McDonald’s Canada Marks 30 Years of the McFlurry with a Handcrafted Tribute to Its East Coast Origins

8/25/2025

Work

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by Cossette

Thirty years ago, in a small McDonald’s restaurant in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Owner/Operator Ron McLellan created a dessert that would take the world by storm: the McFlurry®. To honour its milestone anniversary, McDonald’s Canada has launched An East Coast Original, a campaign that turns advertising into a canvas for the inventive and artistic nature of Atlantic Canada.

Developed in partnership with Cossette, the campaign features original artwork from seven East Coast artists, each working in distinctive, hands-on mediums rarely seen in today’s digital world—from rug hooking and quilting to stained glass, driftwood sculpture, and cyanography. Each piece is inspired by the McFlurry and infused with the textures, symbols and stories of the Atlantic region.

The artworks are featured across Atlantic Canada in out-of-home, online video, and social platforms, but never as ordinary ads. Each one is displayed like a curated piece in a regional gallery. This deliberate treatment emphasized not just the beauty of the pieces, but the craftsmanship and cultural resonance behind them.

This campaign is a love letter to East Coast ingenuity. Every element is handcrafted by local artists, inspired by the same spirit of originality that gave birth to the McFlurry 30 years ago. It’s our way of honouring the place and the people, where innovation meets tradition, and creativity is part of the culture.

Melissa Hains, Director, Field Marketing at McDonald’s Canada

Among the standout creations: a rug-hooked scene of the iconic Hopewell Rocks, woven with dyed wool in soft creams and sea blues to echo the swirls of a McFlurry; a delicate stained-glass panel that refracts light like soft serve glinting under a summer sun; and a cyanograph print of native East Coast flora, bright blooms and curling leaves that nod to the natural beauty surrounding the region’s McDonald’s restaurants.

I love how East Coast originality is embedded throughout this campaign. All pieces are original. Analogue. Hand-made. It’s refreshing to see this kind of authentic craft in a campaign, and in this case, one that is truly reflective of the crafts associated with that region. It’s not surprising that with this kind of creativity on tap, an East Coaster created the world’s first McFlurry.

Jason Hill, Executive Creative Director at Cossette

With An East Coast Original, McDonald’s Canada is celebrating over 30 years of a beloved dessert and the proud legacy behind it. Celebrate all summer long with friends and family by enjoying classic and limited-time flavours like the Birthday Cake McFlurry. Made with 100% Canadian dairy, it's a delicious way to honour a true Canadian classic.

Credits

McDonald’s Canada:

Melissa Hains, Mike Curds, Jillian Pyper, Kayla Bedi

Cossette:

Executive Creative Director: Jason Hill Senior Art Director: Yana Vorontsov Copywriter: Maria Halavrezos Account Services: Melanie Ball, Chloe Stephens, Erin Cusack Strategy: Sydney Hill, Hayley Green Producers: Dasha Khomenko, Elise Beauvais Editor: Emily Preston Assistant Editor: Aidan Gugula Animation: Uche Obi, Sam Perrin

MCW:

Producer: Mark Prole Production Artist: Dwayne-Mark Aranah Retouchers: Trevor Gauthier, Hailey Williams

Artists:

Cynthia DeCoste, Janice Goguen, Rémi Levesque, Jane Brooks Fernandez, Mary Williams, Sharon Owttrim-Fraser, Emerise Nowlan, Frances Porelle, Lorraine Lacroix, Helena Doiron Bourque, Manon Thériault, Patricia Winans, Marg Currie, Kelly Shields, Sarah Nicole Dart, Vanessa “Nessy” Thomas, Adam McNamara, Jonathan and Elizabeth White, Jill O’Reilly

Video Production:

Mirror Image Media

Photographer:

Carolina Andrade

OMD:

Jennifer Weston, Shipra Chaudhary

Weber:

Taryn Segell, Charline Guay, Marie-Emmanuelle Khoury, Lindsay Godin