65 Fun Facts About the Whopper®

Last year, Burger King celebrated the 65th birthday of the iconic Whopper sandwich.  

That’s 65 years of the unmistakable taste of a flame-grilled beef patty with fresh ingredients including juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, sliced white onions, and topped with creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, and crunchy pickles, all on a toasted sesame seed bun.  

And while the Whopper can never be imitated, through the years BK has shown that it can most certainly be innovated. In honor of its birthday, we put together 65 fun facts about the iconic sandwich – from the craziest Whopper innovations to creative campaigns and its history:

1. The Angry Whopper was first introduced in 2008, made with melted habanero cheese, hardwood-smoked bacon, fresh jalapeño slices, and layered spicy onion petals, topped with Angry sauce. Over the years, BK has brought back the fan favorite for a limited time.

2. The Angriest Whopper, a variation of the Angry Whopper, was launched in the US in 2016, and made on a bright red bun (baked with hot sauce) topped with jalapeños and Angry sauce.

3. In celebration of its 50th anniversary in Puerto Rico, BK created the Hands-Free Whopper Holder, which was given away to 50 lucky Whopper lovers.

4. In 2016, BK US offered the Whopperito – offering everything Guests love about the Whopper in burrito form! The Whopperito was stuffed with beef, Tex-Mex seasoning, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, pickles and creamy queso sauce.
5. To celebrate the launch of Windows 7 in Japan, BK Japan offered the Windows 7 Whopper - a Whopper stacked with 7 beef patties and available for 7 days at select locations!
6. Before brussels sprouts were considered trendy, BK UK added brussels sprouts and Swiss cheese to the Whopper to make the Sprout Surprise Whopper in 2010.  
7. A Whopper of a wedding – to celebrate the marriage of Joel Burger and Ashley King, BK helped make sure it was a royal event by paying for the event and gifting BK-branded swag.  
8. In 2018, BK introduced the Chocolate Whopper - the only catch? It was an April Fool’s Day prank.  
9. As an April Fool’s Day prank 20 years earlier in 1998, BK US took out a full-page ad in USA today to advertise the Left-Handed Whopper. The Left-Handed Whopper is the same as a regular Whopper, but exclusively for left-handed Guests.  
10. In 2019, BK US launched the Impossible Whopper™ in partnership with Impossible Foods™, as one of the first QSR plant-based burger products.
11. American Idol alum and award-winning singer and actress, Jennifer Hudson, used to make Whopper sandwiches when she worked her first job at BK – she would even sing while working at the drive-thru!  
12. One of the Whopper sandwiches most famous attributes is its flame-grilled beef patty. In Thailand, BK offered the Pork Whopper which featured flame-grilled ground pork patty in lieu of the classic beef patty.
13. BK Thailand wasn’t the only one to offer a variation on the beef patty – BK South Korea offered a Shrimp Whopper, which adds a layer of shrimp and tomato sauce, minus the ketchup, to the traditional Whopper.
14. The Meat Beast Whopper, which was offered by BK Philippines in 2010, added pepperoni and bacon to a 4 oz flame-grilled beef patty.
15. The Chicken Whopper was launched in 2002 for the 45 anniversary of the Whopper in the US.
16. The Pizza Burger was sold exclusively at the BK Whopper Bar location in Times Square, New York City in September 2010. It featured four Whopper patties on a sesame bun, which was sliced into six pieces and topped with pepperoni, mozzarella, basil pesto and marinara sauce.
17. While many think that the Whopper was created to complete in the “Burger Wars” against products like McDonald’s Big Mac, that is not true! Burger King actually started selling the Whopper in 1957, 11 years before McDonalds’s introduced the Big Mac in 1968.  
18. The 4 Cheese Whopper – made with Swiss, American, mozzarella, and cheese sauce – was first offered in 2014 in the Philippines!
19. After the success of the 4-Cheese Whopper in the Philippines, BK Philippines partnered with Cheetos for the Cheetos 4-Cheese Crunch in 2017!
20. The first Whopper was sold in 1957 at the chains first restaurant in Miami.
21. The “Rebel Whopper” was an early naming mechanism for plant-based Whopper sandwiches globally. Some countries, like New Zealand, still use this name!
22. The Plant-based Whopper is the plant-based burger currently offered in many countries in Europe, which is offered in partnership with the Vegetarian Butcher.
23. BK US launched the Ghost Pepper Whopper this past Halloween (2022), which is made with a flame-grilled beef patty, spicy queso, crispy jalapeños, bacon, and ghost pepper cheese, on a toasted orange and black sesame seed bun.

24. Along with the iconic Ya-Ya Bacon Whopper commercial, BK US launched the Bacon Whopper in 1991!
25. There are over 200,000 ways to order a classic Whopper, so Guests truly can have it their way!  
26. In 1996, BK US launched the Western Whopper, which had BBQ sauce, Cheddar or American cheese, and bacon, and was also available with double or triple beef.
27. Ellen DeGeneres brought a Whopper, shake, and fries onstage with her during one of her first stand-up comedy performances in her 20s and ate the entire meal as part of her set.  
28. The Fiesta Whopper launched in 1998, which featured Pepper jack cheese, no pickles, and a spicy sauce instead of ketchup.
29. In 2001, the “Xtreme” Bacon & Cheese Whopper launched, with had two slices each Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, and four strips of bacon.
30. The King Kong Whopper, which included 3 beef patties, was launched alongside the release of the King Kong movie in the US.

31. The Texas Double Whopper was first offered in 2006 and features Jalapeno peppers, bacon, and mustard instead of ketchup.
32. With two beef patties, American cheese, and 8 strips of bacon, the Ultimate Double Whopper, was first offered in 2007 to celebrate the release of The Simpson’s Movie
33. The California Whopper was launched in 2012 and features Swiss cheese, guacamole, and thick-cut hardwood smoked bacon.
34. The Carolina BBQ Whopper was first launched in 2012! It contains Pepper Jack cheese, hardwood-smoked bacon, and Bull’s-Eye Carolina Style BBQ sauce.
35. In 2012, the Texas BBQ Whopper was first offered with Bull’s-Eye Texas-Style BBQ sauce, American cheese, and jalapeño slices.
36. With Wisconsin white Cheddar and thick-cut hardwood smoked bacon, the Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper was offered in 2012.
37. At select locations in Wisconsin, BK offered the Green Bay Whopper in 2018 – featuring eight slices of cheese!

37. The Whopper Melt is a newer iteration of the Whopper launched in 2022. The hand-held sandwich featured two slices of toast, layered with ¼. lb of flame-grilled beef, melty American cheese, caramelized onions, and stacker sauce,
38. To celebrate the 55^th anniversary of the Whopper, BK temporarily offered the sandwich for 55 cents.
39. Although the Whopper has undergone several iterations, the use of ground beef, tomatoes, and lettuce has never changed.
40. Temporarily, BK could not call the Whopper a Whopper in San Antonio because another separate, unaffiliated chain called “Whopper Burger” held all the rights to the name “Whopper” until 1983.
41. The original price of the Whopper was 37 cents.
42. Burger King restaurants wifi is named Whopper Wifi.  
43. Burger King US offered the A1 Halloween Whopper in 2015, which is a US black bun burger with A1 sauce baked into the bun.
44. The Whopper was a guest star on Silicon Valley in episode 3 when the characters bought the entire menu for an investment around sesame seeds.
45. The Whopper is mentioned in the movie “Always Be My Maybe” when Ali Wong & Randall Park’s characters break up in a Burger King! “You can get it to go if you wanna eat it in your car and cry.”  
46. The Whopper was discontinued – for one day in 2007, causing a “Whopper Freakout”.  
47. In 2014, BK US launched the Proud Whopper with rainbow wrapping but the same classic Whopper, since we’re all the same inside!
48. There’s nothing quite like the smell of a flame-grilled Whopper sandwich...which is why in 2015, BK Japan launched a “Whopper Perfume”.

50. To promote the fact the Whopper is made with no artificial preservatives, BK US showed a time lapse of a Whopper growing moldy.
51. For National Donut Day in 2018, BK US offered the Whopper Donut –a Whopper with a hole in the center – for 1 day at 5 locations.      
52. The Indy Double Whopper was launched in 2008 to accompany the release of the movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”!
53. In partnership with La Liga BBVA, the top professional division of the Spanish football league, and Pepsi, BK launched Spanish twist on the Whopper that features Manchego Cheese and Chorizo patty.
54. The Chipotle Whopper was launched in 2012, and was made with thick-cut bacon, pepper jack cheese, spicy chipotle mayo, fresh-cut lettuce, ripe tomatoes and sweet caramelized style onions, all on a toasted sesame seed bun.
55. In 2015, Burger King proposed the “McWhopper” as a Peace Day friendly offering from Burger King to McDonald's. However, the proposal grew in popularity and resulted in a Peace Day Burger that was a combination of Denny’s Bacon Slamburger, Wayback’s Wayback Classic, Krystal’s Cheese Krystal, Giraffas’ Brutus and the Burger King Whopper sandwich that was sold in Atlanta on Peace Day raising money for Peace One Day.
56. Ever had a lousy holiday gift? Well, in 2016 you could exchange unwanted holiday gifts for a Whopper at participating stores!
57. Making getting fired a bit of a less painful process, in 2017 BK gave out free Whopper sandwiches to people who posted on LinkedIn that they got fired and wanted “Whopper Severance”!
58. You may have heard of Net Neutrality, but it can be hard to understand. In 2018, the “Whopper Neutrality” experiment took place to show the public the importance of net neutrality through the iconic burger.
59. In 2018, you could go to McDonald’s to order a Whopper for 1 cent as part of the “Whopper Detour” BK campaign
60. #EatLikeAndy! In 2019, the BK Superbowl commercial featured an iconic film clip of Andy Warhol eating a Whopper!
61. The Ghost Whopper, launched in 2019, featured spectral-white buns and was taste-tested by spirits themselves!
62. In partnership with the release of the Birds of Prey film, BK offered a “breakup box” with a Whopper meal in exchange for a picture of your ex!
63. Featuring BK’s 1980s-era packaging and an upside-down Whopper, the Whopper entered the Upside-Down, alternate universe from the tv show Stranger Things, with a retro twist in 2019!
64. For the 65th Birthday of the Whopper, BK sold the sandwich again for 37 cents (its original price from 1957).
65. In the Halloween spirit, BK Canada offered the Franken Whopper, which featured a mound onion rings and fries (a whole combo meal in a mouthful!).