When SpongeBob SquarePants and ONE PIECE appear in the same sentence, the pairing does not seem particularly obvious. One world belongs to Bikini Bottom, the other to pirates who have spent years searching for the ultimate treasure. But both are built around adventure, the sea and a group of characters who constantly find themselves in new escapades.
That was enough for tms to find common ground between the two franchises for McDonald’s and build a new Happy Meal collaboration around it, set to launch in more than 70 markets.
The agency’s role in the project went far beyond developing the campaign visuals. tms helped bring the licensors together, developed the strategy and visual identity, created the Happy Meal packaging and in-restaurant experience, developed the digital game, and designed and managed the sourcing of the collectible toys.
The toys are the most visible part of the collaboration. Characters from SpongeBob SquarePants appear in outfits inspired by ONE PIECE, while each set also includes a detachable ship component. By combining characters and elements, children and fans can create their own versions of the crew instead of simply receiving another static Happy Meal figure.
The same logic shaped the packaging. The Happy Meal box has two sides featuring illustrations from both animated worlds, while a retail kit using characters and sea-adventure motifs was developed for the restaurants.
In selected markets, the physical part of the campaign is also connected to a digital game. By scanning the code on the toy or box, users can choose a character, navigate a ship and collect treasure at sea. The treasure hunt that tms established as the campaign’s central motif thus also takes on an interactive form.
For McDonald’s, the collaboration brings another value: the two franchises attract audiences that partly overlap but are not the same. SpongeBob SquarePants has long-standing recognition among family audiences, while ONE PIECE brings together a strong global fandom around its world of adventure and characters that have achieved an almost cult-like status among fans.
Maria Liang, Manager, McDonald’s Global Family Marketing, says that McDonald’s has always been a place where fans can encounter the characters and stories they love in new and unexpected ways. “This unlikely collab creates the ultimate adventure for fans alike, supported by a fully integrated retail experience complete with exclusive, dual-branded toys.”
For tms, however, the work began before the design of the box or toy. The task was to find a reason why the two franchises would feel convincing together.
Chantal Page, Senior Strategy Director at tms, points out that the partnership allows McDonald’s to speak to multigenerational fandoms and engage parents and children in different ways. “By finding shared truths between the distinct franchises, we created a Happy Meal that feels more like an immersive treasure hunt rather than a staple menu item.” added Page.
That is precisely what makes this collaboration more interesting than simply bringing together two well-known IPs. tms did not try to erase the differences between SpongeBob and ONE PIECE, but kept them visible and connected them through a motif that belongs to both. The result is a Happy Meal built not only on how familiar the characters are, but also on what can still be done with them when they are brought together in the same story.
