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McDonald's Happy Meal box folds into a VR headset for kids

Happy Meal boxes in Sweden now double as virtual-reality goggles -- and ski instructors -- for hungry children.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
McDonald's Happy Goggles
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McDonald's Happy Goggles

All your kids are belong to us.

McDonald's Sweden

Back in my day, McDonald's fast-food Happy Meals came with little plastic toys like chicken McNuggets dressed as cowboys or Garfield the cartoon cat on a skateboard. And we were grateful.

Kids these days are about to get a whole new dimension of reality with their Happy Meals.

McDonald's Sweden is kicking off a campaign with Happy Meal boxes that transform into virtual-reality headsets. It released a promotional video Monday demonstrating how to unfold the bright-red box to create a cardboard VR headset that holds your smartphone. It's called "Happy Goggles."

"It's our mission to ensure that the World's most famous box will continue to be magical and relevant to families for another 30 years," McDonald's said. "The Happy Meal simply must move with the times." The Happy Meal debuted in the US in the late 1970s, but is currently celebrating its 30th birthday in Sweden.

Naturally, the fast-food company also developed a game to go with the goggles. The skiing game challenges you to stay alert on a downhill run while avoiding obstacles. It's endorsed by the Swedish alpine ski team and is meant to educate kids on ski safety. The game launches Saturday.

Happy Goggles will only be available in Sweden, but McDonald's says it hopes to roll it out to other countries soon.

Watch this: How much should the Oculus Rift, or any VR, cost?

(Via Adweek)