Your local McDonald's might look and feel a little bit different over the next few weeks -- from the "Mc" in "Donald," all the way down to the packaging on menu items.
Starting this month, participating McDonald's locations around the world will be getting a mini-makeover inspired by anime lovers, a press release from the Chicago-based burger chain says. The manga-inspired takeover, cheekily called "WcDonalds" -- with upside-golden arches -- alludes to how the chain is seen in some of anime's most iconic movies and shows, the release added.
“Anime is a huge part of today's culture, and we love that our fans have been inviting us into the conversation for years," McDonald's USA Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan, said in the release. "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."
The transformation begins Feb. 26, officials said. It will last through March 18.
WcDonald's new menu items and an 'immersive dining experience'
Some new menu items will be part of the pop-up, including "Savory Chili WcDonald's Sauce," meant to be paired with WcNuggets (also known as Chicken McNuggets), the release said.
At one McDonald's location, an "immersive dining experience" will be held, the release said, inspired by the "isekai anime subgenre."
According to officials, the "WcDonald’s Immersive Dining Experience" will be held March 9 and 10 in Los Angeles. The dining experience will be "multi-sensory," and "a genre-bending fusion of entertainment and food," the release added.
"Guests will be transported into the WcDonald’s universe through 360 projection mapping and immersive tabletop projections inspired by the four WcDonald’s anime episodic shorts – all while enjoying a set menu of WcDonald’s items," the release said. Reservations can be made on OpenTable, beginning Feb. 28.
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What will look different
As part of the transformation, McDonald's teamed up with Japanese magna artist/illustrator Acky Bright, to create and design customer WcDonald's packaging on menu items. Additionally, for a limited time, customers will receive manga-inspired packaging featuring WcDonald’s Crew characters, sketched by Acky himself, the release said.
McDonald’s has also partnered with animation house Studio Pierrot to produce the first official WcDonald’s anime — four episodic shorts about WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets.
Each Monday, starting Feb. 26 until March 18, the following shorts — which honor Action, Romance, Mecha and Fantasy, four of anime’s biggest subgenres — will drop on WcDonalds.com or via the code on the WcDonald’s bag:
- The Race to WcDonald’s: Dropping Feb. 26, this short covers 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: Dropping March 4, the two protagonists discover that WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing.
- WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000: Dropping March 11, this short covers a team of WcDonald’s pilots who must protect the last WcNugget against an ominous force.
- The Wisdom of the Sauce: Dropping March 18, this short is about three women who are transported to a distant land to unravel a mystery surrounding WcDonald’s elusive sauce before it’s gone forever.
