Why has McDonald's changed its name to WcDonald's?

McDonald’s has changed its name WcDonald’s leaving some customers confused, but there’s a good reason behind it.

The fast food chain is known all over the world for its iconic golden arches logo. The signature ‘M’ was even made into a solid gold signet ring for King Charles III’s coronation.

This week, some customers in the US were left confused after the famous ‘M’ logo was flipped on the packaging, spelling WcDonald’s. The name change was also reflected on the company’s Instagram page.

On some of the packaging, including meal bags, there were also anime characters and a full storyline in the Japanese style of manga, all pointing towards the release of a new sauce in anime style.

“WcDonald’s” is a marketing campaign designed around the release of a new Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce.

For the campaign, the fast-food chain collaborated with Studio Pierrot – the animation company behind the anime hit Naruto. The studio has helped design some original anime characters and ads, while the manga stories on the bags were illustrated by Acky Bright.

The WcDonald’s campaign (and sauce) was launched in the US on 26 February and the associated ads and imagery have been posted on their social media.

If you’re wondering what “WcDonald’s” has to do with anime, the answer may lie in anime from the past.

As a global powerhouse, it’s no surprise that McDonald’s has featured in anime before. But, because of legal reasons, anime artists have had to find creative ways of suggesting that a restaurant is McDonald’s without using the ‘M’ golden arches.

One way they have done this is to place the ‘M’ upside down, creating a ‘W’ and therefore, “WcDonald’s”.

It is thought the official McDonald’s campaign is an ode to the times anime had parodied the brand, though, what it has to do with their new sauce remains a bit of a puzzle.

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