Despicable Me 4 x McDonald’s
Help Save The Smiles!
McDonald’s and Despicable Me 4 teamed up for a global promotion, building on a partnership that has spanned more than a decade. As with each collaboration, the challenge was to create a fresh and engaging narrative, tapping into the deep loyalty and excitement surrounding Minions, a new Despicable Me release, and the Happy Meal tradition around the world.
The result was Help Save the Smiles, a campaign built around a worldwide heist in which an unknown villain had stolen the iconic Happy Meal smiles. I led the art direction, creative, and design for an integrated program that included a lineup of collectible Happy Meal toys—featuring Mega Minions, pit crew members, and AVL agents—alongside a second packaging program with bespoke Mega Minion character artwork. Working within strict printing limitations, we developed a bold and simplified 2D art style that extended across food packaging, signage, and store employee merchandise.
The campaign expanded into an interactive digital experience, where fans could become secret agents, entering a code from their Happy Meal toy to join Gru and the Minions in retrieving what had been taken. Running in 84 markets worldwide, the campaign successfully invited fans of both brands into the world of Despicable Me 4 through a subversive, joyful, and interactive experience.
The result was Help Save the Smiles, a campaign built around a worldwide heist in which an unknown villain had stolen the iconic Happy Meal smiles. I led the art direction, creative, and design for an integrated program that included a lineup of collectible Happy Meal toys—featuring Mega Minions, pit crew members, and AVL agents—alongside a second packaging program with bespoke Mega Minion character artwork. Working within strict printing limitations, we developed a bold and simplified 2D art style that extended across food packaging, signage, and store employee merchandise.
The campaign expanded into an interactive digital experience, where fans could become secret agents, entering a code from their Happy Meal toy to join Gru and the Minions in retrieving what had been taken. Running in 84 markets worldwide, the campaign successfully invited fans of both brands into the world of Despicable Me 4 through a subversive, joyful, and interactive experience.
