The Plastic Resurrection: Why My 2026 Diet Just Got Nuked by a Ninja Turtle and a Kawaii Cat

There is a very specific sound that defines a 90s childhood. It’s not the dial-up modem screech (though that’s a close second). It’s the rattle. That hollow, plastic clack-clack-clack of a polybagged toy hitting the bottom of a cardboard box, nestled next to a pile of salt-crusted fries.

If you’re a 40-something dad like me, that sound is a like the horn of Gondor, calling me to my fate. It doesn’t matter if I’ve just eaten a well-intentioned bowl of porridge for my breakfast, or swapped my mid-morning tea and biscuit for water and an apple - the moment I hear that plastic rattle, I’m 8 years old again, and I’m ready to storm the gates of a McDonald’s.

The Golden Age: When Fries Became Transformers

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, back when the world was simple and toys didn’t need a firmware update.

• The 1980s "Changeables": These were the GOAT. McDonald’s saw the Transformers craze and said, "Hold my milkshake." They gave us a plastic box of fries that turned into a robot and a cheeseburger that evolved into a T-Rex. It was pure, unadulterated genius.

• The 1990s Batman: The Animated Series: In the 90s, the plastic got an upgrade. We got legitimate action figures. I still remember the sturdiness of that Batman figure - it had better articulation than some of the stuff you’d find in a proper toy shop.

• The 2000s Pokémon Invasion: By the turn of the millennium, the plastic obsession went global. We weren't just eating nuggets; we were hunting for Mewtwo.

The Great Cardboard Depression

Then, the "Anti-Plastic" movement arrived. Look, I get it. I’m a parent. I don’t want my grandkids to grow up on a planet that's 40% ocean and 60% discarded Happy Meal minions. Moving to cardboard games, jigsaws, and books made total environmental sense.

But let’s be honest: it felt like a piece of our soul was being recycled.

There’s only so much excitement a kid (or a nostalgic dad) can muster for a flat-pack cardboard maze. I’d look at the US or Japan on Instagram, seeing them unboxing high-quality Hot Wheels or actual figurines, while we in the UK were trying to get excited about a paper-based "educational" bookmark. It felt like we were the only ones stuck in the "Eco-Bunker" while the rest of the world was having a retro plastic party.

2026: The Return of the Burger Gods

But friends, the wait is over. It’s January 2026, and the Burger Gods have smiled upon the UK once again.

McDonald’s has finally brought back the "durable materials." They’ve figured out a way to give us the plastic joy we crave using sustainable, recycled polymers (so we can save the planet and our nostalgia simultaneously). And they didn't just come back with a whimper - they came back with a TMNT x Hello Kitty Crossover.

Yes. You read that right. Leonardo meets Sanrio.

Now, as a 40-something bloke who identifies more with Batman’s grumpiness than Hello Kitty’s bow, I shouldn't care. But I've been obsessed with TMNT since 1989, I'm a dad of 2 Hello Kitty-loving daughters and a husband to a 90s wife: The Toykick Family is compromised. 

We are currently struggling. Our New Year’s "Clean Eating" resolutions are screaming for mercy as we find ourselves "accidentally" driving through the Golden Arches just to see if they’ve got the Cinnamoroll-as-Michaelangelo figure yet.

Collecting > Cardio

So, here’s to 2026. A year where I’ll have a world-class collection of plastic crossover toys, and a waistline that’s expanding faster than my kids' cuddly toy collection.

Worth it? Absolutely.

Looking for Hello Kitty and TMNT toys without the fast food tax?

Not that we have to prove our fandom but the Toykick website has curated toy boxes dedicated to both the Turtles and the Japanese Cat: check them out below - they're the purrr-fect gift for the fan in your life...