McDonald's Is Making Happy-Meal Bird Houses for Endangered Species

McDonald’s believes endangered birds and bees in Scandinavia deserve a break today.

Last year, the marketer and agency Nord DDB created a buzz in Sweden with fully functioning beehives shaped like Mickey D’s restaurants.

Now, they’re placing 1,400 hardwood Happy Meal-replica nest boxes around forests in Finland, where 33 percent of bird species are at risk. The units are designed to shelter our feathered friends from predators. (No cracks about McNuggets, people!)

“Even the smallest families will have a place to eat together,” this project video says:

Starting Sept. 26, McDonald’s locations across Finland will offer free nest box kits with each Happy Meal purchase.

“Especially after Covid-19, we wanted to give families something they could do together, while protecting our precious nature and wildlife at the same time,” says Mats Nyström, marketing director for McDonald’s Finland.

Plus, the fast feeder will donate about $12,000 to NGO BirdLife Finland, which consulted on the nest box design.

“One of Covid-19’s side effects in Finland was that people flooded into nature,” says Kalle Wallin, creative director at Nord DDB Helsinki. “It feels like people’s bond with nature has strengthened in an unforeseen way, and this brought up the idea for the campaign.”

Nest boxes designed to protect hatchlings have long been a thing in Finland, and the Happy Meal container resembles a birdhouse, so the concept seemed like a high-flyer from the get-go, says Wallin.