Whos down in Whoville, and underwater residents of Bikini Backside, there’s information for each of you: McDonald’s and Burger King, longtime fast-food rivals, are going head-to-head. Or, to be extra correct, scary red-wigged, face-painted clown head in opposition to equally scary red-bearded crown-wearing head.

On Tuesday, McDonald’s introduced The Grinch Meal, and on the identical day, Burger King rolled out its SpongeBob SquarePants menu. So for those who’re sick of Thanksgiving leftovers and need some quick meals as a substitute, you’ll be able to determine in case your style buds resonate with the crabby inexperienced Grinch or the at all times cheerful SpongeBob.

Each are limited-edition choices, so get to your native McDonald’s or Burger King quickly if you wish to check out the meals.

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McDonald’s Grinch Meal Evaluate

Actually, McDonald’s Grinch Meal is not as inventive as BK’s choices — the place are the green-dyed buns, the inexperienced shake or the McRoast Beast burger? Basically, the Grinch Meal is an grownup Pleased Meal, consisting of your selection of an everyday Massive Mac or a 10-piece Rooster McNuggets, fries and a medium drink.

Fries with Grinch Salt (dill-pickle seasoning)

McDonald’s gives just one uncommon meals merchandise with the Grinch Meal, and that is an adjunct for the fries. They arrive with a small bag of tangy dill pickle seasoning, labeled Grinch Salt, that you simply’re imagined to shake in your fries for a puckery addition. Pickles, just like the Grinch, are inexperienced and bitter, so I assume that is the connection right here.

My evaluate: How did they style? Fairly good! I am a pickle fan, and as soon as I shook them up, the fries have been bitter and salty and total pleasant. Two inexperienced, furry thumbs up.  I want there was a pickle-flavored dipping sauce too. 

Grade: A-.

No Grinch toy, however … socks?

Pleased Meals at all times include an additional toy or prize of some sort. However there is no Grinch stuffed animal or Cindy Lou Who figurine with McDonald’s Grinch Meal, though the field all of it is available in is cute and Grinchy-themed.

As a substitute, you get the one Christmas present that is so cliched there are countless jokes about it: a pair of socks. There are 4 completely different Grinch-themed socks exhibiting The Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, Max the canine and a few McDonald’s logo-themed ornaments. Every pair additionally has an all-caps, hand-scrawled-looking message from the Grinch.

The blue socks learn: “These socks stink.”

The yellow socks learn: “Nostril Hazard.”

The pink socks learn: “Property of the Grinch.”

And the inexperienced socks learn, “The Grinch was right here.”

My evaluate: I ended up with the yellow pair of socks. They appear to be of respectable high quality, and contemplating how lame some fast-food prizes are, this was a rating for me. I’d truly put on them.

Grade: A

Burger King SpongeBob SquarePants menu

If McDonald’s sort of went Grinch-appropriate stingy on its Grinch choices, Burger King went Sponge Bob-overboard with the beneficiant SpongeBob SquarePants menu. SpongeBob followers, you would possibly as effectively go all out and order the Bikini Backside Bundle, which provides you all 4 of the themed objects in a pineapple-shaped field.

King Jr. youngsters’ meal in a pineapple field

There is no grownup meal, however there’s a King Jr. youngsters’ meal, in a field formed like SpongeBob’s underwater pineapple residence. It consists of considered one of six SpongeBob toys. 

My evaluate: My toy was a figurine of SpongeBob sporting a pirate’s cap and clutching a ship’s wheel. There was imagined to be a Burger King SpongeBob crown too, however my location should’ve forgotten to present these out. The SpongeBob toy was fairly cool as youngsters’ toys go, although. And the pineapple field is cute.

Grade: A-

Krabby Patty? Nearly!

As each SpongeBob fan is aware of, the cheerful sponge is a fry cook at The Krusty Krab, serving up Krabby Patties all day lengthy, so he is aware of his quick meals. Burger King has loads of themed menu objects, far more than the McDonald’s Grinch choices.

SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper

SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper is the closest factor to the Krabby Patty from the present. (Wendy’s had a Krabby Patty and Pineapple Frosty final yr, you would possibly recall.) It appears to be a reasonably peculiar Whopper till you get to the bun, which is sq. and yellow, similar to our spongy hero. The yellow dye is made with pure spices, Burger King says. In any other case, the Whopper is only a common Whopper.

My evaluate: The Whopper will not be my favourite burger, however I’ve to say the light-yellow, squared-off bun seems tremendous cool. It did not style any completely different, however I appreciated it.

Grade: B

Mr. Krabs’ Tacky Bacon Tots 

Mr. Krabs’ Tacky Bacon Tots are crispy, coin-shaped potato tots full of cheese, bacon bits and potatoes, served in a treasure chest-themed carton. 

My evaluate: Ugh, move on these. The unreal style of the bacon is fairly terrible, and it dried out in about 3 seconds.

Grade: C-

Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie evaluate

Patrick Star is SpongeBob’s greatest good friend, and in his honor, you’ll be able to order Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie. It is a strawberry shortcake pie slice that includes strawberry and vanilla-flavored creamy layers, a crunchy cookie crumb crust, shortcake cookie crumbles and pink star-shaped sprinkles.

My evaluate: Yum! I am not normally a fan of any fast-food dessert, however this was candy and creamy, and the crust was tasty, too.

Grade: A

Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float evaluate

Honoring SpongeBob’s pineapple residence, you’ll be able to order a Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float, described as “an icy, refreshing frozen pineapple-flavored beverage topped with tropical-flavor chilly foam.”

My evaluate: This was my favourite merchandise amongst all of the meals. I did not actually detect any tropical flavoring within the “chilly foam,” however the drink was sort of like a classed-up pineapple Slurpee, refreshing and candy.

Grade: A+

Grinch Meal or SpongeBob Menu, which tastes higher?

Is it mistaken to say I preferred the non-edible components of each meals nearly greater than the meals? The Grinch socks have been respectable high quality and cute, and the SpongeBob figurine was enjoyable.

Meals-wise, Burger King will get factors for the tasty pineapple float and the Patrick pie. The McDonald’s meal is simply McDonald’s meals with the dill-pickle seasoning for fries added. That is tremendous so far as it goes, but it surely would not go that far. 

My vote, then, is for those who’re solely going to go to considered one of these chains earlier than the limited-edition themed meals go away, hit up Burger King and check out the Bikini Backside Bundle. Except you are an unlimited Grinch fan, pickle lover or actually need some new socks.