McDonald's Quietly Phased Out Its Iconic Clown, Disturbing Reason Revealed
As the fast food chain McDonald's climbed the ladder of success, its primary mascot, the clown became a cultural icon. But slowly, the 'Ronald – The Clown' was phased out, LADBible reported. This move was made in 2016 due to a shocking and dangerous trend, that took over the world at that time.
McDonald's introduced Ronald McDonald in the early 1960s, Indy100 reported. The clown sported a yellow boiler suit along with a bright red wig and painted face. Ronald's reception was divisive, with some groups enjoying him a lot, while certain people were turned off by him. The corporation continued with the clown and he became a mainstay in the fast-food franchise's image.
McDonald's breathed life into Ronald McDonald by giving him mates: Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids, LADBible reported. All of them lived together in the fictional world of McDonaldland.
Ronald McDonald's troubles started in 2016 because of a viral trend, Indy100 reported. As a part of this trend, individuals dressed up as terrifying-looking clowns and scared people.
Initially, it just involved people dressing up as sinister clowns and posting their pictures on social media, but soon things escalated, LADBible reported. It went out of control when the scary clowns started hiding near forests and schools, terrorizing the passersby. Incidents were reported in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The whole trend was allegedly ignited by the marketing team of a horror film, who had no clue it would take on such a dangerous shape or form.
Once a group of 20 people in clown masks teamed up to scare a family on Halloween, LADBible reported. Another case allegedly involved a person in a clown mask chasing after a boy on his way to school. Police received multiple reports of people being disturbed by scary circus performers. The clowns were no longer a source of laughter. Their image changed overnight, which was not good news for McDonald's and Ronald.
McDonald's decided to pull back Ronald, Indy100 reported. They released a statement, "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."
U.K. McDonald's assured the mascot's fans that he is still present in the franchise, albeit in a way lesser capacity, LAD Bible reported. They wrote on their website, "We're afraid that Ronald McDonald no longer appears in McDonald's UK advertising, but he is still very busy working for us."