time for the holiday, giving kiddos a colorful vessel to stash all the best Halloween candy of 2025. Beginning on October 21, customers can again get their hands on the spirited plastic pails at the fast food icon with the purchase of a Happy Meal.

Pumpkin, Ghost, and Goblin will be three familiar faces that people can parade around the neighborhood while trick-or-treating. Joining the cast of classic characters will be a new spooky duo of Cat and Zombie. Each character is available with two or three distinct expressions, giving kids the opportunity to collect the one that perfectly complements their Halloween costume.

Folks will also be able to decorate their McDonald's Boo Buckets with Halloween-themed stickers, which are included inside each container. However, the candy receptacles won't be around long. They will only be available while supplies last, so anyone with their heart set on a specific character or expression will have to act fast to secure the perfect pail for the holiday.

McDonald's Boo Buckets are nostalgia in the form of a plastic pail. Many adults today likely remember carrying around the iconic containers on Halloween during their childhood, with hopes they would be filled to the brim with sweets when they returned home. They have been a staple of the season since 1986 (vintage Boo Buckets might even be worth something these days), but their presence hasn't been entirely consistent.

The original characters McBoo, McPunk'n, and McGoblin were joined by some new personalities in 1990 when McDonald's added a witch and a ghost to the lineup; the latter also glowed in the dark to light the way to the next house doling out candy. Two years later, Boo Buckets got another facelift: The lid of the container also functioned as a cookie cutter that could be used to make special Halloween treats at home. By the time the 2010s rolled around, McDonald's formed collaborations with various recognizable characters like Charlie Brown from Peanuts and Mr. Potato Head.

As beloved as Boo Buckets were, McDonald's decided to stop offering them in 2016. However, unlike many discontinued menu items that deserve a comeback, the historic plastic pails eventually returned to the fast food behemoth in 2022. They have since remained an adored holiday staple, offering kids a colorful character to house their sweets and adults an opportunity to look back fondly on the good old days.