McDonald's Happy Meal POG 2019 - Bugs Bunny Joker Spinning Top Collectible
Welcome to the Spin Zone - POG 2019 Is Here!
If you have been following the McDonald's Happy Meal collector scene for any amount of time, you already know that some of the most fascinating promos do not come from the United States. The POG 2019 wave - released through McDonald's in France and other European markets - is exactly the kind of set that flies under the radar stateside but absolutely captivates the adult collector eye once you get a look at it. Today I am zeroing in on one piece in particular: the Bugs Bunny Joker spinning top from the POG 2019 assortment. It is compact, disc-shaped, and packed with more character than most full-size figures manage to pull off.
What Is the POG 2019 Set?
The POG 2019 Happy Meal promotion is a massive wave of collectible spinning disc tops - a callback to the original POG craze, reimagined as colorful, themed pieces tied to Warner Bros. properties. The set spans an enormous range of characters including Looney Tunes favorites like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, Taz, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Speedy Gonzales, and Pepe and Penelope. Alongside the Looney Tunes crew, the wave also includes DC Comics super heroes and villains such as Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg, plus a strong contingent of Scooby-Doo themed tops including the Mystery Machine, Sammy, Daphne, Fred, and Scooby himself in a variety of poses and scenes. The sheer size of this assortment is staggering, and completing the full set is a serious undertaking for any collector.
The Bugs Bunny Joker - Design and Details
The Bugs Bunny Joker top is a standout piece even within this densely populated wave. The spinning top format is deceptively simple at first glance - a small, molded plastic disc with a spinning peg on the bottom - but the artwork on this particular piece makes it genuinely memorable. Bugs is depicted in a classic joker or comedic pose, leaning into the playful, mischievous energy that has made him one of animation history's most enduring characters. The color printing is crisp and vibrant, which is exactly what you want from this format. The plastic itself has a solid, satisfying weight to it - it spins cleanly and holds its axis well, which matters both for play value and for display.
In terms of scale, these POG tops are designed to be held and launched by small hands, making them genuinely functional toys rather than pure display pieces. The spin mechanism is smooth and consistent, and the sturdy construction means these have held up well in collections over the years. For a fast-food promo piece, the finish quality is notably above average.
There is something quietly impressive about what the POG 2019 wave accomplished - it turned a disc format that most people associate with the 1990s into a legitimate collector set with enough characters and thematic variety to keep adult hunters busy for years.
Wave Context and Set Completion
The Bugs Bunny Joker top sits comfortably in the Looney Tunes section of this massive wave, alongside other Bugs appearances including the Taz and Bugs Bunny combination disc and various Looney Tunes group pieces. Daffy Duck gets his own dedicated run of tops, as do Tweety, Sylvester, and Taz. What makes the POG 2019 assortment particularly interesting from a collector standpoint is the sheer number of distinct characters and scenes - each top tells a tiny visual story, and the variety across the wave is genuinely impressive. There is no filler here. Even the more obscure entries like Wile E. Coyote as guitarist or Tweety on ice have a specificity and charm to them that makes each piece feel intentional rather than thrown together to hit a number.
For collectors focused on Looney Tunes promos specifically, the Bugs Bunny Joker is one of the more desirable individual pieces in the wave. Bugs in a comedic or theatrical pose is the version of the character that most collectors gravitate toward - it is true to the source material and immediately recognizable.
Collector Notes
The POG 2019 wave is primarily a European release, which means domestic availability has always been limited. Pieces surface regularly on the secondary market, often sold individually or in small lots. Condition varies, so inspect before buying when possible - the printed art on the disc face is the first thing to show wear. Mint condition pieces with tight spin pegs and clean graphics are the ones worth holding onto. As a display grouping, the POG tops stack and arrange beautifully - they are an excellent candidate for a shallow shadow box or a small acrylic display stand where the face art can be appreciated without handling the pieces repeatedly.
I have had this one on my need list for a while now. The Bugs Bunny Joker is exactly the kind of character-specific, theatrically posed piece that fits naturally into a Looney Tunes section of a Happy Meal collection, and the POG format adds something genuinely different to a shelf that is otherwise dominated by traditional sculpted figures. I have it saved in the Collectiblz app as a need - if you are tracking your own Happy Meal collection, it is the perfect place to log your wants and haves so nothing slips through the cracks.
Display and Storage
Because of their flat disc format, POG tops are uniquely versatile when it comes to display. They can be stored standing upright in a slotted display, grouped face-up in a shallow tray, or arranged by franchise in labeled bins. The Looney Tunes subset of the POG 2019 wave groups beautifully together - Bugs, Daffy, Tweety, Taz, and the rest make for a cohesive, colorful display that holds its own against any shelf of traditional Happy Meal figures. The small footprint is a genuine advantage for collectors working with limited space.
Whether you are a Looney Tunes completist, a regional promo hunter, or simply someone who appreciates a well-executed disc format promo, the POG 2019 Bugs Bunny Joker is one worth tracking down. 🧸
- K.M.
