The History of the McDonald’s McFlurry

The McDonald’s McFlurry is one of the chain's most beloved offerings in America, but it was actually invented in Canada. In 1995, a franchisee named Ron McLellan invented the McFlurry at his location in Bathurst, New Brunswick. The dessert quickly became popular and is now included on the McDonald’s menu in approximately 99 different countries! Many of them have put their own unique spin on the McFlurry. For example, the UK and Australia have a Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry, Japan offers a Matcha McFlurry, Argentina has a Vauquita McFlurry (which is filled with dulce de leche and chocolate), Indonesia offers both a charcoal McFlurry and a strawberry cheesecake option, and South Africa offers a lime and chocolate McFlurry. In 2001, a British postman found a hedgehog stuck in a McFlurry container. In response to the ensuing grassroots campaign to change the design of the top so that hedgehogs and other creatures couldn't get stuck if they crawled into discarded McFlurry cups, McDonald’s debuted a new lid style in 2006. In 2016, McDonald’s quietly updated the recipe for their vanilla soft serve, which is used in the McFlurry, in order to remove artificial flavorings. (The chain went to great lengths to ensure that that taste wasn't impacted.) McDonald’s ice cream machines are famously frequently out of order, which directly impacts the availability of the McFlurry. However, the iconic dessert still remains one of the most beloved McDonald’s offerings today, even if it can sometimes be hard for customers to get their hands on.