Ronald: A Retrospective
The era in which Ronald McDonald was conceived was a simpler time. The clown marketed fatty burgers and fries directly to kids without repercussion, and seemed to have a ball doing it.
But today things aren’t so simple. Most Americans don’t think its right to use cartoon and children’s characters like Ronald to sell harmful products to kids, such as McDonald’s fast food. So CEO Jim Skinner has attempted to rewrite history claiming, “Ronald has never sold food to kids in the history of his existence.”
The public is also getting wise to why Ronald has reinvented himself more times than Madonna and has maintained a fever pitched schedule of parties, speaking engagements, and commercials. (Hint: it’s not to trim America’s waistline.)
The trend has even the Vice President for Marketing Greg Watson longing for simpler times when selling burgers to kids wasn’t such a public relations circus.. “I think it takes away from the magic and joy that Ronald’s supposed to bring,” says Watson.
And when Watson says “magic and joy” it may be that he really means “all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese.” And that is what Ronald McDonald is all about in a nutshell…er…sesame seed bun.