Ronald McDonald

Ronald McDonald is an advertising mascot created in 1963, to promote the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. Depicted as a smiling, friendly clown in a village of food-related characters, he appeared in many vignettes creating a safe, pleasant fantasy for children. The highly successful advertising campaign still continues to draw in thousands of children and parents to purchase McDonald's famous Happy Meal.

Related Topics:
Advertising - Mascot - 1963 - McDonald's - Fast-food restaurant - Clown - Food - Vignettes - Children - Happy Meal

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According to the book Fast Food Nation (2001), 96 percent of schoolchildren in the U.S. can identify Ronald McDonald. Only Santa Claus was more commonly recognized.

Related Topics:
Fast Food Nation - U.S. - Santa Claus

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Many of the restaurants are decorated with a life-size statue of the clown, holding out his hand to greet customers at the entrance, and children love to shake hands with him. Sometimes the figure is sitting on a bench allowing children to sit next to him or on his lap.

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In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids. In recent years, however, the somewhat "childish" McDonaldland premise has been largely phased out, and Ronald is instead shown interacting with normal kids in their everyday lives.

Related Topics:
Television - McDonaldland - Grimace - Hamburglar - Birdie the Early Bird - The Fry Kids

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Several people work full-time making appearances in the Ronald McDonald costume, visiting children in hospitals. There are also several Ronald McDonald Houses, where parents can stay overnight when visiting sick children in nearby chronic care facilities.

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Due to the controversy over fast food, critics have likened McDonald to Joe Camel, the former mascot of Camel cigarettes.

Related Topics:
Fast food - Joe Camel - Camel cigarettes

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McDonald is also, officially, the Chief Happiness Officer of the McDonald's Corporation.

Related Topics:
Chief Happiness Officer - McDonald's Corporation

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