On August 18, 2025, McDonald’s announced a new collaboration with BTS, bringing the group’s TinyTAN characters as collectibles in Happy Meals. The campaign follows the global success of the 2021 BTS Meal. It included 10 Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a medium Coke, and two limited-edition sauces inspired by McDonald’s South Korea.The 2025 collaboration introduced TinyTAN figurines based on all seven members, namely, RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook packed with Happy Meals. The collectibles is set to be released in two editions: the Throwback Edition, featuring outfits from the 2021 BTS Meal promotions, and the Encore Edition, with updated looks for the new campaign.While the collaboration generated excitement among some fans awaiting the launch, it quickly sparked controversy online. The announcement coincided with heightened tensions surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.Activists and a big section of the fanbase raised concerns over McDonald’s operations in Israel, leading to calls for boycotts. Critics argued that the collaboration indirectly places BTS in a politically sensitive situation.The hashtag #SpeakYourselfBTS began trending on X as many fans urged the group to withdraw from the campaign. The phrase deliberately echoed the group’s own “Speak Yourself” message from their Love Yourself era, when the band encouraged listeners to take a stand for their identities and beliefs.Fans circulating the hashtag shared digital posters urging the group to distance themselves from the deal. The circulating posts highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for boycotts of companies.Some of these companies included McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and more, which have been named in the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The messages also cited the K-pop group’s past advocacy work and lyrics, urging the group to use their platform to speak against violence and injustice. One fan commented:"You want THIS to be your legacy? @BTS_twt #SpeakYourselfBTS"Many fans took to X to voice their disappointment and urge the Grammy nominated boyband to reconsider their association with the campaign. While some stressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, others highlighted the symbolic weight of the K-pop group’s past messages of justice and compassion.Z♡🍉♡ @Beniiiiiz_jkLINKYour music speaks for love, justice, and humanity please use your voice now for Gaza, Your words can bring light to the darkest places don’t let this moment pass without standing for the oppressed. @bts_bighit @BTS_twt #SpeakYourselfBTS #BoycottCoke #boycottStarbucks7/7 ARE B⟬⟭CK ⁷ @epifanyeeeLINKthere's no confirmation about the idols or the colab yet, but remember to boycott this chain, pls. palestine is way + important than figures. you will not die because of not buying a hamburger, but palestinians will die if you keep supporting companies that fund their deaths.izy⁷* @zywithluvLINK@BTS twthi :(idk if you know but your image is being used by complicit companies like mcdonalds. they're selling meals in the settler state using your image. while innocent children, men and women are starving to death in palestine. look into this#BoycottTinyTanMcds #SpeakYourselfBTSAs the debate intensified, fans expressed stronger disapproval of the partnership, emphasizing the implications of McDonald’s operations and BTS’s image being tied to it.shya⁷ 🍉🐳 @7brightshinesLINKit's a collaboration with tiny tan, not even a BTS Collab....can the fandom please boycott this? McDonald's literally provided free meals to IOF soldiers who kill innocent people and laugh while doing it. Let this invoke your humanity, please boycott this collab.𝐳𝐦𝐫𝐚⁷ ᵇᵗˢ ʸᵉᵃʳ @7emotionssLINKThe audacity of McDonald’s acting all cute with Kpop while their hands r stained with Palestinian kids' blood and trying to make BTS complicit in their blood soaked image is disgusting. My boys deserve better. They stand for youth & justice not this. Don't u dare ruin their name!Jae 🧚🏻‍♀️🍉 @callmeeejaeLINKDear #RM, McDonald’s is officially listed by BDS as one of the biggest corporate supporters of Israel’s military actions. We sincerely ask you to not promoting it. we hope you’ll stand on the right side of history. @BTS_twt #boycottMcD #SpeakYourselfBTSFans circulate multilingual posters urging BTS to address Gaza crisis as McDonald's x TinyTAN Happy Meals prepare for global rolloutThe digital posters as shared by X user @N_P_E_A made by the fans of the Global K-pop boyband, in multiple languages such as Korean, Japanese and English, read:"Dear BTS, Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza is not just a political matter, it is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. It is a holocaust happening before our eyes. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been murdered by the illegal Israeli Occupation since October 7th, 2023. Children, women, men have been and are still being bombed into oblivion.""Right now, Gaza has reached stage 5 of famine, the final threshold before mass death. Your silence and endorsement of boycotted brands such as Coca Cola, McDonalds', Starbucks etc. cannot continue. The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement calls for a complete boycott of complicit brands and greedy corporations," the posters further read.Addressing the group directly, the messages recalled the boy band’s long-standing emphasis on speaking out against violence and injustice through their music, campaigns, and philanthropy."You have taught us to speak ourselves against violence, against injustices around the world through your campaigns, through your music and philanthropy. Please keep being the conscious, responsible and caring humans you have always been. What happened to 'I wanna be a human 'fore I do some art'? WE NOW URGE YOU TO SPEAK YOURSELF. - Your biggest voice, ARMY," the messages read.Meanwhile, the collaborated meals will rollout in the United States on September 3, followed by the Encore Edition on September 23. McDonald’s confirms that the toys will be available across 66 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines, and more.