WcDonald's becomes a transmedia and real-life event as McDonald's pounces on anime fans again
Official anime and manga included.
Late-stage capitalism has just gotten much wackier with the announcement that WcDonald's, a recurring joke in anime, manga, webtoons, and video games, is becoming a real thing (for a while) thanks to McDonald's.
McDonald's USA teased the news on Wednesday, February 21, before dropping a first look at the poster for the anime shorts it'll be releasing alongside the in-restaurants event, which sounds quite ambitious.
For the many of you who are scratching you heads right now, here's a short history lesson. As far as we know, WcDonald's originated from the 1981 manga and anime franchise Cat's Eye, and appeared in the 1983 anime adaptation's 48th episode 'A Mystery for a Winter Night', before going viral. Since then, the brand and fictional restaurants have appeared across many forms of animated media and even video games, usually as kind of small cameo or background element.
McDonald's has a history when it comes to anime/manga-oriented promotions and events, especially with Pokémon, so it only makes sense that they'd jump on this opportunity as anime and manga continue to take the Western world by storm. On top of the Savory Chili WcDonald's Sauce and the 10-piece 'WcNuggets' (rebranded regular nuggets), they're doubling down on the joke with manga-inspired packaging by renowned artist Acky Bright.
Those chasing after the WcDonald's-theme products "can also scan the code on the packaging to access weekly digital manga drops that star a full cast of WcDonald's Customers and Crew." At the same time, Studio Pierrot (Naruto) has produced four "episodic shorts will take fans into the flavorful world of WcDonald's." Those will drop every Monday, from February 26 until March 18. WcDonald's Cinematic Universe, anyone?
Last but not least, anime enthusiasts in Los Angeles, California, can get into the mysterious "WcDonald's Immersive Dining Experience" via the OpenTable app or website starting February 28. The general WcDonald's event will begin on February 26 in more than 30 global markets which haven't been specified yet beyond the United States. Touching some grass while hunting for WcNuggets sounds like an okay way to break our boring routine, I reckon.