McDonald's is embracing the anime love it's been feeling for years. Fans will notice that McD's is famously referred to as "WcDonald's" in anime movies and TV shows.
Debuting Monday in more than 30 markets worldwide, McDonald's and Wieden + Kennedy are making WcDonald's a reality, debuting a new sauce, packaging and anime episodes.
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"Anime is a huge part of today's culture, and we love that our fans have been inviting us into the conversation for years," says Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's USA, in press materials. "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."
Fans ordering WcNuggets can try a limited edition ginger, soy and garlic sauce called savory chili. The brand partnered with Japanese manga artist/illustrator Acky Bright to design manga-inspired packaging featuring WcDonald's Crew characters like Hashirune, Mr. Bev and WcDizer 3000.
"We're flipping the logo on as many surfaces as possible. The bag itself is now a manga. The fry box is even flipping the logo, and that's packaging that rarely gets touched," says W+K's Ben Capshaw and Jeffrey Rozman.
We’re becoming WcDonald’s and we’re doing what any anime or manga fan would want… we’re making anime and manga.
McD's also collaborated with Studio Pierrot to create four WcDonald's anime shorts, dropping every Monday from Feb. 26 to March 18.
"The Race to WcDonald's," "Love From Across the Booth," "WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000" and "The Wisdom of the Sauce" will cover action, romance, mecha and fantasy subgenres.
For those in Los Angeles, an IRL WcDonald's dining experience will be available on March 9-10. Starting Feb. 28, fans can reserve a table via OpenTable.
"This idea isn’t contrived in any way. It comes from a naturally-occurring anime trope and that’s why we’ve made it so authentically," the pair tell Muse. "We've used the best talent in the anime industry and have cut no corners in making this for anime lovers. People across the globe have seen WcDonald's in their favorite anime series and now, for the first time, they'll be able to visit that world, live out an anime experience in real life and hopefully see themselves reflected in the characters we've created."
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