For decades, anime got away with flipping the McDonald's arches upside down and calling it WcDonald’s. In 2024, McDonald’s made it real—launching across 30+ markets with manga packaging by Acky Bright, a new sauce, and a legit anime series from Studio Pierrot. A sold-out, fully immersive LA pop-up brought the fictional world to life for the first time.

The internet lost it—in a good way. What could’ve been a gimmick turned into a fan-first flex, pulling billions of impressions and proving the best brand ideas don’t start in a boardroom—they start in culture.