McDonald's: The terrifying reason why their clown, Ronald, is rarely seen today

McDonald’s is one of the most popular and easily-recognisable brand in the world. With the fast-food franchise spread in over 100 countries across the globe, its giant ‘M’ shaped arches are an iconic part of the food landscape globally.

Once upon a time, along with its Golden Arches, McDonald’s mascot, the clown called Ronald McDonald was also a ubiquitous part of the brand’s identity. However, over the years, Ronald has slowly been pushed away from public view, by the company. As reported by The Sun, here is the interesting reason why.

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The history of McDonald’s mascot Ronald

Ronald McDonald was first introduced by McDonald’s during the 1960s, where he appeared in many McDonald’s commercials and campaigns and gained fame and popularity with the fast-food brand’s fans. At the time of his introduction, McDonald’s termed him as their ‘newest, silliest, hamburger-eating-est clown.’

After having a successful run as McDonald’s famous mascot, Ronald was sadly forced out of the spotlight by the company in 2016. The main reason for this was a string of offences which all led to public concerns against clowns.

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James Lee

Disturbing craze led to McDonald’s clown being retired

During the decade of 2010s, there were a string of instances where pranksters and criminals dressed as clowns caused public nuisance. In some cases, such incidents even led to violence. These incidents first occurred in the US and the UK, and then spread around the world.

These instances caused people to be very alarmed, as clowns became increasingly connected to violent crimes and public frenzy.

In response, McDonald’s expressed how 'climate around clown sightings in communities,’ led them to consider how to manage ‘Ronald’s participation in community events.’

McDonald’s later announced that Ronald would not be actively engaged with McDonald’s advertising campaigns. The statement read,

We're afraid that Ronald McDonald no longer appears in McDonald's UK advertising, but he is still very busy working for us.

He often travels up and down the country to help promote some of our exciting new activities and visits our restaurants to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals.

Ronald McDoanld’s has not been fully retired by the brand, as he is still the mascot for McDonald’s UK House Charities, and he still makes appearances for special events every now and then.

Sources used:

The Sun: ‘Why did McDonald’s get rid of Ronald McDonald?’