Luffy's Straw Hat Meets SpongeBob, But This Crossover Skips Right Over Japan

SpongeBob wearing Luffy's straw hat, draped in that signature red coat, arms stretched out like rubber in Luffy's iconic battle stance — the key visual looks like a joke at first glance, but it's actually the official artwork One Piece just dropped for its next McDonald's collab. Look closer at the background and it gets even better: that pirate ship is actually a reimagined Pineapple House from Bikini Bottom, with a Happy Meal box sprouting bony arms and legs hanging right in the center of the sail. Three entire worlds crammed into one image — and somehow the sheer absurdity of it all is exactly what's selling it.

This marks the first-ever Happy Meal collaboration between One Piece and Nickelodeon's classic animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, set to roll out across 66 countries and regions worldwide starting August 2026. The official list spans the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania — in Asia alone, that includes China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Other markets on the list include the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Brazil. Sixty-six markets across four continents launching together — this is no small campaign.

But the real talking point is who's missing from that list. One Piece's official account made a point of noting in the announcement, "日本での展開予定はありません" (no plans to launch in Japan) — meaning the series born from Eiichiro Oda's pen, a title practically synonymous with Japanese pop culture, is sitting this one out in its own home market. Taiwan is also absent from the published list for now, and whether it'll get added later remains up in the air. A crossover campaign spanning 66 countries, yet skipping both its home turf and neighboring markets — honestly, that's a bigger head-scratcher than SpongeBob in a straw hat.

So far, this key visual is all that's been revealed — no word yet on meal contents, packaging design, included toys, or pricing. Whether Luffy, Nami, Zoro and the rest of the crew will show up dressed as Bikini Bottom residents, or if Patrick and Squidward will instead join the Straw Hat Pirates, is something we'll only find out once local McDonald's branches start rolling out their own announcements.