Technologies

Review: McDonald’s Minecraft Meals Are Out, With Toys and Nether Flame Sauce

Commentary: I tried the Minecraft-themed McNuggets sauce. It might just be the hottest sauce Mickey D’s has ever offered.

The children yearn for the mines. It’s no April Fools’ Day joke: Kids at my local McDonald’s were streaming out the door on Tuesday with the new Minecraft-themed Happy Meal boxes when I drove up to try the new offering. It’s all a promotion for A Minecraft Movie, which opens Friday, April 4, and it draws inspiration from the popular video game available across platforms including Xbox, Nintendo Switch and mobile phones. So, of course, I had to try everything they offered and report back. And I think my tongue is still burning days later. That Nether Flame Sauce is no joke.

Read more: McDonald’s Launches Minecraft Happy Meals, Plus a ‘Nether’ Hot Sauce for Nuggets

Happy Meals: 12 toys, digital game, Creeper box

You know what a Happy Meal is. It’s a boxed kids meal with a toy, where the kid can choose between a hamburger, cheeseburger, or 4-piece or 6-piece chicken McNuggets. Fries, apples and a drink also come with it.

For this promotion, even the Happy Meal box is Minecraft-themed. Personally, I think the Happy Meal boxes are much cuter than the themed boxes that come with the adult Minecraft Movie Meal. My Happy Meal box looked the familiar green Minecraft monsters called Creepers, but this Creeper has kind of a furry look, like it was a cousin of Sesame Street’s green Muppet Oscar the Grouch

But it’s the toy, sorry — «figurine», that will have kids making multiple trips to their local McD’s. There are 12 different toys. Mine was marked «#1, grass block and llama.» When you open the box the toy comes in, you might think the llama was left behind, because the toy itself is a closed green grass block. But you can open the block and inside is a little llama figurine, permanently attached to one side of the block.

The box my toy came in shows the other options you might get. There are six different block-and-creature toys, like the one I got, and six slightly bigger figurines that don’t come inside a block. And the walls of the block are kind of like puzzle pieces. You can take the block apart and lay its walls flat and connect them. So if you get more toys, you can make a little playmat of them all, and even attach the six slightly bigger figures, because their bases fit the «puzzle.»

The little toy box in each Happy Meal also comes with a scannable code on one side to unlock a digital game where players can complete a quest in the Minecraft Movie world. I tried it, and it’s actually more fun than a free mini-game from a fast food eatery has any right to be. Good job, Ronald.

Minecraft Movie Meal: McD-themed toys, in-game bonus item, Gold Block box

McDonald’s also was smart enough to know that adults like collectibles too, and that they might have bigger appetites. So the fast food chain is also offering a Minecraft Movie Meal — kind of like a bigger Happy Meal. Choose a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, with fries and a drink.

The boxes for these meals are like larger Happy Meal boxes. But instead of being Creeper-themed, the one I got was designed to look like a Minecraft gold block. While I prefer the Creeper, it’s smart that the adult meal and kid meal boxes are themed differently.

And then, the toy. The grownup meal toy was a big letdown compared to the Happy Meal toy options. While the Happy Meal toys were actual Minecraft characters, the ones in the adult meals are McDonald’s mascots created with that blocky, Minecraft look. The figurines have a bit of a twist — with the toys including a Grimace Egg and Zombie Hamburglar. Mine was called Birdie Wings, and is based on Birdie the Early Bird, a mascot McDonald’s introduced in 1980 to promote its then-new breakfast items.

Each figure, including my Birdie Wings, comes with a shiny card with that figure’s image. You scan the QR code on the card to unlock a matching item in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

Nether Flame Sauce is hot, hot, hot

Maybe the most fun part of the McDonald’s-Minecraft promotion is a new chicken McNugget dipping sauce called the Nether Flame Sauce. It’s named for the Minecraft underworld, and I think it’s the hottest sauce McDonald’s has ever used. You don’t have to buy the Minecraft Movie Meal or Happy Meal to get the sauce. If you want to try it with fries or something else, you can order the Nether Flame Sauce with any purchase.

I’m a fan of hot sauces of all sorts. While Nether Flame Sauce isn’t one of the hottest hot sauces I’ve ever tried, it’s definitely the hottest McDonald’s dipping sauce I’ve ever tried, and I practically made a career out of reporting on the Rick and Morty Szechuan sauce.

There’s a definite kick to this sauce, which looks like Thai red chili sauce but is less sweet and more spicy. The ingredient list on the sauce packet says it includes chili peppers, cayenne peppers, vinegar, sugar, garlic, apricot concentrate and more. I had an extra sauce packet, and my husband devoured it with leftover French fries.

Final Minecraft-McDonald’s thoughts

Although I have no idea if the upcoming A Minecraft Movie is any good, I feel comfortable grading this McD-Minecraft promotion with a big fat «A.»

I’m not reviewing the non-Nether sauce foods in the meals. It’s McDonald’s. You know what it tastes like.

The boxes are cute. There’s a meal for kids and one for adults. The toys are creative and fun, though in my mind the tiny Happy Meal toys are far more fun to collect than the McDonald’s mascot ones that come in the adult meal.

And best of all, the Nether Flame sauce is a fun, spice-filled change of pace for those of us who don’t mind a fiery dipping option.🔥

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for May 26, #1437

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,437 for May 26.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle answer is a word with numerous meanings. One refers to bees, one to an annoying sound and another to a flying craft. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There are two vowels in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter D.

Wordle hint No. 4: Sound

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a continuous low hum.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a small flying device controlled from the ground.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is DRONE.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, May 25, No. 1436 was GRIFT.

Recent Wordle answers

May 21, No. 1432: ALARM

May 22, No. 1433: FOLIO

May 23, No. 1434: SHUCK

May 24, No. 1435: SUEDE

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for May 26, #449

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 449 for May 26.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is rather tough. Some of the words aren’t super common, and the unscrambling could trip you up. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Body language

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Signal with your body in some way.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

STED, SALT, MARS, HARM, HARMS, STEM, TOOK, COOK, CART, CARTS, LUTE, LUTES, HAND, HANDS, TARE, SHAKE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

SHRUG, KOWTOW, SALUTE, CURTSEY, NAMASTE, HANDSHAKE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is GESTURES. To find it, start with the G that’s four letters down on the first row, and wind across.

Technologies

Memorial Day Sale: Prime Members Can Save $30 on This Baseus Blade 6-in-1 Power Strip and Get 2 Free 45W USB-C Chargers

You can now enjoy a steep discount (and some free goodies) on the purchase of this 6-in-1 power strip if you’re quick.

If you’re constantly on your phone and laptop throughout the day, or have a bevy of accessories to keep topped up (like the dying battery on my phone I’ve been needing to replace for three months now) you know that a shortage of electrical outlets and charging ports can be inconvenient. Luckily, Baseus is behind some nifty charging devices that can help solve this issue and make sure every one of your devices can be easily recharged. The best part? You don’t have to pay the full price for a power solution right now, thanks to Memorial Day sales.

Amazon is currently offering a $30 discount on the Baseus Blade 140W charging station to Prime members as a part of its Memorial Day sale, which means you can grab it for just $70. Even better, the retailer is also including two free 45W USB-C chargers with your purchase. Not only is this a great opportunity to save on this charging device, you might also be able to avoid potentially rising costs due to tariffs on electronic devices and accessories.

This Baseus Blade charging station is a 6-in-1 powerhouse with two electrical outlets, one USB-A port and three USB-C ports for a convenient place to charge your laptop, tablet, smartphone, lamp and other necessary work devices. Its smart display also shows you how much power is being distributed per port.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Thanks to its GaN technology, this charging station is safe to use and is built to prevent overheating and keep your devices safe. Amazon is also throwing in two 45W charging blocks valued at $35, which makes this deal even sweeter and lets you charge even more devices. Just be sure to click on the on-page offers to add the chargers to your cart. You could also select a couple of other items with this buy one get one free promotion, like two MagSafe power banks, a MagSafe charging station and some open ear headphones.

Looking for charging devices but not sure if this deal is right for you? Check out our list of the best USB-C chargers, docks, hubs and more.

Why this deal matters

This Baseus Blade 6-in-1 charging station is not only $30 off, it also includes two 45W charging blocks so you can expand your charging options at home or during travels. That makes now a great time to stock up and potentially save before tariffs start affecting the price of electronic goods and accessories.

When does this deal expire?

We don’t have an exact ending date for this deal, but since it’s tied to Memorial Day, it’s likely around only for a short time or until the stock runs out. It could disappear at any moment, so if you’ve been wanting to invest in a power solution, don’t wait up. If you’re looking for even more charging deals, Anker is running a few as well, but none with this level of freebies.