For a certain generation, going to McDonald’s and seeing its mascot, clown Ronald McDonald, was part of the iconic experience, but the food company got rid of him for an odd reason.
McDonald’s used to be the best spot to host a birthday party as a kid, but oh, how much the world has changed.
Part of this wonderful experience was taking pictures with the fast food company’s mascot, Ronald McDonald. Either posing alongside a worker in costume or the permanent statue, it was quite the experience.
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Obviously, this only really applied if you didn’t mind clowns.
Ronald McDonald used to be as synonymous with McDonald’s as the Big Mac(Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
Ronnie very much divided opinion back in the day, as you either loved him or hated him.
But thinking about it, you may have noticed Ronald hasn’t been seen on any McDonald’s marketing for a long while. Well, this is beause the fast-food chain decided to phase out the character altogether in 2016 due to a disturbing social media trend.
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Cast your mind back eight years ago, and you may remember the viral trend that saw people dressing up as sinister-looking clowns. Folks would often share snaps of them in clown costumes on social media, with the trend taking a rather disturbing turn.
It got to the point where people would rock up to schools across the US dressed as clowns. And things got massively out of hand as a Florida family were attacked by a group of 20 people wearing clown masks.
Because of the social media trend, clowns went from a childhood entertainment to the stuff of nightmares.
Ronnie has not been seen since 2016 (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
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McDonald’s ultimately decided to ditch Ronald in the end due to the public opinion of clowns shifting.
A statement from the fast food company at the time read: “McDonald’s and franchises 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.”
Willard Scott, the original portrayer of the McDonald’s mascot, sadly passed away at the age of 87 in 2021.
Back in 1987, Scott offered some insight into playing the famed character.
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He told the New York Times: “I just love people. A lot of speakers on the talk circuit leave right afterward… I do a lot of shmoozing. I’m like a dog. You just open the door and I go, ‘rrrr, rrrr,’ and then I lick everybody’s face.”
