Featured Image Credit: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images / Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Topics: McDonalds, Social Media, Food and Drink
Callum Jones
Topics: McDonalds, Social Media, Food and Drink
Those of a certain age will be well aware of a certain Ronald McDonald clown from their youth.
Whether it be a Maccies trip before a cinema date or a Happy Meal paid for by mom and dad, you may have noticed the mascot in McDonald's restaurants across the US.
With a yellow boiler suit outfit, white face and red wig, Ronald has been in a mainstay in pop culture since he was introduced way back in the 1960s.
To be honest, just describing the way the mascot looks you'd think Ronald is prime for a horror film appearance.
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So, to think his job was to bring kids joy while they delved into a Happy Meal is a little concerning.
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.
Cast your mind back eight years 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.
McDonald's ultimately decided to ditch Ronald in the end due to the public opinion of clowns shifting.
A statement from Maccies 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.
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."