Wolves deserve a break, but they certainly didn’t get one with McDonald’s Famous Orders ad.

If you were one of the one hundred million people who watched the Super Bowl, then you saw the McDonald’s ad that revealed celebrity and fictitious character meal orders. One of the orders was for "The Big Bad Wolf” and it was the only one with a huge bite missing. Although "The Big Bad Wolf" is a fictional character, there are real-life consequences for the animals it represents. 

Wolves need your help to transform our cultural narrative from one of fear to one of respect. McDonald's is incredibly influential and can contribute to positive dialogue and outcomes for wildlife like gray wolves. Please join The 06 Legacy in calling on McDonald's to pull the ad from all platforms and release an updated version without "The Big Bad Wolf” order. We also urge McDonald’s to make a public statement that highlights wolves’ true nature and their importance to ecosystems across the United States.

The gray wolf is one of North America’s most iconic species. They once roamed nearly all the United States in numbers estimated at two million. After centuries of persecution, gray wolves were driven to virtual extinction across the lower 48 states. The Endangered Species Act became law in 1973 and wolves were one of the first species to receive federal protection. The Endangered Species Act has helped the number of wolves grow, but recovery is far from over and limited to certain regions. The Trump Administration is proposing to remove federal protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states by delisting them under the Endangered Species Act. If gray wolves are delisted, conservation efforts will suffer.

For centuries, popular culture has misrepresented wolves as a danger to humans. However, there has never been a documented death in the lower 48 states. In fact, wild wolves generally fear humans and avoid encounters. Dog attacks, drowning, hunting accidents, lightning strikes, and even cattle pose much greater threats to humans than wolves.

Wolves play an essential role in maintaining balanced and healthy ecosystems. They are not the “Big Bad Wolves” from the storybook or the media. Unfortunately, wolves still suffer consequences from myths and falsehoods like their portrayal in this McDonald’s ad.

Although the Super Bowl has come and gone, the ad is still being seen by hundreds of thousands on various digital channels. As of February 25th, the video had more than four hundred thousand Twitter views, and more than two hundred thousand on YouTube. The ad is currently a pinned post on McDonald’s Facebook page and is also the first ad that visitors to Wieden+Kennedy (the agency that created the ad) see. With a social media reach of hundreds of millions, this ad could potentially miseducate most of the American public.

So join us in telling McDonald’s that wolves deserve a break!

Thank you, 

Karol Miller
Founder
The 06 Legacy