Some McDonald’s are becoming WcDonald's in an example of real life turning into an anime meme

The fast-food chain, starting yesterday, has renamed select locations WcDonald’s, even turning the famous golden arches upside down in branding.

What the heck is going on?

The promotion is tied into an anime meme. To dodge copyright issues, the chain is often shown in anime series and films as WcDonald’s, with the arches flipped. McDonald’s, rather than fighting the alternate identity, has opted to lean into it to lure anime fans to its restaurants.

While that might seem like the chain, one of the leading fast-food providers in the world, is courting a niche audience to some patrons, the enthusiasm of anime fans really cannot be overstated.

“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. “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 WcDonald’s promotion will run through March 18.

McDonald’s is diving into the gimmick with gusto. It has teamed up with Japanese manga artist/illustrator Acky Bright to design custom packaging for its menu items and fans can scan a code to access weekly drops of manga comics featuring WcDonald’s workers and customers—and an anime Mayor McCheese. The company is also partnering with animation house studio pierrot to produce the first official WcDonald’s anime, a four part series that will drop weekly.

It’s also introducing a new sauce—Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce—to accompany its McNuggets and other menu items and has constructed a physical WcDonald’s location in Los Angeles, which it describes as “a multi-sensory dining experience”. Reservations are now open on OpenTable.