McRoll

McRoll (known in Japan as Ran Ran Ru (ランランルー)) is a term referring to MADs featuring clips of Ronald McDonald from the Donarudo No Uwasa (ドナルドのうわさ) series of McDonald's commercials. Due to their bizarre nature, these videos have become infamous in the west, where they are often sent to unsuspecting victims to watch their reactions, similiarly to a Rickroll.

Many of these videos are based on songs from the Touhou Project: the most well-known one is based on Final Savage Sister, Flandre S (最終鬼畜妹フランドール・Ｓ), COOL&CREATE's remix of Flandre Scarlet's theme "U.N. Owen Was Her?".

Background

The clips originate from Donarudo No Uwasa (ドナルドのうわさ) ("Donald's rumors"), a series of Japanese McDonald's commercials. In the most notable one, What is "Ran Ran Ru"? (ランランルーってなんなんだー？, Ran Ran Ru Tte Nan Nan Da~?), Ronald McDonald performs a strange dance-like gesture while yelling "Ran Ran Ru!". He explains that he does it whenever he's feeling happy, and invites the viewer to try it as well.

The quirky style of the commercials have made them a popular source for MADs. These works have become viral in the west as well, where they are often used similiarly to a Rickroll. Possibly, this is because their strangeness is further amplified for those who are unfamiliar to MADs, while the subject of Ronald McDonald is relatable to western audiences.

Links

• YouTube - McRoll'd - the one featuring "U.N. Owen Was Her?" (original on Nicovideo)
• YouTube - Deaf to All but the Ronald - the same concept, but with Mystia Lorelei's theme.
• YouTube - 【音ゲーMAD】Heian Ronald 平安の道化師ドナルド・Ｍ - same concept, but with Nue Houjuu's theme.
• YouTube - 月までランランルー、不死のドナルド - same concept, but with Fujiwara no Mokou's theme.
• Know Your Meme - McDonald's "Ran Ran Ru" Commercial - a more complete and general description of Ran Ran Ru