McDonald's Dives Into Anime Craze — And Flips Its Golden Arches— with WcDonald's Event McDonald's celebrates anime culture with "WcDonalds," a unique, limited-time event featuring custom manga packaging and themed menu items.
By Carl Stoffers Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- The global initiative, running until March 18, pays homage to the fast-food chain's iconic appearances in anime.
- The fast-food giant collaborated with renowned manga artist Acky Bright to create custom WcDonald's packaging that features manga-inspired artwork.
- McDonald's is set to offer an immersive WcDonald's dining experience in Los Angeles next month.
Starting today, McDonald's locations across the globe will begin showcasing unique anime-inspired packaging as part of a limited-time event dubbed "WcDonalds." This initiative, which will last until March 18, aims to pay homage to the fast-food chain's portrayal in various iconic anime films and series. The campaign is also a nod to anime's significant influence in contemporary culture and recognizes the creativity of McDonald's fans who have long integrated the brand into the anime conversation.
"Anime is a huge part of today's culture, and we love that our fans have been inviting us into the conversation for years," Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's USA, said in a statement. "The WcDonald's universe is a reflection of what fans have created. It honors their vision and celebrates their creativity, while authentically bringing it to life in our restaurants for the first time ever."
Custom-designed anime packaging
In collaboration with renowned Japanese manga artist Acky Bright, McDonald's has introduced custom-designed WcDonald's packaging, bringing the characters of the WcDonald's universe to life through manga-inspired art.
McDonald's has also partnered with the animation studio Studio Pierrot to create the first-ever official WcDonald's anime series. This series comprises four episodic shorts, each celebrating different anime subgenres, including action, romance, mecha and fantasy. These shorts will be released weekly starting February 26 and ending March 18. They'll be accessible through the WcDonald's website or via a special code on the WcDonald's packaging.
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Rebranded menu items
Beyond the visual and digital transformations, the campaign introduces new menu items, such as the "Savory Chili WcDonald's Sauce," designed to complement the WcNuggets, a rebranding of the classic Chicken McNuggets.
Additionally, McDonald's is planning a brick-and-mortar WcDonald's dining experience in Los Angeles from March 9-10. The two-day event is inspired by the isekai anime subgenre and will offer a "genre-bending fusion of entertainment and food," per the statement from McDonald's.
Fans can reserve their spot on OpenTable starting February 28 by searching "WcDonald's Immersive Dining Experience" on the OpenTable app or website.
