Squishmallows Happy Meal® continued its musical adventure at McDonald’s US

Squishmallows have travelled to many different McDonald’s around the globe and completed one of their final stops in the US earlier this year! The Squishmallows Happy Meal® ran from December 26 to January 22, featuring fun-loving characters with their own unique music playlists. 

The campaign contained twelve Squishmallows characters, including two US exclusive characters from McDonaldland, Grimace and the Hamburglar – each equipped with their own curated music playlist. Customers were invited to try and collect all plush toys in their region each with their own unique tags that provide insight into the toys’ personalities and music tastes. Customers could then scan the QR code from the box which directed them to happymeal.com and revealed the Squishmallows’ personalized playlists!  

The Squishmallows US Happy Meal® was part of a global campaign which started in 2023, with Latin America concluding the adventure in February. Outside of the US, the digital campaign ran in Europe, Australia, and the APMEA regions. Different toy renditions were available in certain parts of the world, and playlists contained as many as three songs in countries where the digital elements were accesible. 

To add to the Squishmallows fun, each US playlist contained two songs, courtesy of our licensing partner, Universal Music Group, who sourced the songs and secured their rights. Partnering with McDonald’s, tms was responsible for the digital activation of the campaign, and we created a digital mechanic using facial recognition technology to identify the Squishmallows and automatically direct customers to the appropriate playlist, allowing them to virtually jam out with their cuddly companions.