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.
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.
Posted by: Gary D. Pica | August 05, 2010 at 04:14 PM
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!
Posted by: Rae Pica | August 05, 2010 at 04:19 PM