# McDonald's McDonald's is the world's largest fast food hamburger chain[1], and a recurring subject of internet jokes about American obesity culture[2]. In May 2017, the company waded directly into meme territory with the Frork, a fork made of french fries pitched in a mock infomercial that became the brand's most-shared viral stunt of the year[3]. ## Origin The Frork launched on May 1, 2017, tied to the debut of McDonald's Signature Crafted Recipes line, which included Pico Guacamole, Sweet BBQ Bacon, and Maple Bacon Dijon sandwiches[4]. The infomercial was hosted by longtime pitchman Anthony Sullivan alongside McDonald's chef Mike Haracz, with Sullivan asking on camera, "Will the Frork change your life? Probably not"[4]. McDonald's leaned all the way into the infomercial format, including a toll-free number, 1-844-McD-FRORK, where the first 100 callers received an actual Frork and the first 5,000 got a sandwich coupon[5]. The physical utensils were handed out at participating US restaurants on May 5, 2017, while supplies lasted, with any Signature Crafted sandwich purchase[5]. - **Platform:** YouTube (Frork infomercial) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** McDonald's Corporation - **Date:** 2017 ## Overview McDonald's is the American hamburger chain headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, and the largest fast food operator in the world[3]. Online, the brand shows up in two very different registers: as a punching bag in casual internet writing about junk food and weight (Urban Dictionary entries call it "the #1 scapegoat to America's obesity problem"[1]) and as an active participant in meme culture through its own marketing stunts. The most concentrated McDonald's meme moment came on May 1, 2017, when the chain rolled out the Frork, a plastic handle with three french fries jammed in as prongs[2]. The gadget was pitched in a mock infomercial to promote the new Signature Crafted Recipe sandwiches, whose toppings kept falling out the back of the bun[4]. The joke was that the Frork was, in the company's own words, "supremely superfluous," and the self-aware absurdity is what made it travel[4]. ## How It Spread The YouTube spot racked up views quickly, and Twitter's reaction was collected by Twitter Moments the following day[6]. Coverage jumped from ad-industry blogs to mainstream outlets within 24 hours, with CNBC framing it as part of the "Golden Arches' attempt to win back business" alongside kiosks and fresh beef Quarter Pounders[4]. Eater called it your "new favorite useless gadget" and compared the stunt to Panda Express's own novelty utensil bits[2]. USA Today ran a straight explainer on how to use the "uselessly useful" tool, quoting Sullivan's line about the Frork being "ludicrous-ly easy to use" and working "even in the dark"[5]. Barstool Sports piled on with its own take[7], and the Frork became shorthand online for brands trying to manufacture viral moments by leaning into their own silliness. Outside the Frork burst, McDonald's stays in the meme conversation through the steady drip of fast food jokes documented on sites like Urban Dictionary, which catalogs user-submitted riffs comparing the food to "cow eyeballs" and blaming it for weight gain[1]. ## How to Use The Frork itself is used exactly as pitched in the infomercial: hold the plastic handle, stab dropped toppings with the fry prongs, then eat the whole thing[5]. As a meme, McDonald's works as a stand-in reference whenever people are joking about American fast food excess, corporate cringe marketing, or self-aware brand stunts, with the Frork often cited as the archetype of the last category[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is McDonald's? McDonald's is the American fast food hamburger chain headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, and the largest such chain in the world[3]. Online, it doubles as a running joke about fast food culture and as the source of viral marketing stunts like the Frork[2]. ### Where did McDonald's come from? The company itself is a decades-old American burger chain[3], but its biggest single meme moment came on May 1, 2017, when it launched the Frork infomercial on YouTube[4]. ### What does McDonald's mean? In meme use, McDonald's is shorthand for American fast food, cheap calories, and, since 2017, brand marketing that leans into its own absurdity, thanks to the Frork stunt[4]. Urban Dictionary entries frame it as a stand-in for junk food excess[1]. ### How do you use McDonald's? As a meme reference, people invoke McDonald's when joking about fast food, corporate silliness, or self-aware ads like the Frork, which was pitched as "supremely superfluous" by the chain itself[4]. The Frork gadget was physically distributed with Signature Crafted sandwiches on May 5, 2017[5]. ### Is McDonald's still popular? McDonald's is still the largest fast food chain in the world[3], and the Frork spot is still cited as a benchmark for brand meme marketing after its 2017 launch[2]. Everyday jokes about the chain keep circulating on user-driven sites like Urban Dictionary[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mcdonalds]() 2. [https://www.eater.com/2017/5/1/15504732/mcdonalds-frork]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/mcdonalds]() 4. [https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/01/mcdonalds-invents-the-frork-to-pitch-its-new-burgers.html]() 5. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/05/01/mcdonalds-releases-french-fry-utensil-you-never-knew-you-needed/308177001/]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltxLeLGozDk]() 7. [https://www.barstoolsports.com/newyork/mcdonalds-invented-a-fry-fork-named-the-frork-and-i-think-i-know-why/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/mcdonalds Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library