That's why McDonald's is changing the Happy Meal after 38 years

In the summer of 1979, the fast food chain McDonald's introduced the Happy Meal, a children's menu item in a box that included a toy.

For the past 38 years, the Happy Meal box has been decorated with a smiley face, but now it has been temporarily removed. It will instead be replaced with stickers representing different moods.

The QR code on the packaging also leads to information on how young people can access support with mental health.

This is done to draw attention to the fact that research shows that almost half of children in the UK feel pressure to constantly be happy.

“Important to stimulate open conversations”

McDonald's has enlisted the help of Rio Ferdinand, a father of five and former national team footballer, for the campaign, which runs until May 19.

Our mission is to give our children the strength to dare to express themselves freely and support them along the way in understanding that it's okay not to be happy all the time, says Ferdinand.

“It's important to stimulate open conversations about mental health in families,” says Louise Page, McDonald's customer relations manager.

“With this change to our signature Happy Meals packaging, we hope more families will be encouraged to have positive conversations about children’s feelings and wellbeing,” says Louise Page.