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What Ever Happened To Ronald McDonald?
What Ever Happened To Ronald McDonald?
McDonald's has certainly changed quite a lot since its humble California beginnings in the 1950s, and a great deal of that change has happened just in the last decade or so. They've removed many of their playgrounds, spent $6 billion on making their restaurants more high-tech and sleeker-looking, and done everything under the sun to create a menu that appeals to fast casual-loving millennials.
Despite the friendly and fun good nature of Ronald McDonald, 2016 bought some bad press to clowns everywhere that not even the almighty machine of McDonald's wanted to try and fix. Perhaps you remember back in 2016 when there was a rash of really spooky clown sightings across the United States. The clowns were chasing motorists with knives, lurking around schools, and otherwise just being real creeps. This wasn't simply something that was causing a stir on internet bulletin boards or Twitter major media outlets like Time and The New York Times were reporting on the terrorizing clowns.
"McDonald's and franchisees in the local markets are mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities and as such are being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events for the time being," spokeswoman Terri Hickey said in a press statement.
It was pretty clear that the creepy clowns were more trouble than McDonald's wanted to deal with and it was time Ronald McDonald to take an extended leave of absence. While it might have been the straw that broke the camel's back, it was hardly the only reason McDonald's parted ways with their clown.
Ronald was facing backlash on his marketing to kids.Ronald McDonald may have been McDonald's main mascot since the 1960s, but his presence was wearing thin before those terrifying clown sightings of 2016. Various watchdog groups had been criticizing Ronald's marketing of unhealthy fast food to impressionable kids for years (via The Chicago Tribune). Representatives of Corporate Accountability International went so far as to call him fast food's version of Joe Camel. Ouch. Former CEO Don Thompson attempted to defend Ronald saying in 2014, "You don't see Ronald McDonald eating food." Basically, the message seemed to be that Ronald doesn't eat it — he just sells it. A rebranding of a cooler Ronald McDonald that year that would vibe more with the adult image McDonald's was shooting for was also a flop via The Washington Post. He didn't fit in with the hip makeover of McDonald's
McDonald's has been going through a makeover to make its restaurants more appealing to adults — and less like kiddie burger joints — for years. According to The Motley Fool, the company started this makeover in 2012, and they're still in the process of updating its 5,000-plus locations. This means self-order kiosks, refreshed exteriors, and what CNBC described as modernized dining rooms that feel like "barista-style cafes." Does any of that sound like it would gel with cardboard cutouts of a red-haired clown in a yellow jumpsuit?
McDonald's now wants to be part of the cool crowd and Ronald's goofy look just doesn't fit with the restaurant's new earth tones and dining room bar stools (via CBS). Long story short — Ronald's whole appearance is stuck in the past and Mickey D's is trying to grow up.
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain.
He inhabits the fictional world of McDonaldland, with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids.
Many people work full-time making appearances as Ronald, visiting children in hospitals and attending regular events.
At its height, there may have been as many as 300 full-time clowns at McDonald's restaurants.
There are also Ronald McDonald Houses, where parents can stay overnight with their sick children in nearby chronic care facilities. The origin of Ronald McDonald involves Willard Scott (at the time, a local radio personality who also played Bozo the Clown on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., from 1959 until 1962), who performed using the moniker "Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown" in 1963 on three separate television spots. These were the first three television ads featuring the character.
Scott, who went on to become NBC-TV's Today Show weatherman, claims to have created Ronald McDonald according to the following excerpt from his book Joy of Living:
At the time, Scott was working for Oscar Goldstein, the Washington, DC, area McDonald's franchisee, and numerous sources describe Scott's role as only playing the part of Ronald McDonald, while giving credit for the creation of the mascot to Goldstein and his ad agency.
©All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
McDonald's has certainly changed quite a lot since its humble California beginnings in the 1950s, and a great deal of that change has happened just in the last decade or so. They've removed many of their playgrounds, spent $6 billion on making their restaurants more high-tech and sleeker-looking, and done everything under the sun to create a menu that appeals to fast casual-loving millennials.
Despite the friendly and fun good nature of Ronald McDonald, 2016 bought some bad press to clowns everywhere that not even the almighty machine of McDonald's wanted to try and fix. Perhaps you remember back in 2016 when there was a rash of really spooky clown sightings across the United States. The clowns were chasing motorists with knives, lurking around schools, and otherwise just being real creeps. This wasn't simply something that was causing a stir on internet bulletin boards or Twitter major media outlets like Time and The New York Times were reporting on the terrorizing clowns.
"McDonald's and franchisees in the local markets are mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities and as such are being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events for the time being," spokeswoman Terri Hickey said in a press statement.
It was pretty clear that the creepy clowns were more trouble than McDonald's wanted to deal with and it was time Ronald McDonald to take an extended leave of absence. While it might have been the straw that broke the camel's back, it was hardly the only reason McDonald's parted ways with their clown.
Ronald was facing backlash on his marketing to kids.Ronald McDonald may have been McDonald's main mascot since the 1960s, but his presence was wearing thin before those terrifying clown sightings of 2016. Various watchdog groups had been criticizing Ronald's marketing of unhealthy fast food to impressionable kids for years (via The Chicago Tribune). Representatives of Corporate Accountability International went so far as to call him fast food's version of Joe Camel. Ouch. Former CEO Don Thompson attempted to defend Ronald saying in 2014, "You don't see Ronald McDonald eating food." Basically, the message seemed to be that Ronald doesn't eat it — he just sells it. A rebranding of a cooler Ronald McDonald that year that would vibe more with the adult image McDonald's was shooting for was also a flop via The Washington Post. He didn't fit in with the hip makeover of McDonald's
McDonald's has been going through a makeover to make its restaurants more appealing to adults — and less like kiddie burger joints — for years. According to The Motley Fool, the company started this makeover in 2012, and they're still in the process of updating its 5,000-plus locations. This means self-order kiosks, refreshed exteriors, and what CNBC described as modernized dining rooms that feel like "barista-style cafes." Does any of that sound like it would gel with cardboard cutouts of a red-haired clown in a yellow jumpsuit?
McDonald's now wants to be part of the cool crowd and Ronald's goofy look just doesn't fit with the restaurant's new earth tones and dining room bar stools (via CBS). Long story short — Ronald's whole appearance is stuck in the past and Mickey D's is trying to grow up.
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain.
He inhabits the fictional world of McDonaldland, with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids.
Many people work full-time making appearances as Ronald, visiting children in hospitals and attending regular events.
At its height, there may have been as many as 300 full-time clowns at McDonald's restaurants.
There are also Ronald McDonald Houses, where parents can stay overnight with their sick children in nearby chronic care facilities. The origin of Ronald McDonald involves Willard Scott (at the time, a local radio personality who also played Bozo the Clown on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., from 1959 until 1962), who performed using the moniker "Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown" in 1963 on three separate television spots. These were the first three television ads featuring the character.
Scott, who went on to become NBC-TV's Today Show weatherman, claims to have created Ronald McDonald according to the following excerpt from his book Joy of Living:
At the time, Scott was working for Oscar Goldstein, the Washington, DC, area McDonald's franchisee, and numerous sources describe Scott's role as only playing the part of Ronald McDonald, while giving credit for the creation of the mascot to Goldstein and his ad agency.
©All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
