Burger King Wants McDonald’s to Join Forces for McWhopper

Plus, other unlikely partnerships we've seen over the years.

Behold... the McWhopper.

Behold… the McWhopper.

Would you eat a McWhopper?

Burger King is asking McDonald’s to join forces for a new sandwich called the McWhopper (a hybrid of the Big Mac and Whopper.) Clearly a publicity stunt, the sandwich proposal would create one day of peace between the two fast-food giants — all in the name of the International Day of Peace created by the United Nations in 1981. (It falls on Sept. 21, and the McWhopper would only be available that day.)

“We’d like to propose a one-off collaboration between Burger King and McDonald’s to create something special—something that gets the world talking about Peace Day,” Burger King said in its proposal. “Let’s end the beef. With beef.” It even created this website with more details.

It calls for six ingredients like cheese and special sauce from the Big Mac and six from the Whopper like the flame-grilled burger and onions. It would be available in Atlanta, the halfway point between the two corporate headquarters. (There’s little doubt that the sandwich would be incredibly unhealthy.)

The McDonald’s response? Thanks but no thanks. McDonald’s posted the following on its Facebook page:

Inspiration for a good cause… great idea.

We love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference.

We commit to raise awareness worldwide, perhaps you’ll join us in a meaningful global effort?

And every day, let’s acknowledge that between us there is simply a friendly business competition and certainly not the unequaled circumstances of the real pain and suffering of war.

We’ll be in touch.

-Steve, McDonald’s CEO

P.S. A simple phone call will do next time.

It got us thinking about some other wacky partnerships we’ve seen over the years:

  • HBO and Showtime joined forces to broadcast the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao boxing match in May. That was hardly a charitable move as both fighters approximately earned a combined $300 million and it generated 4.4 million pay-per-view buys at a whopping $99 per household. (Usually its around $50.)
  • Kraft Foods partnered with Starbucks to distribute its coffee in stores — even though Kraft makes Maxwell House. What seemed like a good move, led to an intense legal battle that ended with an arbitrator saying Starbucks must pay $2.23 billion in damages after terminating the deal early.
  • The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers joined forces for one glorious season in 1943. With the country deep in the throes of World War II, both franchises were losing money and players left to join the war effort. The team went 5-4-1 and finished in third place in the NFL’s Eastern division.
  • Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush joined forces three times — after the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008. They ran against each other in the 1992 presidential election.

Can you think of any other weird partnerships over the years? Tell us in the comments!