Few limited-time McDonald’s items are quite as beloved and nostalgia-inducing as its Boo Buckets, which have been making autumn appearances at the fast-food chain since they first launched in 1968. However, this year’s versions of the colorful, festive pails are already receiving major backlash ahead of their mid-October launch.
McDonald’s announced this week that Boo Buckets will officially return to participating restaurants nationwide for a limited time starting on Oct. 15. In past years, the pails have featured designs inspired by classic Halloween characters and symbols such as pumpkins, witches, goblins, and ghosts.
But in 2024, the Boo Buckets have refreshed with new fuzzy monster designs available in white, orange, green, and for the very first time, blue. The pails also come with themed stickers for decorating.
While news of a Boo Buckets comeback has sparked excitement among McDonald’s fans in previous years, many were far from pleased with this year’s versions of the classic Halloween items. For example, some were miffed that the buckets don’t come with lids like they have in the past.
“Pass on this round. Would it honestly kill them to make the lids like in the past???” a critic commented on an Instagram post about the Boo Buckets.
“Bring back the lids!” another demanded.
Meanwhile, others had a major issue with the new look of McDonald’s 2024 Boo Buckets.
“Strong pass on these. Worst Boo Bucket designs released yet,” an Instagram user wrote.
“Terrible designs,” another lamented on X.
That’s not to say that the new Boo Buckets are being criticized across the board. Some shoppers have even defended the highly-critiqued McDonald’s items on social media.
“I think they’re really cute!” an X user posted.
However, the pileup of complaints shows that many customers consider them to be a far cry from the Boo Buckets of years past.
“Just bring back the original look,” an Instagram comment read.
A McDonald’s representative did not immediately respond to our queries for comment on the complaints.
Boo Buckets aren’t the only major new items dropping at McDonald’s restaurants this month. This week, the chain announced that its long-awaited Chicken Big Mac will finally roll out nationwide in the United States for a limited time starting on Oct. 10. Though the Chicken Big Mac has previously been available for limited-time runs in other countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, this will be the first time that it gets a wide release in the States.
Zoe Strozewski
Zoe Strozewski is a News Writer for Eat This, Not That! A Chicago native who now lives in New Jersey, she graduated from Kean University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Read more about Zoe
