# Where's Ronald? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138 "2020-02-19T00:42:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/1 "2020-02-19T00:42:14Z")
I just realized that I haven’t seen Ronald McDonald in any McDonald’s commercials for quite some time. Have they dumped that character? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/2 "2020-02-19T00:55:15Z")
Not “dumped” (they’d be fools to completely walk away from such a recognizable character), but McDonalds scaled back their use of the character quite a few years ago. [This article](http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2018/08/the-bizarre-rules-surrounding-being-ronald-mcdonald/) indicates that one of the reasons was that they found that he didn’t resonate with kids the way he used to, and I suspect that scary clowns in movies and TV shows played a role. That article also notes that McDonald’s has some very stringent “Santa is real”-style rules about how they talk about Ronald. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/3 "2020-02-19T01:06:37Z")
Well, he creeped me the eff out. Bozo was pretty scary too. :eek: Gah!! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/4 "2020-02-19T01:14:37Z")
While we’re clowning around, does anyone have a link to the initial creepy king mask Burger King commercial? I think it first appeared during a Super Bowl, but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/5 "2020-02-19T01:54:05Z")
[Ronald built a secret room in his mother’s house and lived there after his Mom died when the house was sold to a young family with teen-age daughters.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071186/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/6 "2020-02-19T02:47:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I just realized that I haven’t seen Ronald McDonald in any McDonald’s commercials for quite some time. Have they dumped that character? He lies sleeping in the hidden city of R’lyeh, but one day, when the stars are right, he will return. Over 7 billion to be served… ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/7 "2020-02-19T03:19:37Z")
… so get up and get away to **Mcthulhu’s**! ( **Andy L** , excellent!) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/8 "2020-02-19T03:20:53Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > … so get up and get away to **Mcthulhu’s**! > > ( **Andy L** , excellent!) Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/9 "2020-02-19T03:54:58Z")
I’m afraid to click on Burpo’s link after that virus he gave me. Wasn’t even on the computer! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/10 "2020-02-19T04:40:58Z")
Unless they’re hoping that clowns come back into vogue, it might be worth it to them to reinvent the character, if I’m honest. The closest thing to a friendly clown in modern day life, that I can think of, is a Juggalo. That’s certainly not encouraging for a family friendly ad campaign. Maybe if they turned him into a cartoon character it would work. But a sightly clowny Dr Who type or something might be the better alternative if they want to stick to live action. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-ronald/848138/11 "2020-02-19T06:17:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > While we’re clowning around, does anyone have a link to the initial creepy king mask Burger King commercial? I think it first appeared during a Super Bowl, but I’m not sure. [I think this is the first one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GuMRp1qsV8&feature=emb_logo). The mask is from the 70s, but that’s the first one he was intentionally creepy.