masthead restaurants
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Created 17-Jun-26
Modified 12-Sep-26
Visitors 41
225 photos
Before packaged kids meals, many family restaurants offered children paper menus that included activities to keep them occupied. With the fast-food boom of the 1970s plastic toys were introduced to attract families.
The Magic Lid was the first mini flying disc produced by McDonald’s in late 1970. It was designed by the Kansas advertising agency Bernstein Rein to be a drink lid, and also as a giveaway when Ronald McDonald made public appearances. The Happy Lid followed soon after in 1971. It improved on the drink lid concept with the addition of a straw hole.
Hardee’s followed suit the same year with the introduction of “Gilbert Giddyup’s Flying Saucer” with a drink purchase or passed out as gifts when Gilbert Giddyup made personal appearances.
During the early 1970s, Burger Chef (now out of business) was the second largest fast food company behind McDonald's. In 1973, they became the first fast-food restaurant to bundle burgers, a dessert, and a toy with the introduction of the FunMeal. One of the toys was the “Incrediburgible!” mini flying disc. It was followed a year later by the “Zoomer Fly.”
The Burger King chain took note, and in 1976 they offered a 2-color set of Flip’N Fly discs. They were followed in 1978 by a set of 3.5 inch diameter discs in Red, Yellow and Blue.
The special meal for kids concept was such a huge success that in 1979 McDonald's introduced their own version of a kids' meal, the Happy Meal, that often included a flying disc.
Wendy's introduced the Fun Flyer in 1981 with the purchase of a Frosty drink. Pizza Time Theater began distributing the first of many Chuck E Cheese flying discs in 1983. The first Domino's Humphrey Flyer Mini was imprinted with the corporate logo, "Domino's Pizza Delivers...Fast...Free" used from 1982 to 1985.
You will find all these discs in the Restaurant Gallery along with flying discs from most of the US national chains and many local restaurants.
This gallery is arranged alphabetically by the restaurant name and associated flying disc followed by the year produced (if applicable). The title also includes the disc manufacturer if known.
~Dudley Gaman
The Magic Lid was the first mini flying disc produced by McDonald’s in late 1970. It was designed by the Kansas advertising agency Bernstein Rein to be a drink lid, and also as a giveaway when Ronald McDonald made public appearances. The Happy Lid followed soon after in 1971. It improved on the drink lid concept with the addition of a straw hole.
Hardee’s followed suit the same year with the introduction of “Gilbert Giddyup’s Flying Saucer” with a drink purchase or passed out as gifts when Gilbert Giddyup made personal appearances.
During the early 1970s, Burger Chef (now out of business) was the second largest fast food company behind McDonald's. In 1973, they became the first fast-food restaurant to bundle burgers, a dessert, and a toy with the introduction of the FunMeal. One of the toys was the “Incrediburgible!” mini flying disc. It was followed a year later by the “Zoomer Fly.”
The Burger King chain took note, and in 1976 they offered a 2-color set of Flip’N Fly discs. They were followed in 1978 by a set of 3.5 inch diameter discs in Red, Yellow and Blue.
The special meal for kids concept was such a huge success that in 1979 McDonald's introduced their own version of a kids' meal, the Happy Meal, that often included a flying disc.
Wendy's introduced the Fun Flyer in 1981 with the purchase of a Frosty drink. Pizza Time Theater began distributing the first of many Chuck E Cheese flying discs in 1983. The first Domino's Humphrey Flyer Mini was imprinted with the corporate logo, "Domino's Pizza Delivers...Fast...Free" used from 1982 to 1985.
You will find all these discs in the Restaurant Gallery along with flying discs from most of the US national chains and many local restaurants.
This gallery is arranged alphabetically by the restaurant name and associated flying disc followed by the year produced (if applicable). The title also includes the disc manufacturer if known.
~Dudley Gaman
Photo copyrights belong to their respective contributors, disc design copyrights belong to their designers
