McDonald’s is bringing its anime counterpart WcDonald’s to life
In the anime world lives WcDonald’s — the McDonald’s-inspired restaurant seen in anime shows and movies — and it’s about to come to life.
Beginning February 26, WcDonald’s will transform from fiction to real life in more than 30 global markets in collaboration with some of the biggest names in anime.
McDonald’s will be bringing WcDonald’s into their world with a new sauce, “WcNuggets,” manga-inspired packaging, episodic shorts and more.
WcDonald’s stemmed from a way for animators and illustrators to have their characters dine at the instantly recognizable McDonald’s — but swapping the M with a W to get by without being sued or without obtaining licensing of the actual name.
“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.”
For a limited time, anime lovers can level up their meals with Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce — a combination of ginger, garlic and soy with a slight heat from chili flakes.
The WcDonald’s sauce packs a punch and is the perfect addition to an order of 10-piece “WcNuggets.” It can also be added to the side of any meal.
Anime lovers will even get to feel like they’re part of the world with custom WcDonald’s packaging featuring WcDonald’s Crew characters designed by Japanese manga artist/illustrator Acky Bright.
“I had a great time partnering with McDonald’s to help make WcDonald’s a reality for manga fans who have a genuine love for the brand,” Acky Bright said. “From the details of the diverse Crew characters to the manga plot itself, I loved being able to use my artwork to bring to life the dynamic, vibrant world of WcDonald’s for people around the world.”
The packaging will feature a code that can be scanned to gain access to weekly digital manga drops, starring a full cast of WcDonald’s Customers and Crew, including Hashirune, a WcDonald’s regular, Mr. Bev, the Crew jokester, WcDizer 3000 and WcDonald’s very own mecha.
Every Monday, from Feb. 26 until March 18, a new episodic short will drop along with new manga on WcDonalds.com,
McD’s partnered with animation house studio pierrot to make the first McDonald’s anime in four episodic shorts that tell a story about the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets.
The shorts — which can be found by scanning the packaging or through the website — will honor four of anime’s biggest subgenres: Action, Romance, Mecha and Fantasy.
Dropping Feb. 26 is “The Race to WcDonald’s,” about a “rivalry strong enough to withstand the test of time as our two heroes embark on an epic race to WcDonald’s.”
“Love from Across the Booth” drops March 4, a story where the “two protagonists discover the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing.”
“A team of WcDonald’s pilots must protect the last WcNugget against an ominous force,” is the premise of WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000, dropping March 11.
Finally, The “Wisdom of the Sauce,” dropping March 16, will show three women “transported to a distant land to unravel the mystery surrounding the elusive sauce before it’s gone forever.”
The fast-food chain recognized that the fictional WcDonald’s “wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the creativity of our fans.”
“So, we’re recognizing three up-and-coming anime artists who have created WcDonald’s-themed artwork with grants to help fund their upcoming projects and a celebration at their local McDonald’s. Additionally, the three artists will receive a one-on-one mentoring session with top manga artist/illustrator, Acky Bright,” according to the press release.
