Wendy’s taps Minions & Monsters for its newest collaboration

Wendy’s hopes a group of small, yellow creatures can boost sales.

The fast-food chain on Monday said that it will start selling meals in conjunction with the upcoming Illumination animated movie Minions & Monsters, featuring the mischievous characters that first appeared in the 2010 movie Despicable Me.

The collaboration starts this week with a Kids’ Meal that will feature a choice of two-piece chicken tenders, four-piece chicken nuggets, hamburger or cheeseburger, Jr. fries or apple bites, kids drink and one of six toys.

The adult version will start on June 15 and includes a choice of a Big Bacon Classic or Spicy Chicken sandwich, small fries, small Banana Frosty Swirl and one of four blind box collectibles from the movie.

The Banana Frosty Swirl is new and features a banana cream sauce swirled into a Vanilla Frosty base.

Wendy’s is also rolling out two Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages inspired by the film’s characters, including a Pineapple Minion MischieFizz and Goomi’s Glimey Lime.

“The best partnerships start with an understanding of what our fans are passionate about,” Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer for Wendy’s, said in a statement. “By bringing together one of the world’s most beloved entertainment franchises with Wendy’s iconic, high-quality food our customers love, we’re creating shared experiences that fans will go bananas for this summer.”

Minions & Monsters debuts in theaters on July 1 and tells the story of how the Minions became movie stars, unleashed monsters on the world and then saved the planet from mayhem. On Thursday, June 11, customers in Los Angeles will be able to try the Minions & Monsters meal through an immersive, themed drive-thru experience at a Wendy’s location on East Imperial Highway in Norwalk, California.

Wendy’s is banking on marketing such as this to generate customer traffic after a difficult year in which its sales decelerated amid leadership challenges and an economic environment in which consumers are cutting back on restaurant visits.

Same-store sales at the Dublin, Ohio-based chain declined 7.8% in the first quarter and have declined for five straight periods. But the company recently named Bob Wright its CEO, ending a months-long period in which Wendy’s went without a permanent chief executive.