WATCH SpongeBob-Wendys Kollab launches to mixed reviews

Do the Krabby Patties live up to the hype?

⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️  

• Wendy’s and Nickelodeon teamed up for SpongeBob’s 25th anniversary.
• The restaurant is selling a special menu, including a Krabby Patty-inspired burger.
• The collaboration has launched to mixed reactions on social media.
• Keep reading to understand why not everyone likes it. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants, of course! 

The iconic pineapple house in Bikini Bottom may not be real, but now you can get a real-life taste of the SpongeBob SquarePants world — thanks to a new collaboration celebrating the show’s 25th anniversary.

Wendy’s restaurants in Canada and the U.S. are selling a Krabby Patty-inspired cheeseburger and a pineapple-mango Frosty.

Nickelodeon and Paramount launched a SpongeBob-themed promotion on Oct. 8. 

The marketing campaign, which will run until early November, is already stirring mixed reactions.

One marketing expert we spoke to said the SpongeBob-inspired meal campaign was “brilliant.” 

Many social media users have posted about their experiences testing out the meal.

While some are giving it glowing reviews, others are saying it doesn’t quite live up to the hype.

What’s the collaboration? 

SpongeBob SquarePants first aired in 1999. Its 15th season launched in July.

• Real-life SpongeBob and Patrick? Biologist’s underwater photo goes viral 

The special menu items are based on the fictional Krabby Patty sandwiches that SpongeBob makes as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab. 

The burger-like sandwiches are often a major plot point in the series. 

In Canada, the Krabby Patty burger is $6.99, the same price as a regular Wendy’s cheeseburger. 

When CBC Kids News went to check it out at one Toronto, Ontario, Wendy’s location, the total price for the combo of a burger, fries and small pineapple Frosty was $14.13. 

In a news release, Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. chief marketing officer for The Wendy’s Company, said the restaurant chain — whose burgers are famously square-shaped — is known for its collaborations.

“It makes sense that two of the most iconic squares in pop culture are teaming up,” she said. 

One expert calls it a ‘clever’ campaign

Rikia Saddy is a marketing expert based in Vancouver, B.C., who has worked with Wendy’s in the past but had no involvement in this campaign.

She called it “the most clever thing” she’s heard of in advertising, in an interview with CBC Kids News. 

Learn more about the Wendy’s collab and how other restaurants are celebrating SpongeBob by watching this video  ⬇️:

These partnerships happen, Saddy said, when two brands want to reach the same people. That means the brands think fans of SpongeBob are just the right fit for a Wendy’s collab.

As part of the campaign, posts by professional online creators started appearing on social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, on Oct. 7.

Some of those posts were sponsored. (TikTok and Instagram require influencers to disclose when they are paid to post.)

TikTok creator @joe.eats.world has one of the most watched reviews on the platform, with more than 3.6 million views. His review did not appear to be a paid sponsorship.

He said in the video that he got “one of the very first” meals at a Wendy’s in Los Angeles, California, that was decked out in SpongeBob-themed decor as part of an “immersive experience.”

“Great meal, awesome collab,” he said.

• McDonald’s drops new BTS meal, BTS ARMY reacts

One food reviewer ‘underwhelmed’ by Wendy’s meal

But some other people who have tried the meal said it doesn’t quite live up to the hype.

Morgan Chomps, an online food reviewer based out of St. George, Utah, said the meal she tried at her local Wendy’s on Oct. 8 left her “underwhelmed.” 

“I don't know if it was my location, specifically, but it didn’t seem like they were 100 per cent ready to be serving this out,” she said in an interview with CBC Kids News. 

Morgan Chomps posted her review of the Wendy’s ‘Krabby Patty Kollab’ meal to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. (Image credit: Morgan Champs/Instagram)

She said the employees couldn’t find the pineapple flavouring for her Frosty. 

The burger itself was “just a regular Wendy’s meal,” she said. 

The only unique thing was the sauce that was marketed as “secret.” 

She said it tasted similar to Big Mac sauce from McDonald’s or Thousand Island dressing. 

Despite her criticisms, Morgan Chomps, who is a SpongeBob fan herself, said the meal makes sense as “an homage” on the show’s 25th anniversary.

“It’s become a household name,” she said. “Eventually we needed to be able to taste a little bit of what the characters taste.”

‘Basic’ burger, ‘10 out of 10’ Frosty 

Morgan Chomps isn’t the only person posting that the meal didn’t live up to the hype.

Other social media users have shared similar experiences, with at least one calling it  “a flop.”

They’ve noted the lack of sesame seeds on the bun, which is a key feature in the show, and many have commented that they were disappointed their local Wendy’s didn’t have special SpongeBob-themed packaging.

• Fall 2024 movie list: Moana 2, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and more

The Wendy’s-SpongeBob collaboration officially launched across Canada on Oct. 8. The combo with small Frosty cost $14.13 at one Toronto, Ontario, Wendy’s location that CBC Kids News visited. (Image credit: India McAlister/CBC)

One reviewer on TikTok described the sandwich as “just a basic Wendy’s burger with a special sauce.” 

However, it wasn’t all negative. That same user, who goes by the handle @klaudinemarie, said that the mango-pineapple Frosty was a “10 out of 10.”

Edmonton, Alberta-based TikTok creator @muamikaylac posted that she tried the meal on Sept. 30. That was eight days before the official launch. 

In her video review, which has more than 440,000 views, she recommended customers only get the Frosty because the rest of the meal “is just a hamburger and fries.”

CBC Kids News reached out to Wendy’s, Paramount and Nickelodeon to comment on the criticisms. 

A spokesperson for Nickelodeon didn’t respond to any of the questions and instead referred them to Wendy's. CBC Kids News is still waiting for a response from Wendy’s.

Have more questions? Want to tell us how we're doing? Use the “send us feedback” link below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Nickelodeon/The Associated Press, Maya Endale/CBC, graphic design by Philip Street/CBC