McDonald’s to Serve Furby Happy Meals

Hoping to capitalize on the craze for Furby, the interactive doll that was one of the hottest gift items last Christmas, McDonald’s Corp. will give away scaled-down versions of the toy with Happy Meals starting in late March.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company declined to say how many Furbys it’s ordered but said it’s comparable with the first Teenie Beanie Babies promotion that saw 100 million of those toys snapped up in two weeks.

McDonald’s will offer 80 smaller versions of the dolls by Vernon Hills, Ill.-based Tiger Electronics, a unit of Hasbro Inc., which sold 2 million units last year. McDonald’s shares were up 56 cents to close at $80.88 on the New York Stock Exchange.