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McDonald’s Sweden Introduces Virtual Reality Device In Their Happy Meals Called ‘Happy Goggles’

By Manasi Gandhi
Published on: 08:44 PST, Mar 1, 2016

McDonald’s Happy Meal Box in Sweden just got interesting.

McDonald’s is revamping its Happy Meal boxes into virtual-reality viewers. Around 3,500 of the VR viewers, named Happy Goggles, will be made available at 14 restaurants over the weekends of March 5 and March 12. The price is about $4.10. It is in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Happy Meal in Sweden.

By re-folding the Happy Meal box, customers can create a pair of Virtual Reality glasses, which makes it possible to experience Virtual Reality with a smartphone.

McDonald’s Sweden have evaluated Happy Goggles with child psychologists Karl Eder and Fadi Lahdo and also presented a recommendation on to how they should be used. McDonald’s claims that it would be a great joint activity for the family.

Karl Eder and Fadi Lahdo said, “New generations are growing up in a world where smartphones and tablets are a part of our ordinary life. The VR goggles open the door to virtual worlds, which of course is very exciting. This step might come more natural for children than for adults. It creates an opportunity for adults to learn from the children’s knowledge and experience. The gaming can also be a good, joint activity that makes it easier to hang out – on equal terms.”

McDonald’s Sweden happens to be the first in the world to develop the Virtual Reality goggles. The simple idea of folding the usual Happy Meal box in a new way is exciting. The addition of a pair of lenses that transform the box into the VR Happy Goggles, which anyone could use with their smartphone, makes the VR experience becomes affordable and available to all.

The Happy Goggles launch coincides with the Swedish “Sportlov” recreational holiday, during which many families go skiing. McDonald’s hired a Swedish game developer, North Kingdom, to create an especially Swedish video game for Happy Goggles. Called Se Upp I Backen, or Watch Out on the Slopes, the game features a slalom ski course populated with bunnies and other animals. The player can navigate the course in a 360-degree virtual reality perspective, allowing them to look around at the ski run, opening the doors to a world of fantasy and fun and while learning how to stay safe on the ski slopes. The game is endorsed by the Swedish National Ski Team and will be available on Friday, March 4. It can also be played online.

Jeff Jackett, the marketing director at McDonald’s Sweden said, “We want to continue being the best family restaurant in Sweden. The Happy Meal is one of our most loved menus and therefore an appropriate platform for reaching out to our family customers through experiences that focus on play and learning. We believe that many people will enjoy the fun skiing game with the new Happy Goggles.”

The Happy Goggles are extremely close to the idea employed by Google Cardboard, Google’s DIY virtual reality headset, according to Popular Science.

McDonald’s is not the first company to take advantage of VR to market to kids. Late last year, Mattel decided to rejuvenate the View-Master brand for a new generation, reports the AdWeek. The program recalls a recent effort by Pizza Hut to turn its pizza box into movie projectors.

Hackett told AdWeek that “this is the first trial run globally” for the Happy Goggles, so there’s a possibility that the program will be expanded if it proves popular.

[Image via Sakarin Sawasdinaka / Shutterstock.com]

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