No other burger chain has permeated pop culture like McDonald’s in film and television, and the fast-food chain is here to prove it.
References to McDonald’s and its signature creations have appeared in The Fifth Element, Clueless, The Office, Seinfeld, Reality Bites, and more—including season two of Marvel Studios’ Loki. Heck, even Gen Z on TikTok have taken matters into their own hands with the Grimace horror short trend—where they feature the purple birthday shake in creepy found footage clips. There seems to be something so darn nostalgic about the nostalgic good ol’ emblem of fast food Americana.
Take a look at some of McDonald’s memorable appearances in pop culture below:
Closing with a glimpse at Loki season two’s bizarro-world multiversal meet cute round two between Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) really cinches the deal. I mean, it’s all set to Breakfast at Tiffany’s wistful tune “Moon River,” so call me a sucker seeing Loki look so lovingly at Sylvie behind the counter. Now I want French fries and a vanilla soft serve but I’m willing to bet the ice cream machine is broken as per usual. Alas, love is like a vanilla cone dagger to the chest, indeed.
Don’t forget to stick around after the title montage for a glimpse at some banter between Mobius (Owen Wilson) and a mysterious prisoner played by Blindspotting’s Rafael Casal—rumoured to be Zaniac.
Loki season two drops on Disney+ October 7.