The fast-food chain released an "emo" rendition of its logo, as well as a "punk" version, to promote the opening of a new location in Camden, London. The designs were exclusive to that site; Wendy's original logo featuring a red-headed girl with pigtails would remain on signs and products at all other locations.
Fact Check
Even the girl in pigtails can change up her hair. An “emo” version of Wendy's mascot made her debut in London in July 2022, according to a tweet, with a totally new hairstyle. The new Wendy’s mascot has side-swept straight bags, a shaggy haircut, and black dyed hair mixed in with her well-known redheaded look.
The chain responded to the tweet, which included a photograph of someone with similar-looking hairstyle standing beside a sign with the "emo" character. “Double trouble," wrote the official Twitter account for Wendy's U.K. locations.
That said, the "emo" version of the logo was an authentic design released by Wendy's. The fast-food chain unveiled the design — as well as "punk" and "bouffant quiff" versions (displayed in the tweet below) — to promote the opening of a new location in Camden, London, and pay homage to that neighborhood’s history of counterculture, arts, and fashion.
In June 2022, Wendy’s U.K. Twitter account asked its followers to pick their favorite of the three designs ("punk", "bouffant quiff", or "emo") to "be the face of our new Camden restaurant."
The “punk” mascot featuring spiked red hair was the poll's winner, according to the Twitter account. However, as Mike Pomranz, a writer for Food & Wine Magazine, put it, "Emo Wendy was just too good to ignore." Both versions appeared on signs outside the Camden restaurant, which opened on June 28, according to the magazine.
According to The Drum, a marketing news outlet, the Camden location is the eighth Wendy's to open in the United Kingdom. Tony Barr, a senior international marketing director for Wendy’s said: “As a new brand entering such a culturally-rich neighborhood, it was important for us to show respect for the community and showcase the genuine excitement we have to become a part of it.”
The fast-food chain unveiled the designs in collaboration with Camden Open Air Gallery, a group of artists in the neighborhood. Shortly before the Camden restaurant's opening, the group revealed on Instagram a mural featuring all three logo designs.
All of this said, the alternative logos were exclusive to the Camden location; Wendy's original design featuring a red-headed girl with pigtails would remain on signs and products at all other locations.