Editing Whopper (section)

=== Controversies ===
Several of CP+B's advertising programs for Burger King, including ones for the Whopper, drew criticism from groups for perceived cultural insensitivity or misogynistic themes within them. In May 2006, in an American promotion of the Texas Double Whopper, Burger King released a campaign called the "Manthem" which parodies [[Helen Reddy]]'s "[[I Am Woman]]". It depicts a man and his girlfriend at a fancy restaurant. Disappointed by the meager portions he is served, the man bursts into song, expressing his desire for a Texas Double Whopper, in place of what he deems "chick food." As he walks out of the restaurant, he is joined by a chorus of men who rebel by not only eating Texas Double Whoppers, but also [[going commando|go commando]], lift a [[minivan]] over the side of an [[overpass]], and unfurl a banner which says "Eat This Meat." This has been the source of some controversy, as the commercial has been described as demeaning to male vegetarians/vegans, as well as [[misogyny|misogynistic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adjab.com/2006/05/08/ads-we-love-burger-kings-manthem/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619194225/http://www.adjab.com/2006/05/08/ads-we-love-burger-kings-manthem/ |archive-date=19 June 2006 |title=Ads We Love: Burger King's "Manthem" |first=Ben |last=Popken |publisher=AdJab.com |date=8 May 2006 |access-date=27 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/commercials/i-am-man-hear-me-roar-when-my-heart-explodes-177354.php |title=I Am Man, Hear Me Roar... When My Heart Explodes |publisher=The Consumerist |date=31 May 2006 |access-date=27 October 2007 |archive-date=13 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113034351/http://consumerist.com/consumer/commercials/i-am-man-hear-me-roar-when-my-heart-explodes-177354.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Another problematic CP+B advertising program was for the 2009 Texican Whopper that featured commercial known as "The Little Mexican". The Texican Whopper was a limited-time-only version of the Whopper sold in Europe and was advertised with an ad that featured a pair of actors dressed as a cowboy and a [[lucha libre]] wrestler.<ref name="AdAge-Texican">{{cite web |last=Parekh |first=Rupal |title=BK to Revise Ad After Complaints From Mexican Official |url=http://adage.com/article/global-news/burger-king-revise-ad-complaints-mexican-official/135989/ |work=AdAge |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=14 April 2009 |archive-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107014449/http://adage.com/article/global-news/burger-king-revise-ad-complaints-mexican-official/135989/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The problem arose when the Mexican Ambassador to Spain complained that the commercial featured demeaning stereotypes of Mexicans. Additionally, the print version of the advertisement featured the wrestler wearing a cape that appeared to be a [[Mexican flag]], a violation of Mexican [[Law on the National Arms, Flag, and Anthem (Mexico)|laws governing the usage]] of its national banner.<ref name="FN-Texican">{{cite web |title=Burger King 'Little Mexican' Ad Slammed in Spain |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/burger-king-little-mexican-ad-slammed-in-spain/ |work=Fox News |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=14 April 2009 |agency=SkyNews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208204141/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/04/14/burger-king-little-mexican-ad-slammed-in-spain/ |archive-date=2013-12-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> Burger King eventually pulled the ad and issued an apology to the Mexican government. Conversely, the Mexican newspaper ''[[Excélsior]]'' issued a parody of the ad featuring American president Barack Obama as the cowboy and Mexican President Felipe Calderon as the wrestler as a commentary on the relationship between the two countries.<ref name="LAT-Texican">{{cite web |last=Bonello |first=Deborah |title=Burger King withdraws ad after Mexican objection |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2009/04/burger-king-withdraws-ad-after-mexican-objection.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=15 April 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123073843/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2009/04/burger-king-withdraws-ad-after-mexican-objection.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, Burger King introduced a commercial in Russia, in which a Whopper was shown crushing [[red poppy|red poppies]], and the dialogue "This is a poppy. It was popular once, but now its time has passed."<ref name="BI-Opiates"/> The Russian word for poppy is "mak" (мак), a homophone for Mac{{emdash}}a major nickname for McDonald's in Russia.<ref name="AA-Opiates"/>  However, major Russian broadcasters rejected the ad due to concerns over its possible insinuation that the Whopper was better than drugs, as red poppies are in the same plant family as the source of [[heroin]].<!-- EDITOR NOTE: THE RED POPPY IS *NOT* A SOURCE OF OPIATES, THAT WOULD BE THE WHITE POPPY--><ref name="BI-Opiates">{{cite web |last=Stampler |first=Laura |title=Advertising More: Madison Avenue Advertising Burger King Russia This Russian Burger King Ad Says Whoppers Are Better Than Opiates |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/this-russian-burger-king-ad-says-whoppers-are-better-than-opiates-2013-8 |work=Business Insider |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=17 August 2013 |archive-date=12 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112085630/http://www.businessinsider.com/this-russian-burger-king-ad-says-whoppers-are-better-than-opiates-2013-8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AA-Opiates">{{cite web |title=Russian Burger King Ad: Whoppers Are Totally Better Than Opiates |url=http://adage.com/article/adages/burger-king-russia-likens-whopper-opiates/243690/ |work=AdAge |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=15 August 2013 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610211310/http://adage.com/article/adages/burger-king-russia-likens-whopper-opiates/243690/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MT-Opiates">{{cite web |title=Burger King Ad Rejected By TV Stations |url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/burger-king-ad-rejected-by-tv-stations-video/484615.html |work=The Moscow Times |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=16 August 2013 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310124359/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/burger-king-ad-rejected-by-tv-stations-video/484615.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The company refused to comment of the veracity of the networks' claims, and instead posted the advertisement on its [[YouTube]] channel, eventually pulling it from that service as well.<ref name="BI-Opiates"/><ref name="FN-Opiates">{{cite web |title=Burger King pulls ad suggesting its food is an alternative to drugs |url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/burger-king-pulls-ad-suggesting-its-food-is-an-alternative-to-drugs |work=Fox News |access-date=12 November 2013 |date=20 August 2013 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023010828/http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/08/20/burger-king-pull-ad-that-suggests-burger-is-better-than-drugs/#ixzz2ccSg8Dhw |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 12, 2017, Burger King released a commercial entitled ''Connected Whopper'', in which a store employee says that while he could not explain a Whopper in 15 seconds, he had discovered a different way to do so, after which he states "OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?". The dialogue was designed to trigger [[Google Voice Search|voice searches]] on [[Android (operating system)|Android]] devices and [[Google Home]] [[smart speaker]]s configured to automatically respond to the phrase "OK Google".<ref name="variety-voicesearch"/><ref name="FinTim">{{cite news|last1=Bradshaw|first1=Tim|title=Burger King activates a Google Home controversy|url=https://www.ft.com/content/480e5ba6-202b-11e7-a454-ab04428977f9 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/480e5ba6-202b-11e7-a454-ab04428977f9 |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription|access-date=April 26, 2017|publisher=Financial Times|date=April 13, 2017}}</ref>  The specific query caused the device to read out a 43 word block of text from [[English Wikipedia|Wikipedia]]'s article on the Whopper. Prior to the ad's premiere, the article had been edited by users, including one named "Burger King Corporation", so that Google's automatically generated [[Google Knowledge Graph|knowledge panel]] would show a description of the Whopper burger in promotional language. The edits were reverted for violating Wikipedia's policy against promotion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/12/burger-kings-new-ad-will-hijack-your-google-home.html|title=Burger King's new ad will hijack your Google Home|last=Wong|first=Venessa|date=2017-04-12|website=CNBC|access-date=2017-04-12|archive-date=2017-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413073101/http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/12/burger-kings-new-ad-will-hijack-your-google-home.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/12/15259400/burger-king-google-home-ad-wikipedia|title=Burger King's new ad forces Google Home to advertise the Whopper|date=2017-04-12|website=The Verge|access-date=2017-04-12|archive-date=2017-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217165423/https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/12/15259400/burger-king-google-home-ad-wikipedia|url-status=live}}</ref> Soon after the text became the target of [[Vandalism on Wikipedia|vandals]], with some falsely adding ingredients such as [[cyanide]] and the meat of children to the article.<ref name="verge-addisabled"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-is-launching-a-tv-ad-with-a-disastrous-flaw-2017-4|title=Burger King's newest TV ad has a disastrous flaw|work=Business Insider|access-date=2017-04-12|language=en|archive-date=2017-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413063131/http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-is-launching-a-tv-ad-with-a-disastrous-flaw-2017-4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="variety-voicesearch">{{cite web|title=New Burger King Ad Triggers Google Home Speakers, Android Phones|url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/burger-king-okay-google-ad-1202029305/|website=Variety|date=12 April 2017|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413072647/http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/burger-king-okay-google-ad-1202029305/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Google]] blacklisted the advertisement's audio so that it would not trigger the always-on voice detection. In turn, Burger King modified the commercial in order to get around this block.<ref name="wp-admodified">{{cite news|title=Burger King thought it had a great idea. Instead, it ended up with a Whopper of a problem.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/04/12/burger-king-thought-is-had-a-great-idea-instead-it-ended-up-with-a-whopper-of-a-problem/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=15 April 2017|archive-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415020227/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/04/12/burger-king-thought-is-had-a-great-idea-instead-it-ended-up-with-a-whopper-of-a-problem/|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Wikipedia administrator]] also protected the Whopper article to prevent the [[Conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia|promotional descriptions]] or [[Vandalism on Wikipedia|vandalism]] from being re-inserted.<ref name="verge-addisabled">{{cite web|title=Google shuts down Burger King's cunning TV ad|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/12/15277278/google-home-burger-king-whopper-ad-campaign|website=The Verge|date=12 April 2017|publisher=Vox Media|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-date=12 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412233203/https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/12/15277278/google-home-burger-king-whopper-ad-campaign|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the controversy, the campaign won the Grand Prix in the direct category at the [[Cannes Lions]] festival (under the title ''Google Home of the Whopper''), beating ''[[Fearless Girl]]'' by one vote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/creativity/burger-kings-outstanding-outrageous-google-home-stunt-snags-direct-grand-prix-at-cannes/|title=Burger King's 'Outstanding, Outrageous' Google Home Stunt Snags Direct Grand Prix at Cannes|work=Adweek|date=20 June 2017 |access-date=2017-06-22|language=en-US|archive-date=2017-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622145812/http://www.adweek.com/creativity/burger-kings-outstanding-outrageous-google-home-stunt-snags-direct-grand-prix-at-cannes/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 28, 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Burger King, alleging the fast food chain falsely advertised the Whopper to be "look about 35% bigger in its advertising than it is in reality".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burger King sued by customers who claim Whopper is smaller than advertised |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/burger-king-sued-whopper-false-advertising/ |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=Cbsnews.com |date=5 April 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405165838/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/burger-king-sued-whopper-false-advertising/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Burger King accused of false advertising in lawsuit alleging Whoppers are too small |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/burger-king-false-advertising-lawsuit-whopper-burgers-rcna22916 |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=NBC News |date=4 April 2022 |language=en |archive-date=2022-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404234212/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/burger-king-false-advertising-lawsuit-whopper-burgers-rcna22916 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2023 it was declared by a judge that Burger King will face a class action lawsuit regarding the size of the Whopper.<ref>{{cite web |title=Burger King must face whopper of a lawsuit alleging burgers are too small, says judge |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/08/30/burger-king-class-action-lawsuit/70717589007/ |website=USA TODAY |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>