Calling all anime fans and foodies alike! McDonald’s is bringing the iconic fictional anime restaurant WcDonald’s to life. Prepare to dive into a world of unique menu items, limited-edition packaging, and even exclusive anime content, all inspired by your favorite anime burger joints. So, dust off your cosplay, grab your friends, and get ready to experience the delicious world of WcDonald’s like never before!
What is WcDonald’s?
WcDonald’s is a fictional counterpart of McDonald’s frequently depicted in anime and manga. While the golden arches might be replaced with two stylized “W”s, the restaurant concept often stays similar, offering familiar fast food items with an anime twist.
McDonald’s x WcDonald’s
On February 21, 2024, McDonald’s announced that it is bringing the WcDonald’s universe into its restaurants and beyond, with a new sauce, manga-inspired packaging, episodic shorts, and a lot more.
“Anime is a huge part of today’s culture, and we love that our fans have been inviting us into the conversation for years,” said Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald’s USA, 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.”
Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce
As part of its WcDonald’s campaign, McDonald’s is adding the new Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce to its menu for a limited time. The sauce is a unique combination of ginger, garlic, and soy with a slight heat from chili flakes – a perfect pair to an order of 10-piece “WcNuggets” (Chicken McNuggets) or to any of your go-to menu items.
WcDonald’s Manga Packaging
McDonald’s has also teamed up with the iconic Japanese manga artist/illustrator Acky Bright to design custom WcDonald’s packaging, which will take anime fans deeper into the world of WcDonald’s with every meal. For a limited time, customers will receive manga-inspired packaging featuring WcDonald’s Crew characters, sketched by Acky himself.
The packaging also comes with a QR code that can fans scan to access weekly digital manga drops, which star a full cast of WcDonald’s Customers and Crew, including Hashirune, a WcDonald’s regular, Mr. Bev, the Crew jokester, WcDizer 3000, WcDonald’s very own mecha, and a lot more.
“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,” said Acky Bright in a statement. “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 first official WcDonald’s anime
In addition to the chili sauce and manga packaging, McDonald’s has also collaborated with the legendary animation house Studio Pierrot to produce the first official WcDonald’s anime. Comprised of four episodic shorts, the official WcDonald’s anime will take fans into the flavorful world of WcDonald’s, where a story about the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets unfold each week.
Every Monday, from February 26 until March 18, a new short will be released in conjunction with new manga on WcDonalds.com, The shorts, which will honor four of anime’s biggest subgenres (Action, Romance, Mecha, and Fantasy), are as follows:
- The Race to WcDonald’s (Februar y26): 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 (March 4): Our two protagonists discover the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing.
- WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000 (March 11): A team of WcDonald’s pilots must protect the last WcNugget against an ominous force.
- The Wisdom of the Sauce (March 18): Three women are transported to a distant land to unravel the mystery surrounding the elusive sauce before it’s gone forever.
In-real-life WcDonald’s
Inspired by the isekai anime subgenre, McDonald’s is setting up the first IRL WcDonald’s on March 9-10. The IRL WcDonald’s is described as a multi-sensory dining experience in Los Angeles, CA., which will take fans 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.
Fans can reserve their spot exclusively on OpenTable starting February 28 by searching “WcDonald’s Immersive Dining Experience” on the OpenTable app or website.
Anime mentoring session with Acky Bright
To complete its WcDonald’s campaign, McDonald’s is 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. The three to-be-announced artists will also receive a one-on-one mentoring session with top manga artist/illustrator, Acky Bright.