McDonald's Australia x NovaBrix - Macca's Makers

CLIENT

McDonald's Australia

PROJECT

Create a product for the 2023 McHappy Day fundraising campaign

WHAT WE DID

Designed and produced the 'Macca's Makers' NovaBrix set

THE McDONALD'S AUSTRALIA McHAPPY DAY BRIEF

McDonald's Australia had a goal to raise a AU$1 million donation for Ronald McDonald House Charities through their 2023 McHappy Day campaign.

During this campaign, McDonald's restaurants would sell a product in-store, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to this worthy cause.

For many years, McDonald's had sold another item for this campaign. When they decided to replace it with something fresh and new, Novelli was determined to pitch them something unique and highly desirable! Novelli knew the replacement needed genuine 'wow' factor - something customers would actively seek out, talk about, and feel good about buying. The answer was a NovaBrix building brick set.

Animated NovaBrix figurine from the Macca's Makers McDonald's branded building brick set

INSIGHTS & DATA

Before pitching a single concept, Novelli conducted research into the Australian family merchandise market to identify what would genuinely excite McDonald's customers - not just catch their attention once, but give them a reason to actively seek it out.

The research confirmed several clear signals. Building block sets consistently outperform passive collectibles in terms of engagement time and perceived value, particularly among families with children aged 4–12. Limited-edition branded items tied to a beloved everyday brand generate strong purchase intent and word-of-mouth sharing - especially when the product has a charitable dimension that parents feel good about.

Novelli also identified that McDonald's had never successfully introduced a building block product into its Happy Meal range - not because the appetite wasn't there, but because no supplier had been able to meet the stringent McDonald's Global Happy Meal Toy safety standards with a building set format. That gap became the brief.

HOW NOVABRIX BUILT THE WORLD'S FIRST HAPPY MEAL-COMPLIANT BUILDING BRICK SET

Novelli achieved a global-first by doing something that no one else had been able to do in this space.

Adapting our NovaBrix building blocks, we applied further product design skills, innovation and pure determination to design a set that complied with the stringent McDonald's Global Happy Meal Toy standards.

The NovaBrix 'Macca's Makers' building set is a replica of a Macca’s restaurant and features an iconic glow-in-the-dark Golden Arches pylon, crew and manager figurines, McCafé, Playland, front counter and drive-thru. The set used 80% recycled plastics, was FSC-approved and is compatible with major building block brands. The 56-piece block set sold for A$36.95.

THE RESULTS - AU$6.4 MILLION RAISED AND A GLOBAL FIRST FOR NOVABRIX

The Macca's Makers NovaBrix set launched across all McDonald's restaurants in Australia and sold out within weeks. The campaign exceeded McDonald's original AU$1 million fundraising target by more than six times - raising a record AU$6.4M for Ronald McDonald House Charities, the largest single-campaign donation in McHappy Day history.

More than 106,000 sets were purchased by Australian households, putting a NovaBrix-built McDonald's restaurant on kitchen tables and bedroom shelves across the country. The campaign generated significant earned media coverage and created sustained social media engagement as families shared their completed builds online.

The Macca's Makers set was the first building block product ever to pass McDonald's Global Happy Meal Toy standards - a global first for NovaBrix and a proof point for what becomes possible when branded merchandise is designed with genuine ambition from the start.

The product's international appeal was equally notable. Following the Australian launch, McDonald's markets in several other countries expressed interest in bringing Macca's Makers to their own McHappy Day campaigns.

INTERESTED IN A NOVABRIX SET THAT DRIVES REAL RESULTS FOR YOUR BRAND?

The Macca's Makers set contributed to the AU$6.4 million raised for Ronald McDonald House Charities, sold 106,000 units across Australia, and became the first building brick product ever to pass McDonald's Global Happy Meal Toy standards.

If you're looking for a branded building brick set that can drive fundraising, generate earned media, and create genuine excitement among your customers, get in touch with Novelli or explore the NovaBrix range to see what we can design for your brand.

Here's what we've built for some other well-known brands: