Big Mac Attack

Red and red-outlined text on a yellow background with the characteristic McDonald's logo at the bottom 

A reference to a real-life condition of a heart attack, a Big Mac Attack is a pseudo-disease that describes the sudden urge to eat a Big Mac from McDonald’s. The only advice to cure the ailment was to immediately go to McDonald’s and get a Big Mac. Starting in 1976, McDonald’s put out advertisements asking if anyone was suffering from a “Big Mac Attack”. As a part of this campaign, the company sponsored popular sports teams, hosted a creative writing contest with a prize of free Big Macs, and even gave away a car.

Did you know that the Big Mac had two other names? The famous burger was first named “The Aristocrat” to advertise the burger as elegant, then “The Blue Ribbon Burger” to show off its “award-winning” taste. Both names didn’t click with customers. Finally, at a meeting with the company’s advertising department, Esther Glicken, a secretary at the time, recommended the name “Big Mac”. Everyone laughed at her suggestion, but ultimately the name stuck. For McDonald’s 30th anniversary, Esther Glicken was given a plaque officially identifying her as the person who named the sandwich.