A promotional digital flier allegedly featuring Wendy’s take on a Krabby Patty—which will purportedly be released on Oct. 8 as part of the chain’s alleged SpongeBob Squarepants collab with Paramount—is going viral.
Some people online are claiming the burger in the flier looks a lot like a Dave’s Single, which is already part of the menu. They think Wendy’s is simple rebranding the already existent menu item as a limited edition item to make more money. However, more suspicious netizens are defending Wendy’s. They don’t think the flier is real and actually read its fine print.
The drama behind the rumored collab
According to several reports, both Wendy’s and Paramount haven’t confirmed the collab, which would be in honor of the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob Squarepants. An alleged internal memo about the collab was reportedly leaked on Reddit on Aug. 21. The post is still up on the platform, but the poster, Redditor Bellos1, later claimed they were fired for leaking the news.
The memo introduces the “Krabby Patty Meal,” which includes a Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty, Krabby Patty, and a medium fry.
The memo refers to the Krabby Patty as a “premium cheeseburger with Wendy’s fresh, never frozen beef, topped with fresh produce and a secret Krabby Patty Sauce, capturing the magic of the iconic fictional sandwich for SpongeBob fans.”
“Alongside the Krabby Patty, we’re also debuting a new Frosty flavor – Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty,” the memo reads.
“While we can’t confirm what’s coming down Wendy’s innovation pipeline, we can share that we’re always looking to bring fans new menu items inspired by our fans’ cravings. We will be sure to keep you in the loop when we have more news to share,” Wendy’s told IndieWire about the leaked memo.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Wendy’s for comment.
So, where does the promotional flier come from?
TikTok user Eli Guck (@eliguck) shared a purported digital promotional flier featuring the meal. The photo is also circulating in other parts of the web. It’s been shared by Redditors, Instagrammers, YouTubers, and other TikTokers.
It’s actually unclear where the flier originated as Wendy’s nor Paramount has confirmed anything about the collab. It might not even be an official flier. A fan could’ve easily whipped it up. But that isn’t stopping people online from sharing it.
Fans are also noticing something unusual about the “Krabby Patty” featured on the flier. It looks a lot like a Dave’s Single, which is a Wendy’s staple item.
Guck, in a video viewed over 250,000 times, riffs on the fact the image on the flier seems to be a Dave’s Single. “I just got the new Krabby Patty,” he says, holding up the Dave’s Single.
“Does it look familiar?” he asks. “It almost looks like it’s just Dave’s Single, does it?”
A viral Reddit post made similar claims. “Wendy’s ‘Krabby Patty’ is just a Dave’s Single,” the post reads.
Guck confirmed to the Daily Dot that he purchased a Dave’s Single for the video after viewers took him at face value.
“I was joking it was literally just a Dave’s Single. I don’t even know if the Krabby Patty meal is real,” he told the Daily Dot.
@eliguck EUGENE H. KRABS DIDN’T DIE FOR THIS #fyp #spongebob #wendys #fastfood #foodtok ♬ original sound – Eli Guck
What viewers are saying
Some viewers took Guck’s video at face value. However, others poked holes in both the video and flier.
“That image is a concept made by someone, it’s watermarked. We won’t know what it actually looks like until it comes out,” one said.
“If u look closely the promotional poster says that the image used is just a concept image and not the actual burger. it will not look like that,” another said, pointing out the fine print on the flier.
The fine print reads: “*Concept image only. Final product will differ.”
So even if it is an official flier, it’s unlikely that Wendy’s will be repurposing the Dave’s Single for the rumored SpongeBob meal.
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