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McDonald’s nostalgic 1955 Burger will come that much closer to a U.S. introduction when the burger joins the menu in the UK. According to Marketing magazine, that happens in the next few weeks. 

There’s no “wow” ingredient to the 1955, which celebrates the year Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Ill. As first introduced a year ago in Germany, the 1955 is topped with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, bacon and barbecue sauce, and it has proved to be very popular as McDonald’s moved the burger to Spain, Italy, France, Scandinavia and elsewhere. It is on the menu now in Belgium. McDonald’s Corp. President-COO Don Thompson in July told analysts that the 1955 was the “best-performing sandwich” Germany has seen, and he confirmed that it is being considered for import to the U.S. menu.

It will be interesting to see the advertising created for the 1955’s debut in the UK. Leo Burnett’s London office handles the UK account and has done some memorable work, including the “Favourites” spots and the recent giant Happy Meal box commercials. 

Agency DDB, which handles the majority of McDonald’s Markets, created some warm TV spots for the Scandinavian introduction of the 1955 Burger in April. These introduced Glen Volkman, Lester E. Stein Jr. and Deborah Arnolds, who recalled the impact that first McDonald’s in Des Plaines had on their lives back in 1955 when they worked there or dated there. McDonald’s insists these English-language spots about a trio of now-senior Americans were created just for Scandinavia but I’m still betting we’ll see them again when the 1955 Burger comes to the U.S. 

McDonald’s recently borrowed the 1955 Burger idea to create Le 1967 Burger this summer. Available only in Quebec, it spotlighted the year McDonald’s opened its first Canadian restaurant.