Happy 40th birthday to Happy (and perhaps a little healthier) Meal

Happy birthday, Happy Meal. The little box with the signature arches-as-handles is turning 40 this year, and McDonald’s is celebrating with a revival of some of the most popular toys to have been included in the kid-targeted package over the decades.

Starting Thursday, the fast-food giant is including with its Happy Mealsone of 17 throwback toys. There are 1980s-era “McNugget Buddies” decked out as cowboys and mail carriers, a 1997 Patti the Platypus Beanie Baby, a Power Ranger from 1995 and a 2013 Hello Kitty doll.

McDonald’s has been selling these “lasting memories,” along with its burgers and fries, for decades to children and their parents.

Still, in the course of its 40-year history, the meal has also caused plenty of anxiety.

In 2002, two Bronx teenagers filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that the chain’s food, including Happy Meals, had contributed to their obesity. The case was eventually dismissed. Other legal challenges include a 2010 California lawsuit that sought to stop the company from giving away toys, which plaintiffs claimed were used to lure children into eating unhealthy food. That suit was ultimately tossed, too.

In recent years, McDonald’s has stepped up efforts to make its kids’ offerings healthier. In 2011, it added apple slices and shrank the serving size of fries to 1.1 ounces. In 2013, it removed soda as the default drink. Subsequent changes included lower-sugar juices, reformulating its chocolate milk and making cheeseburgers an option you have to request.