Did McDonald's announce a new spearmint flavored after-dinner Big Mac hamburger? And did it have a disgusting greenish tint? Fast-food lovers can rest easy: the entire story was a hoax published by a satirical website, it is not true. There are no green Big Macs, that's fake news.
The rumor about the new burger originated from an article published by The Onion on March 17, 2018 titled "McDonald's Announces New Spearmint After-Dinner Big Mac" (archived here) which opened:
OAK BROOK, IL--Calling the new menu item a cool, refreshing way for consumers to finish their meals, McDonald's officials introduced the Spearmint After-Dinner Big Mac during a press event Tuesday at the company's corporate headquarters. "Our new Spearmint Big Mac takes the classic, all-American burger customers love and gives it a minty twist that's perfect for cleansing your palate and freshening your breath," said McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook, explaining that the new Big Mac's menthol-and-sesame-seed bun, spearmint-oil-infused American cheese, and two all-beef patties provide a delicious and intense burst of mint that's "perfect for capping off any Value Meal."
Users on social media would have only seen this title, description and thumbnail which look quite realistic:
McDonald's Announces New Spearmint After-Dinner Big Mac
OAK BROOK, IL-Calling the new menu item a cool, refreshing way for consumers to finish their meals, McDonald's officials introduced the Spearmint After-Dinner Big Mac during a press event Tuesday at the company's corporate headquarters.
But The Onion is one of the oldest and best known satire websites on the internet. Their about page claims:
The Onion is the world's leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events. Rising from its humble beginnings as a print newspaper in 1756, The Onion now enjoys a daily readership of 4.3 trillion and has grown into the single most powerful and influential organization in human history.
In addition to maintaining a towering standard of excellence to which the rest of the industry aspires, The Onion supports more than 350,000 full- and part-time journalism jobs in its numerous news bureaus and manual labor camps stationed around the world, and members of its editorial board have served with distinction in an advisory capacity for such nations as China, Syria, Somalia, and the former Soviet Union. On top of its journalistic pursuits, The Onion also owns and operates the majority of the world's transoceanic shipping lanes, stands on the nation's leading edge on matters of deforestation and strip mining, and proudly conducts tests on millions of animals daily.
If you somehow find that hard to believe: you are right. Scroll down a bit futher on that page and you'll find this:
What if I want to sue The Onion?
Please do not do that. The First Amendment protects satire as a form of free speech and expression. The Onion uses invented names in all of its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental. The Onion is not intended for readers under 18 years of age.
Articles from The Onion are frequently mistaken for real news by people on social media that only see the headline, short description and thumbnail image. Being one of the best known satire sites their articles also frequently get copied by "real" fake news sites that don't carry a satire disclaimer. Always Google before sharing something that sounds improbable!
