Six Years Ago Today, Cactus Jack Took Over McDonald’s
Six years ago today, Travis Scott took over McDonald’s.
On September 8, 2020, Cactus Jack and the Golden Arches officially launched one of the most memorable artist brand collaborations of the decade. What started with a $6 Quarter Pounder meal quickly turned into something much bigger: massive merch drops, Cactus Jack McDonald’s uniforms, national commercials, menu shortages and, somehow, a giant Chicken McNugget body pillow.
For a moment, it felt like Travis Scott was everywhere.
The partnership also made history for McDonald’s. Travis became the first celebrity since Michael Jordan in 1992 to have his name featured on the McDonald’s menu.
Six years later, the Travis Scott McDonald’s collaboration remains a fascinating snapshot of just how powerful the Cactus Jack brand had become and an early blueprint for the celebrity fast-food collaborations that followed.
What Was the Travis Scott McDonald’s Meal?
At the center of the collaboration was The Travis Scott Meal, based on the rapper’s personal McDonald’s order.
For $6, fans received a Quarter Pounder with Cheese topped with bacon and lettuce, medium fries with BBQ sauce and a Sprite. The meal officially launched at participating restaurants nationwide on September 8 and remained available through October 4, 2020.
McDonald’s and Cactus Jack took an ordinary fast-food order and transformed it into something fans wanted to experience simply because it was Travis Scott’s order.
Fans weren’t going to McDonald’s for another Quarter Pounder. They were going to order “The Travis Scott.”
And the meal was only the beginning.
From Employee Uniforms to a $90 McNugget Pillow
For Travis Scott fans, the merchandise surrounding the collaboration became nearly as important as the food.
Cactus Jack took familiar McDonald’s imagery and filtered it through Travis’ established streetwear aesthetic, producing an enormous collection of clothing, accessories and collectibles.
The collaboration included T-shirts, hoodies, pants, shorts, hats and other pieces featuring combinations of the Golden Arches and Cactus Jack branding. Travis and his team also designed exclusive apparel for McDonald’s employees to wear during the promotion.
Then things got weird.
One of the collaboration’s most memorable products was a three foot long Chicken McNugget body pillow, which originally retailed for $90.
The unconventional merchandise helped turn what could have been a straightforward celebrity endorsement into an entire Cactus Jack era.
Rather than simply putting Travis’ name on a meal and releasing a promotional T-shirt, the collaboration treated McDonald’s like the subject of a full streetwear collection.
Six Years Later, Travis Scott x McDonald’s Still Stands Out
A lot has changed for Travis Scott and Cactus Jack since September 2020, but the McDonald’s collaboration remains one of the most unusual crossovers of his career.
And Travis’ ability to move between music, fashion, sneakers and major brands hasn’t disappeared.
Six years later, Cactus Jack continues expanding its relationship with Nike, most recently through its Nike Athlete Series and work with tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz has also recently debuted new colorways of the Cactus Jack Nike Zoom Vapor 12, continuing Travis’ growing influence outside of traditional lifestyle sneakers.
That makes the McDonald’s collaboration even more interesting to revisit.
The products may be long gone from McDonald’s restaurants, but the collaboration remains a perfect example of what Travis Scott has become particularly good at doing:
Turning a collaboration into a cultural event.
For more Travis Scott, Cactus Jack, sneaker, streetwear and music coverage, stay locked in with The Kitchen. Check out Travis’ latest Cactus Jack merch drop at his official website shop.travisscott.com.
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