By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
McDonald’s is launching a new anime and manga inspired WcDonald’s promotional initiative that includes limited-edition products, packaging, animations, store events and 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 McDonald’s USA CMO, Tariq Hassan. “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 limited-edition product included in the collaboration is called the Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce.
The Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce combines flavors such as ginger, garlic, soy and chili flakes. The sauce is designed to pair perfectly with an order of 10-piece ‘WcNuggets’.
The promotion also includes custom WcDonald’s packaging created by acclaimed Japanese manga artist and illustrator, Acky Bright.
Available for a limited time, the manga-inspired packaging features new characters called the WcDonald’s Crew.
An exclusive QR code is also included on the packaging that allows customers to access weekly digital manga drops and animated shorts that follow a variety of fictional WcDonald’s customers and crew members.
The digital WcDonald’s manga was written and illustrated by Acky Bright, and the animated shorts were created through a partnership with the Studio Pierrot animation company.
“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. “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.”
McDonald’s officially licensed WcDonald’s anime and manga will include four episodes based on the limited-edition WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets.
Each episode will focus on a different popular anime and manga subgenre such as action, romance, mecha and fantasy.
The first themed story to drop is called The Race to WcDonald’s. It involves an action-packed race between two rival heroes to a WcDonald’s restaurant. The Race to WcDonald’s officially releases on Feb. 26, 2024.
Launching on March 4, the second episode will be titled Love from Across the Booth. It will follow two protagonists who find love and discover that WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing.
WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000 will be the third episode featured on the website. Debuting on March 11, WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000 follows a team of WcDonald’s mecha pilots as they fight to protect the last WcNugget against an evil force.
The last episode in the series is titled Wisdom of the Sauce. Available to stream on March 18, the Wisdom of the Sauce follows three fictional female characters who are transported to a fantasy world to unravel the mystery of the WcDonald’s sauce before it vanishes forever.
Each short anime episode will drop alongside its respective manga chapter through the official WcDonalds website.
In addition to the anime and manga promotions, McDonald’s is hosting an in-store multi-sensory dining event in Los Angeles called the WcDonald’s Immersive Dining Experience.
Taking place on March 9 to 10, the WcDonald’s Immersive Dining Experience uses 360 projection mapping technology and immersive tabletop projections to transport attendees to an IRL WcDonald’s experience.
The event is inspired by the four episodic WcDonald’s shorts and includes a set menu of WcDonald’s-themed food items.
Fans can reserve their spot exclusively on the OpenTable platform beginning on Feb. 28, 2024.
The final WcDonald’s promotional initiative is three local in-store celebrations, financial grants and one-on-one mentoring sessions with Acky Bright for three up-and-coming anime artists who have created WcDonald’s inspired artwork.