11 Vintage McDonald's Pics That'll Whip You Right Back To The '70s

Remember the good old days? The days of birthday parties and "orange drink"? The days of Grimace and Mayor McCheese? McDonald's was a different beast in the 70s — what most people might even consider a delightful experience. How times have changed. Here are 11 photos that show what McDonald's was like in the 1970s.

We've all suspected it, but it appears to b true: Big Macs used to be bigger. And, as you'll see, far cheaper.

Look at this lineup of handsome gents right here. 

The Lone Jogger (later rechristened as the Hamburglar), in the front, looks more like a serial killer than most actual serial killers — which seems fitting with that name. He's flanked by Captain Crook and The Professor and the French-fry-gobbling Gobblins (later known as the Fry Guys and then Fry Kids). In the back, we've got the rest of our classic characters: Mayor McCheese, Ronald, Grimace, and Officer Big Mac. 

Enjoy the show, I guess.

A mere 65 cents for a Big Mac? Less than 50 cents for a Filet-o-Fish? What a thing. I sure wish we still lived in that era. Here's another flash of the menu from everybody's favorite 1979 movie "Time After Time" where Big Macs still have not topped a dollar. (Here's a look back at the cost of a Big Mac the year you were born.)

Party time, baby. This is where the coolest birthdays were going down, and honestly, I get it. Music. Your own little table. Burgers, fries, and shakes as far as the eye can see. 

As for the employees, I can't imagine a worse job.

They had plates and cups with their own characters. They had collabs. They had it all. I love how Ronald is being a huge menace in all the scenes on the plates above: Spraying Mayor McCheese with a hose and tricking Officer Big Mac into arresting a snowman.

Gotta say, on that note, Office Big Mac seems unfit for duty. He clearly can't tell the difference between a living, breathing person and a pile of ice.

Look at how cool the art on Happy Meals used to be. These things actually seem, well, happy.

Those blue uniforms were incredibly awesome. A lot of swagger in a single color.

The Shamrock Shake (one of those fast-food treats with an obsessive following) has actually been going since the 60s, believe it or not, but never did it look so perfectly stylized as this 70s ad. The leprechauns are really clamoring over this thing. 'Tis the first green of spring, my dearies. 

Look at this freakin' jailbird over here. It's hilarious to me that a fast-food restaurant had a playground at all, let alone one that included a jail. I wonder what his crime was. Clearly the McJury did not smile upon him.

For the parents. Or most likely, the employees.

What an absolute waking nightmare. You could not have paid me enough cheeseburgers to sit through a meal in this room. They got the damn monster from "A Monster Calls" right there in the center of the room. Not to mention that haunted painting of Ronald in the background who appears to be riding a... donkey-driven carriage? McDonaldland is a scary, scary place.

For more fast-food nostalgia, please sign up for our free newsletters.