Tell McDonald's: No clobberin' time for preschoolers!

Violence and gender stereotypes all in one fell swoop! From the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood:

It's hard to believe, but McDonald's Happy Meal toys have hit a new low. 

The fast food giant's latest giveaway for preschool boys features eight Marvel comic action figures.  One, The Human Torch, is a man engulfed in flames. Another, The Thing, menacingly roars "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" at the press of a button.

Tell McDonald's its toys are pressing your buttons:  "No time is clobberin' time for  preschoolers."

It's bad enough that McDonald's relentlessly uses junk toys to sell children on junk food.  It's awful that this giveaway continues the troubling trend of fast food restaurants promoting toys linked to violent PG-13 movies. And it's terrible that McDonald's, the leading distributor of toys in the United States, relentlessly perpetuates the worst gendered stereotypes with its Happy Meal giveaways.  During the current promotion boys get violent action figures with their burgers and fries, while girls are offered cutesy animals that, bizarrely, come with handbags.

But now, for preschool boys, a so-called happy meal at McDonald's features the horrifying spectacle of a man on fire and a menacing figure that explicitly spurs them to violence.

The fast food giant claims that "getting a toy is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald's."

If clobberin' time is McDonald's idea of family fun, it's time to steer clear of the Golden Arches.

Tell McDonald's: No Clobberin' Time for Preschoolers.

Comments

[Gary D. Pica]

Clobberin time is no good for anyone, especially for pre schoolers! What are they thinking? Why don't they just give you drinking glasses like they use to? At least those would be more practical. That is my opinion, but what do I know? Who am I to say? I am just a consumer.

[Rae Pica]

I forgot about the glasses! You're right; at least they had some practical use. I can't imagine what McDonald's could be thinking, introducing violence to children so young. Seems to be we have enough of it in the world already!