McDonald's Partners with tms for Worldwide Launch of Brand new Lil McDonald's Happy Meal

Jul. 02, 2025

tms is leading the global launch of McDonald’s playful new Happy Meal – a brand-new program called Lil McDonald’s, featuring a collection of miniature McDonald’s food items and restaurant fittings. 

Released in the US on July 1, the program is rolling out to McDonald’s markets around the world, with the last market to launch in Japan in spring 2026. 

Born from the insight that Generation Alpha kids love to role play interactions with their favorite brands – including McDonald’s – tms developed a platform which literally puts McDonald’s in their hands to create childhood Happy Meal memories. 

Lil McDonald’s also taps into the Gen Z cultural trend of loving miniatures, making it a brand experience with appeal across multiple age groups. 

To bring the Lil McDonald's Happy Meal to life, tms created a global, multi-channel campaign spanning toys, a hugely exciting digital experience and an immersive retail journey. 

Along with McDonald’s restaurant fittings like a miniature register and booth, the 21-piece Lil McDonald’s toy collection includes a miniature Happy Meal, iconic McDonald’s menu items and a miniature branded delivery truck.

The Happy Meal box itself resembles a McDonald’s restaurant, with spaces for each toy, supported by a mini Happy Meal box. The entire collection was designed by tms’ in-house packaging agency Boxer Brand Design. 

As well as giving kids some toys to make their McDonald’s-inspired playtime even more fun, tms has created an interactive smartphone game where players can test their kitchen skills in a virtual McDonald’s. It can be accessed by scanning the code on the Happy Meal box. 

tms has also designed a range of in-store marketing materials, including merchandise units, retail posters, drive-thru units, menu boards and ordering kiosks, to create a sense of theatre around the experience. 

Anna Engel, Director of Marketing, Brand, Content & Culture for McDonald’s USA, said:

“A McDonald’s Happy Meal has always been more than just a meal – it's a joyful tradition that creates lasting memories for both kids and adults alike. As a parent, there’s something magical about watching your child’s imagination come to life with these tiny toys. That's what makes Lil McDonald's so special. It brings back my own childhood memories of playing McDonald’s and now I get to create new ones with my kids.” 

 

Claire Soper, Vice President, Client Engagement, McDonald’s Global at tms, said:

“Having worked with McDonald’s for 25 years, Gen Alpha is the third generation of kids growing up with tms-designed Happy Meals. We’re thrilled to keep the magic going with Lil McDonald’s and cannot wait to see how fans of all ages react.” 

 

tms was lead agency across the campaign, responsible for the strategy, creating the retail and digital experiences, and developing and producing the toys. Wieden & Kennedy managed campaign communications for television, online video, social and paid media. 

While 25 Happy Meal toys were created for this campaign, markets could select the number of pieces based on local preference.