We feel good about McDonald’s thoughtful Happy Meal campaign

McDonald's x BBC Children in Need: Blank Happy Meal Box Campaign is simple, effective and pro-creativity.

McDonald’s has once again shaken up its Happy Meal formula for a good cause, letting kids take the creative reins.

A year after a Cannes Lion-winning stunt that erased the smile from its iconic boxes, McDonald’s has forgone the trademark red for a chalk-white canvas in a campaign dubbed ‘draw how you feel meal’.

Four million blank Happy Meal boxes land in 1,400+ McDonald’s locations, complete with packs of crayons and a simple challenge: “Show us how you feel.”

Ready10 and TMS enlisted BBC Children in Need, drawing on research that says 42% of young children struggle to open up, but nearly three-quarters find drawing unlocks the conversation.

McDonald’s is hoping for a flood of scribbled masterpieces and open-ended chats, in-store and at home, for a two-week creative stint.

There’s a digital element too: a family hub loaded with resources and QR codes printed on every box. Presenter Kimberley Walsh even stepped in to train a McDonald’s crew on how to spark conversations about feelings with nothing but a blank box and a crayon, amplifying the campaign across owned channels and influencer feeds.

Ben Fox, SVP & CMO, McDonald’s UK & Ireland, calls it “a vital role in supporting young people”. Ready10’s Kate Addy added: “We wanted to bring it back bigger and better,” handing creative control to a new generation.

While there have been a few high-concept campaigns this week, McDonald's has proved that the simple ideas often work best. By making the brand ‘invisible’, it creates a space for wellbeing, and provides a bit of creative fun in the process.