‘Rick And Morty’ Co-Creator ‘Not Happy’ With McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce Promotion

Rick and Morty lit a spark that has grown into a wildfire, when it ran a gag during the season 3 premiere about Rick Sanchez’s obsession with McDonald’s Szechuan sauce, which was a promotional item from the late ’90s that was part of the fast-food chain’s promotion of Disney’s Mulan.

Rick and Morty fans echoed the call to get their hands on that sweet “Mulan McNugget sauce” all throughout Rick and Morty season 3’s run (April – September), and McDonald’s finally answered the call by putting the Szechuan sauce back in restaurants for a limited run.

However, McDonald’s grossly underestimated Rick and Morty‘s power, as fans swarmed on locations nationwide, looking for a taste of some Szechuan – and when supplies ran out, things got ugly.

Justin Roiland Speak Out

Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has issued the above statement, speaking out about the chaos that has erupted over this McDonald’s Szechuan sauce situation.

There’s a measured jab in Roiland’s statement that makes it clear that he (like many fans) blames McDonald’s for how the restaurant handled this situation. And rightly so: reports form across the country state that McDonald’s only shipped twenty packets on average to each location, when there were entire lines of fans that were outside the restaurant locations as early as 2a.m. the night before!

Grand Hustle

As you can see above, at some locations fans were baited into waiting well into the afternoon for more supplies of Szechuan Sauce that were never coming, and in certain cases, McDonald’s managers required patiently waiting fans to buy food, while waiting for sauce that was never delivered! 

In Wellington, Palm Beach, police were called to a local McDonald’s to disperse angry and disappointed Rick and Morty fans; however, there’s indication that the same McDonald’s managers that baited fans into buying food and waiting, then turned around and called the police! 

All of this has resulted in one big mess, with legions of pissed off fans; McDonald’s trying to spin the whole thing; and even a “Szechuan Sauce black market,” where the dipping sauce is being sold for absurd prices on eBay, or leading fans to create their own bootleg versions.

Now McDonald’s is poised to bank even more business from all this, as it will once again lure fans to locations with the promise of sufficient supplies of Szechuan Sauce (click HERE for details).

Ironically, the Rick and Morty fanbase has taken some criticism for all this. For a lot of outside onlookers, this sort of mania over a dipping sauce from the ’90s (Note: which is really only so-so, we tried some) says more about the people watching Rick and Morty than anything else. 

Rick and Morty season 3 is now over (barring a surprise finale). Details on Season 4 have yet TBA.