McDonald's will unveil an unprecedented new collection of Furby Happy Meal toys this month.

Kids can collect their favorite Furby Happy Meal at participating McDonald's from Thursday, March 23 through April 13, while supplies last. Keeping in the tradition of the retail Furby toy, the all-new Furby Happy Meal collection showcases 12 plush clip-on characters, each with a distinctive feature.

``Furby proved to be hugely popular with customers of all ages last year,'' said R.J. Milano, Vice President of McDonald's U.S. Marketing. ``We are delighted to bring the fun of Furby back to McDonald's with a whole new set of toys that bring Furby's unique personality to life.''

The new Furby Happy Meal collection features a variety of 12 toys - each with their own individual personality. Different fur patterns and colors combine with features like ears that move, eyes that glow in the dark as well as sound and light effects to make each toy distinct. Each has a plastic clip that allows the Furby Happy Meal toy to hang from kid's book bags, lunch boxes and/or jacket zippers.

McDonald's is the world's largest global foodservice retailer, with nearly 27,000 restaurants serving more than 43 million people each day in 119 countries. Approximately 85 percent of McDonald's U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

[Updated 3/22/2000]