@Wendys - I thought this was relevant enough to put here.

Simple: viral, suden popularity. The one and only ingredient needed for people on the internet to find excuses to hate and downplay anything.

It really is not a "recent" trend. It is almost as old as the internet itself.

Hell, that's why mascots exist in the first place. It's why fucking Santa exists.

This is just the next logical step of it. And at least with stuff like Wendy's there is some entertainment to be had.