Just after teaming up with Vocaloid superstar Hatsune Miku for a "Shaka Shaka Potenage" (Shake Shake Fries & Nuggets) ad, McDonald's Japan is doubling down on its extremely online marketing. The fast-food giant has been digging deep into classic internet culture, making everyone wonder if the entire marketing department is staffed by old-school Niconico users.
Today (Feb. 26), they took it to another level by reviving the legendary Niconico-era meme "Geddan☆" (Get Down). The ad features the spastic, flailing cat-like figure from the original meme, set to Kohmi Hirose's iconic track "promise," to promote its Shake Shake Fries. This blast from the past immediately went viral, with fans praising McDonald's Japan for its deep-cut meme game.
For those not in the know, the "Geddan☆" meme has a wild origin story. It all started with a glitch in the classic Nintendo 64 game *GoldenEye 007*, discovered by partially unseating the game cartridge. This "cartridge tilting" bug caused characters and objects in the game—from James Bond himself to entire aircraft—to spin uncontrollably like tops.
Naturally, this chaotic footage became prime material for meme creators on Niconico Douga. One user set a video of the glitch to the 1997 hit song "promise" by Kohmi Hirose, specifically syncing the spinning to the "GET DOWN" part of the chorus. This created a viral MAD (remix) video that kicked off a massive trend.
The phenomenon didn't stop there. It spawned another iconic MAD video featuring a dancing 8-Head-Tall Monaa, a classic ASCII art character from the Japanese forum 2channel. In the video, Monaa spins and flails wildly, perfectly capturing the chaotic energy of the original glitch, all set to the "GET DOWN" track. The video exploded in popularity, leading to countless tributes and cementing "Geddan" as a legendary piece of internet history. (It even has its own Japanese Wikipedia entry.)
▼ The original 8-Head-Tall Monaa "Geddan" MAD video.
▼ The original *GoldenEye 007* cartridge tilting glitch.
Now, McDonald's has masterfully recreated this classic, having the 8-Head-Tall Monaa shake a bag of fries with the same frantic energy. Old-school Niconico fans are loving it.
▼ They even teased it with a silhouette yesterday (Feb. 25). Absolutely unhinged.
In a true show of commitment, the music for the ad is a brand-new recording. The company admitted the project was a passion piece for the production team, who got Kohmi Hirose herself to re-record the track. You have to appreciate the dedication.
Fans have joked that this is a meme for the "internet elders," wondering why McDonald's is digging up these ancient Niconico relics.
It looks like McDonald's Japan is competing with Nissin for the title of the brand with the wildest marketing team.
The social media strategy from McDonald's Japan just keeps getting crazier. From VTuber collaborations to mainstream partnerships and now reviving classic internet memes, their well of unexpected ideas seems bottomless. It's safe to say there are definitely some Niconico veterans working in that office.