It’s not very often that we can thank a cartoon for a real-life windfall.
But it looks like McNuggets' fans will soon be able to thank Cartoon Network's "Rick and Morty" for the return of a beloved dipping sauce.
McDonald’s has just announced that the much-adored, yet short-lived, Szechuan dipping sauce will finally return to select restaurant locations, for one day only, on Oct. 7 — and it’s all due to an episode of “Rick and Morty,” plus mounting demands from fans across social media.
“That’s my one-armed man. I’m not driven by avenging my dead family Morty that was FAKE! I’m driven by finding that, McNugget Sauce," Rick said in an episode of the cartoon that aired over the summer.
“I want that Mulan McNugget Sauce, Morty. That’s my series arc Morty! If it takes nine seasons, I want my McNugget dipping Szechuan Sauce, Morty!”
McDonald’s responded by hinting that there was a possibility it would actually happen, even tweeting out that it had three gallons of the sauce to give away to lucky fans.
The demands of "Rick and Morty" led to a massive online campaign to bring the sauce — a delicious mix of garlic, chili peppers and Szechuan peppers — back to the present day. Now, it looks like the campaign actually succeeded, albeit temporarily.
The announcement was actually made as the chain debuted its new Crispy Buttermilk Tenders so it was somewhat lost in the fanfare.
Looking to score some sauce this weekend? The Szechuan Sauce is being offered at Golden Arches' locations from coast-to-coast. A full list of the participating McDonald's locations can be found at www.buttermilkcrispytenders.com — just enter your zip code to find the restaurant closest to you!
The original sauce was launched as part of a campaign promoting Disney's "Mulan" in 1998, but this time around, the sauce is being brought back to help promote the new, all white-meat tenders.
A version of this story was originally published Oct. 2, 2017.