McDonald's rebrands Happy Meal as just 'The Meal' for Mental Health Awareness Week
McDonald's is rebranding its infamous Happy Meal as just "The Meal" for Mental Health Awareness Week in the United Kingdom, removing the smile from the box to encourage conversation about children's emotions.
The fast food chain shared a commercial on its UK YouTube page featuring children expressing their feelings and sharing how their emotions can be complicated and they are not always happy.
As one child explains about feeling different types of emotions, the girl next to her describes it as a "mood salad." McDonald's wants to spread the message that it is fine to not feel happy all the time. As one boy says in the commercial, we should "never be ashamed of being sad or crying."
Instead of the yellow smile, the box contains stickers of different types of mouths: a confused squiggle, a slanted line, a slight frown and even the traditional smile, along with others.
"Maybe it's a sign that it is a bit like us and it doesn't always have to have a smile on it," says one of the boys in the commercial.
Mental Health Awareness week runs through Sunday. The National Alliance on Mental Illness recognizes not only the week but dedicates the month of May to Mental Health Awareness. The association has many programs that highlight different aspects of mental health and also has a toolkit to help others find ways to get involved.
Other organizations, such as Mental Health America, outline ways to learn, act and advocate for mental health this month. Other national hotlines also are available online for anyone going through crisis.
New Jersey currently ranks as of one of the top states for happiness and mental health according to Soliant Health, a health care staffing agency.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: McDonald's rebrands Happy Meal as The Meal for Mental Health Awareness
