For the first time in its history, McDonald’s is letting kids redesign the Happy Meal box — however it’s not for branding, but for their well-being.
The company has rolled out a limited-edition “Draw How You Feel” Happy Meal in both the UK and Ireland, featuring completely blank boxes where kids can doodle, sketch, or scribble their emotions. It’s part of a larger partnership with BBC’s Children in Need, an organization aimed at helping families talk more openly about mental health.
According to McDonald’s research, four in ten children aged 4 to 10 struggle to discuss their feelings with adults, while nearly three-quarters say they find it easier to express emotions through drawing. Parents agreed — many said emotional conversations were easier to have when their kids were doing something creative.
So McDonald’s decided to turn one of its most recognizable products into a tool for self-expression.
The result is a new Happy Meals box design that strips away the classic red box, cartoon characters, and even the signature smile. What’s left is a clean white surface with a small golden “M” handle and a printed message: “It’s okay to not feel happy all the time. Draw how you feel today.”
The concept might sound simple, but it’s a big departure for a brand that built its global identity around cheerful mascots and childlike joy. This time, the focus is on something deeper, showing kids that it’s ok to feel sad, anxious, or angry sometimes.
The initiative comes alongside a campaign featuring singer Kimberley Walsh, who’s been an advocate for mental health awareness in children. McDonald’s says nearly four million of these special boxes will be distributed in restaurants and through McDelivery between now and November 18. Each box comes with crayons to help kickstart the conversation.
Ben Fox, McDonald’s UK and Ireland’s chief marketing officer, said the project builds on last year’s “conversation starter” design, which removed the smile from the Happy Meal box. “Our partnership with BBC Children in Need has helped McDonald’s play a vital role in supporting young people.”
For now, the blank-box Happy Meal is exclusive to the UK and Ireland, but given McDonald’s massive global reach, it wouldn’t be surprising if a similar Happy Meal concept eventually lands elsewhere in the world. After all, a campaign about helping kids express emotions is tailor-made for international appeal.
McDonald’s has experimented with plenty of limited-edition Happy Meals over the years, from Pokémon tie-ins to celebrity collaborations, but this one hits differently. There’s no toy, no cross-promotion, no collectible but just a simple message about emotional honesty, tucked inside a paper box.