McDonald’s USA and the digital comic platform WEBTOON are collaborating for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month to put the spotlight on APA creators. A weekly comic series called “Drawing on Heritage” gives four popular APA WEBTOON artists the opportunity to bring to life their powerful and intimate experiences through creative stories that celebrate and acknowledge the diverse community for APA Heritage Month. The artists highlighted include Chelsey Han, aka uru-chan, instantmiso, Kris Nguyen, and Quimchee. They will share their personal stories tied to cultural identities, ways to keep in touch with family members abroad, experiencing a “lunchbox moment” when classmates reacted to traditional Asian school lunches, and how McDonald’s played a role in their own upbringing.
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“It means so much to tell my story knowing people might relate to my own Asian American experience – especially on such a widely read platform like WEBTOON,” said artist Chelsey Han, aka uru-chan on WEBTOON. “And I’m thankful to work with McDonald’s, a brand that is enjoyed by people in many cultures. As a Chinese-American, navigating two cultures wasn’t always easy, but I’m so proud of where I came from because it made me who I am today.”
“We are proud to partner with WEBTOON to be a megaphone that is helping educate people about the APA experience,” said Veronica Thompson, McDonald’s Director of Multicultural Strategy. “This Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and every day, we’re honored to help celebrate this community and their many passions through partnerships like this, and more.”
Every Sunday at 4 p.m. EST through May 22nd on WEBTOON, fans can read about some of the most pivotal moments in each artist’s journey.
- Available now – instantmiso (Eaternal Nocturnal and Siren’s Lament creator) gives us background into how her love for food and connection to her Filipina heritage, all started with her grandma.
- Coming Sunday, May 8 – uru-chan (unOrdinary creator) will express the difficulties of growing up between two cultures – something many APA youth can relate to.
- Coming Sunday, May 15 – Kris Nguyen (Cape of Spirits creator) uses familiar characters from their original series to tell a story of friendship, fandom and growing up.
- Coming Sunday, May 22 – Quimchee (I Love Yoo creator) will take you on a journey around the world and dig into the sacrifices of being from an immigrant family.
McDonald’s made its first foray into the metaverse in 2021 by teaming up with the APA gaming collective, OfflineTV, to co-create an exclusive metaverse pop-up experience for fans around the world that were unable to attend the in-person Los Angeles pop-up. Earlier this year, McDonald’s made a splash in the metaverse when the company collaborated with fashion trailblazer Humberto Leon to create a virtual zodiac art collection for Lunar New Year. Through these innovative initiatives, McDonald’s is leaning into technology to feed and foster the APA communities it serves.
The end of APA Heritage Month will see McDonald’s commemorate historic APA figures through illustrative works of art to be featured at the 626 Night Market in San Francisco, running from May 27-29, to further highlight and celebrate the contributions and influence of the APA community. WEBTOON and McDonald’s urge fans to channel your “main character energy” by sharing your APA heritage stories on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook using the #DrawingOnHeritage hashtag through May 31st.
