Classic children’s literature star takes big appetite to McDonald’s.

We’ve seen a number of McDonald’s Japan’s Happy Meal toys featuring beloved children’s franchises such as Chiikawa, Super Mario, and Sanrio. Today we’re looking at yet another, but this time it’s not a Japanese anime or video game series that’s in the spotlight, but a classic work of American children’s literature.

As of June 13, McDonald’s Japan’s Happy Meals, or Happy Sets, as they’re called in Japanese, each come with a The Very Hungry Caterpillar toy, based on the star of the 1969 picture book from author and illustrator Eric Carle. Though not a homegrown hero, the little (and temporary) caterpillar’s cute artwork has made the book well-known and much-loved in Japan too.

McDonald’s Japan’s Very Hungry Caterpillar lineup consists of six toys split up into two batches. With the first group available between June 13 and 19, most of the toys have some sort of water connection, like the Apple Bubble Blower, based on the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s meal on its first day.

Flipping it open reveals that the rest of the caterpillar is curled up to act as a bubble-blowing ring and rests inside a reservoir for bubble liquid, which you’ll need to source separately and pour in.

Also part of the first batch is the Sunflower Waterwheel. Spoiler alert: this one shows the book’s protagonist at both the start and end of his character arc, with the butterfly resting on the flower and the caterpillar hanging out on one of its leaves below.

The blossom is actually a water wheel, and as you pour water in the flower spins and the leaves shimmy, giving it a dancing effect that doesn’t require any batteries.

▼ As for what we’re using to pour the water, we’ll get to that a little later.

Rounding out the first round of toys is the Tree Stump Bucket, which lets you reposition the caterpillar depending on where you want the handle to be.

Officially, this is for playing with in the bath, park sandbox, or on the beach, but there’s nothing stopping you from using it as a little decretive container for whatever you’d like to store inside.

Moving on to the second round of Very Hungry Caterpillar toys, which will be available starting June 20, we come to the character’s fourth-day fare with the unusually (but not inaccurately) named Hiding Strawberry Shower.

The shy little caterpillar starts off with only a bit of its head sticking out of the fruit, but submerge the strawberry and it comes out to get a better look around as the toy fills with water. Squeezing it then pours the water out with a showerhead-style multi-flow and the caterpillar retreats back inside.

The Leaf Board is the most figure-like toy in the line, but still has some functional play with-ability, either as a ring toss game on dry land or a balance game in the tub.

▼ Or you could go for the double challenge of a bathtime ring toss game, if you’re not worried about splashes from missed throws.

Finally, we promised we’d explain the spout we were using to pour water into the Sunflower Waterwheel up above, so now it’s time to pay off that foreshadowing with the Flower Watering Can.

In addition to the pitcher-style watering can, you get a base piece and three flat flower illustrations in the style of Carle’s artwork. Well, they start out flat anyway. Pour a little water on them though…

…and they perk right up, with their petals stretching out until the material dries, at which point you can water them again.

The second batch of Very Hungry Caterpillar toys will be available from June 20 to 26, and from June 27 McDonald’s will be giving out remaining toys from both batches while supplies last.

Photos ©SoraNews24
© 2025 Penguin Random House LLC. ERIC CARLE, THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, THE WORLD OF ERIC
CARLE logo, the Caterpillar logo and related designs, logos, and names are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is published by
Penguin Random House LLC.
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[ Read in Japanese ]