McDonald’s Brings 'Stranger Things' to Brazil in Immersive Upside Down Takeover

Strange things are happening at Méqui.

McDonald’s, or as Brazilians call it, Méqui, is transforming its entire consumer experience into Netflix’s Stranger Things universe to celebrate the final season.

The campaign, crafted by agency GALERIA.ag for Arcos Dorados (McDonald's operator in Latin America), launched on November 25, 2025.

Creativity is turning every restaurant and digital touchpoint in Brazil into an "Upside Down" portal.

With its mix of ’80s nostalgia, high-impact stunts, themed menu items, and digital extensions, the activation positions McDonald’s as a co-creator of a cultural moment.

"Creatively, our challenge has always been to avoid creating just another 'Stranger Things' campaign but to explore that universe through McDonald’s lens," Victor Capato, creative director at GALERIA.ag, shared with DesignRush.

The experience spans flipped-bun sandwiches, a full flagship takeover in São Paulo, and interactive app features.

These all reinforce how powerful creator-driven IP can be in driving both foot traffic and digital engagement.

The Upside Down takeover is rolling out beyond Brazil, with Argentina, Trinidad, Portugal, Spain, and more countries slated to join.

It also signals a wider evolution in McDonald’s global creativity, as the brand increasingly leans into brand partnerships and cross-IP collaborations to stay culturally relevant.

Flipping the Real World

The takeover began with a high-visibility stunt.

McDonald’s signs across Brazil and select Latin American countries started flickering, mirroring the show’s iconic opening visuals.

Inside restaurants, the experience deepens with classic arcade machines wrapping around ordering kiosks, transforming routine purchases into a retro adventure.

The São Paulo flagship has been completely reimagined in Upside Down style, an anchor point for fans looking for a fully immersive moment.

To take the experience to the next level, McDonald’s also launched a special menu with an unexpected twist.

The two hero sandwiches, the Stranger Burger and Stranger Chicken, are served on flipped buns, providing a literal embodiment of the Upside Down concept.

"In Brazil, we know there’s a particular craving for our sandwiches, so why not go further, interpreting those stomach growls as the Demogorgon living inside us, one that only settles down with a bite of our burgers?

With that perspective, we brought both worlds together, thinking through every detail (product, environment) to build a path out of the Upside Down through the flavor of McDonald’s," Capato explained.

The campaign stretches across the full customer journey, extending far beyond in-store activations and into McDonald’s digital ecosystem.

Website elements, app features, and social channels all carry the Upside Down aesthetic to ensure the experience follows fans wherever they interact with the brand.

On the app side, fans can dive into the retrospective experience, which analyzes their behavior and assigns them an adventurer profile inside the series' universe.

This makes the campaign an ongoing, personalized game loop.

From Drive-Thru to Digital

To drive convenience and reach, McDonald’s partnered exclusively with iFood to offer free delivery on Stranger Things McOferta orders.

The campaign also spans broadcast and cable TV, OOH, and all Méqui digital properties, ensuring that fans encounter the Upside Down across every stage of the customer journey.

McDonald’s Stranger Things activation highlights some lessons for brands aiming to build cultural relevance through entertainment partnerships:

• Turn products into play using food, packaging, and naming as part of the IP fans want to photograph and share.
• Create moments people can’t miss, with simple, high-impact stunts that draw attention without heavy tech.
• Match the emotional territory, choosing partnerships that feel natural to the brand’s nostalgia, warmth, or playful energy.

Ultimately, cultural relevance comes from acting like a world builder, not a background sponsor. Give people a place to play, and they will carry the story forward for you.

Our Take: Does Going Full Theme Park Pay Off for the Holidays?

We think it does. McDonald’s and GALERIA.ag didn’t just borrow Stranger Things visuals; they built a fully connected world that stretches from the restaurant to the app to social.

The flagship takeover and digital extensions work together to turn a standard QSR promotion into an experience people want to talk about and visit in person.

For us, this proves how the right IP partnership can shape behavior, spark conversation, and make a brand feel bigger than its category.

GALERIA.ag’s fan-first approach shows up across its work, including this McDonald’s x Duolingo collaboration that turned language barriers into a shared cultural moment.

Want to see more work from agencies pushing the boundaries of creativity? Explore these top creative agencies.