Despicable Me 4
For generations, two iconic brands have brought joy to families around the world: Despicable Me, with its mischievous Minions, and Happy Meal, a symbol of fun and imagination. With the launch of Despicable Me 4, we saw an opportunity to bring these cultural favorites together in a way that only McDonald’s can.
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To engage our youngest fans and spark a sense of adventure, we created a global Happy Meal campaign built around a bold, top-secret mission. Smiles are mysteriously vanishing across the world, and it’s up to a new team of tiny operatives—kids everywhere—to help find them. Alongside their favorite Minions—big, small, and totally bananas—families embark on imaginative missions to track down the missing smiles and stop the villain behind it all.
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This was more than just a movie partnership—it was a mission to bring joy. Packed with playful storytelling, and mischievous charm, the campaign delivered a uniquely immersive experience that brought families together and made every Happy Meal feel like a mini adventure.
Save the Smiles
To ensure this mission remains top-secret, we stashed away mission cards with every Happy Meal Minion toy. Kids needed to enter the three-digit passcode located on the card to gain access to the digital experience and accept the mission.
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Each mission card unlocked a unique location from Despicable Me 4, where kids got to progress through three levels of difficulty as one of their favorite Minions. To complete the mission, they had to save the day by catching all the smiles and return them back to their rightful owner – Happy Meal.
