McDonalds is known for a wide variety of toys in its Happy Meals, where each toy is usually part of a set, offered for a limited time period; as a child, I’ve collected several such sets myself, but certain collections only appeared in specific countries. One such set is the Rayman 2 figure collection, which was offered in France during the year 2000. When I found out about it, many years later, I decided to try to obtain the complete set, since the figures looked very nice, and I am a big Rayman fan (in particular, Rayman 2 is my favorite game in the series).
It wasn’t easy, but eventually I scored the full set on eBay, and yes – it’s awesome. The figures are actually a bit larger than I imagined (8 to 12 centimeters across the largest dimensions, which is about the average size for McDonalds Happy Meal toy lines); they are quite detailed, and each figure has a mechanism that makes it do something special. Since the toys I got are almost two decades old at this point, not all of the mechanisms are fully functional, but that is to be expected.
There are two figures of Rayman – one riding a shell (rocket), one riding a plum, two of the main supporting characters – Globox and Ly, a villain (Red Henchman 800 Robo-pirate) and a Cage representing the poor creatures trapped by the Robo-pirates (many of which Rayman rescues along his way). All would be immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with Rayman 2.
Each figure came in a red plastic bag showing what’s inside and a small paper showing the entire set and usage instruction for each figure (except Globox for some reason).
Rayman on a Shell
The shell has small wheels it rolls on, although its legs are pulled backwards, as if it’s the flying variant. I think it’s because there was no reasonable way to have the shell actually walk/run as it does in the game. Rotating the shell’s exhaust pipe clockwise winds up the mechanism; when released the shell rolls on any flat surface, executing random turns, which is very cool. Unfortunately, mine frequently grinds to a halt, even though there is still charge in the mechanism – I don’t know if it is a flaw in the design or age-induced wear. There is also a tiny button at the front of the shell, which, when pressed, makes rocket take-off noises. Sometimes I need to press it a few times before it registers.
Rayman on a Plum
The plum’s bottom is actually flat, not round, for balance purposes. It also has wheels, but the mechanism is simpler: you just pull back and release, and the plum rolls forward. Rayman’s hair spins while rolling, which is a nice touch.
Globox
Rayman’s friend is in his typical hands-on-hips position, but each arm can be rotated a full 360 degrees. The key that winds up the mechanism is on his right side; when released, Globox walks forward in his funny wobbly gait, opening and closing his mouth.
Ly the Fairy
Ly is sitting cross-legged with a crystal ball in her lap. Each of her arms can be lifted, and, supposedly, this should make the crystal ball light up, but it never worked on my figure. I don’t know whether the mechanism is broken, or whether there is a battery inside that lost its charge. Other than that, it’s cute, but stationary.
Red Henchman 800
The Robo-pirate is in many ways the best figure in the set (aren’t villains always the coolest?). He is the tallest, very detailed; his torso, both his arms and the hook on his right arm can be rotated freely, and the most awesome thing about him is the charge mechanism: by repeatedly pressing the rod on his back (in a rhythmic motion you use on some spinning tops) you can make sparks appear in his chest.
Cage
The cage’s mechanism is also pretty interesting. On the back is the standard winding mechanism key, and on the front is a small switch. When the switch is in the right position, the key can be turned clockwise to store up charge, but nothing moves; once the switched is pushed to the left, if there is any charge stored, the cage starts rattling, and a red light flickers inside (visible through the small window at the front). The red glow is very weak on my toy, only visible if you look directly into the window. Again, I don’t know if it’s a flaw or just something that worn out with age. The cage also has a suction cup at the bottom, which can make it stick to the surface its on, perhaps to prevent it from moving too much while shaking (although it seemed pretty stable to me).
Final Words
This collection is probably the best set of Rayman-related toys I have seen to date. True to the tradition of McDonalds sets of that era, all figures look very good, scuplted and painted with great detail, and have survived the test of time (although, in truth, I don’t know how much use this particular set has seen). The only aspects in which they seem to have degraded between 2000 (release) and 2019 (now) are in the lighting of the cage / Ly’s crystal ball. One day I may try to carefully open up the figures and examine the innards, but this would require a special screwdriver tip for the triangular screw-head, which I currently don’t have.
The only thing I, as a Rayman fan, could wish for, is that this set was bigger; I would appreciate some more figures such as Admiral Razorbeard, or Rayman’s friend Clark, although the relatives sizes of the characters would perhaps make them stand out in an awkward way or be off-scale. Probably the best addition that could easily fit in with the rest would be one of those funny Mini Janos.
Cloaked Thargoid 