McDonald’s Scented Candle Set Smells Like a Quarter Pounder When Burned in Unison

In our short attention span world where seemingly every marketing gimmick has had its day, coming up with entirely new ideas is tough, so instead, many brands look for ways to spin things bigger and better. Case in point: We’ve seen fast food-scented candles in the past. KFC is one example that comes to mind. But with McDonald’s latest entry in this field, the brand has announced a grander vision. Instead of one candle with the scent of a Quarter Pounder, the burger giant will be unleashing six candles that must be burned in unison to create the harmonious smell of a complete hamburger.

“Coming soon” to the Golden Arches Unlimited official McDonald’s online shop is the “Quarter Pounder Scented Candle Pack.” (The actual release will be announced on McDonald’s Instagram.) The limited-run new product is a “set of six custom scented candles in glass containers, inspired by Quarter Pounder ingredients: Bun, Ketchup, Pickle, Cheese, Onion, [and] 100-percent Fresh Beef” that burger lovers can “burn together for maximum deliciousness.” Approximate total burn time: 25 hours—meaning you get a full day’s worth of Quarter Pounder scent if you synchronize your lighting properly. Though the shop doesn’t yet list a price, The Daily Meal reports the six-candle set will sell for a whopper of a price: $35.

The candles are part of the new, limited-edition Quarter Pounder Fan Club collection, launched to celebrate the burger’s 50th anniversary next year. Other items include a 2020 Quarter Pounder Calendar, a “Quarter Pounder with Love” 14-karat gold locket preloaded with burger pics (currently listed as sold out, believe it or not), an “I’d Rather Be Eating a Quarter Pounder” bumper sticker (though I’m not sure what precludes you from eating a Quarter Pounder while brandishing the sticker), a Quarter Pounder Fan Club t-shirt and pin, and Couples Quarter Pounder Mittens where two of the four mittens are combined into one forcing said couple to hold hands.

But ridiculous locket notwithstanding, clearly the six-candle set is the star of this show—precisely because of the six candle spin. Eater’s Jaya Saxena compared the concept to the Flaming Lips’ album Zaireeka which came with four CDs that had to be played in unison on four CD players to be heard properly. She then later quipped that you should “not be burning all of these together unless you want to summon the restless spirit of the Hamburglar.” But overall, the reaction appeared relatively mundane. “Why in heaven's name would I want candles that smell like onions and hamburger? I sometimes burn candles to get RID of those odors,” wrote one Twitter user. It’s a valid point, but this isn’t the kind of thing you want to approach logically… because when is it logical to light six scented candles at once regardless of what they smell like?