McDonald’s Happy Meals usually come in a bright red box with yellow bows for handles, complete with a yellow smile.
But the fast food giant has made a big change to the look of the packaging to mark UK Mental Health Awareness Week.
McDonald’s removes the smile from its Happy Meal boxes in restaurants across the UK, from May 13 to 19, after conducting research which found that Almost half of British children feel pressure to appear happy all the time, even when they don’t feel it.
The limited edition Happy Meal boxes have been designed to encourage parents to talk to their children about how they are feeling.
Football legend and father-of-five Rio Ferdinand OBE is supporting the campaign, along with charity partner BBC Children in Need.
Pictured above is a typical McDonald’s Happy Meal box, with a smile. But this year, for Mental Health Awareness Week, the network is encouraging kids to talk about more difficult emotions.
Along with the limited edition Happy Meal boxes, sticker sheets are available that show a variety of emotions that children experience, allowing them to illustrate their feelings directly on the boxes.
The boxes will be available nationwide at all McDonald’s restaurants, and the stickers will be available at select locations from May 13-19.
McDonald’s is working with BBC Children in Need to give families access to a dedicated resource center designed to encourage candid conversations about emotional wellbeing with children.
The smile has been removed from the box, which comes with a message telling children they don’t have to “feel happy all the time.”
The center will be accessible via a QR code on limited-edition Happy Meal boxes, as well as through McDonald’s website and social media channels.
Former English footballer Rio Ferdinand has teamed up with McDonald’s to support the campaign, drawing on his experience as a father of five.
She said: ‘I have experienced first-hand with my own children how good communication and encouraging children to accept what they really feel can build confidence and help them manage emotions, no matter how big or small.
“Our job is to empower our children to express themselves freely and support them every step of the way so they understand that it’s okay to not be happy all the time.”
The research also shows the emphasis parents place on their children feeling positive all the time: 74 percent say it is important to prevent their children from feeling sad.
McDonalds UK has removed the iconic smiley face from its Happy Meal boxes for its Mental Health Awareness Week campaign, which sees footballer Rio Ferdinand (pictured) draw on his experience as a father of five.
Additionally, nearly two-thirds of parents said they always encourage their children to be happy.
Louise Page, Director of Consumer Communications and Partnerships at McDonald’s, said: “We have proudly supported BBC Children in Need for four years and know how important it is to help stimulate open conversations about mental health in families.”
“Through this change to our iconic Happy Meal box, we hope many more families will be encouraged to start positive conversations about children’s emotions and well-being.”
Fozia Irfan OBE, Head of Impact and Influence at BBC Children in Need, said: “Ensuring children are happy is a top priority for all parents, but enabling children to express themselves and giving them the space to express themselves when They’re not.” Feeling at your best is equally important.”
Customers can donate the cash equivalent of their MyMcDonald’s Rewards points to BBC Children in Need through the McDonald’s app, to support the company’s commitment to supporting the well-being of children.