McDonald's continues to capitalize on the love of its customers for the company's goofy history. Recently, Happy Meals included McDonald's-themed toys -- such as drink machines, fryers and trays with food on them -- delivered in mini-Happy Meal boxes. And the much-longed-for Snack Wraps finally returned after a viral fan campaign. Now, McDonald's has introduced the McDonaldland Meal, which goes straight after that market of adults who have a nostalgic feeling for the Golden Arches. And it comes with a shake in neon colors like you've never seen before.
The McDonaldland Meal came out on Tuesday, and I grabbed one at my local McD. It's not cheap -- here in high-cost-of-living Seattle, the medium meal was $16.59 and the large was $18.29.
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You can choose from a Quarter Pounder with cheese or a 10-piece McNugget order. It also comes with the chain's famous french fries and your choice of drink. But the specialty drink that's made to go with the meal is called the Mt. McDonaldland shake, and it's a blazing blue color, topped with hot pink whipped cream. It's supposed to look like a volcano, with the pink cream as lava, I guess.
Unlike the Happy Meal, the McDonaldland Meal is made for adults. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET
You know what regular McDonald's food tastes like, but you've perhaps never had this flavor of shake before. McDonald's teases in its press release that it's "up to you to discover the surprise flavor." (You can order the shake without the meal if you just want to try it.)
I braced myself for a super-sugary shake that I'd take one sip of and then dump out. But I was surprised. It was an acceptable flavor that I drank about half of. Sweet, yes, but not mouth-puckeringly so. There was a vague fruit flavor that I couldn't exactly nail down.
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Maybe cotton candy? Maybe blue raspberry? Maybe both of those, mixed? I would not order the Mt. McDonaldland shake again, but it's a fun, colorful twist for a one-time purchase. If you don't want to try it, you can choose a regular drink or another flavor of shake with your McDonaldland meal.
I sampled the hot pink whipped cream by itself, and it seemed to have no flavor, so maybe they just took regular whipped cream and dyed it pink.
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