# Why did all the McDonaldland characters disappear **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369 "2021-05-04T13:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/41 "2021-05-05T08:54:38Z")
Here’s a fascinating documentary that I stumbled across: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5rocCQr1jno/maxresdefault.jpg "The History & Downfall of McDonaldland and the Disney-McDonalds Happy Meal") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rocCQr1jno) It discusses the rise and fall of McDonaldland, and all its characters. The Krofft lawsuit is discussed, but it also notes the importance of movie tie-ins (which McDonald’s didn’t see the need to do until it was almost too late), and how the appeal of those was driving kids and parents to McDonald’s competitors. McDonald’s did get back in the game, by doing tie-ins with Disney films, but by that time, the fantasy world of McDonaldland had run its course. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/42 "2021-05-05T09:15:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Was he any more creepy than Quiznos’s spongmonkeys? It was definitely a weird choice to watch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6insZjCfU) and then say “Hey, we should use that to sell sandwiches”. The same animator [also made these for “Crusha”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z0xsom6TPg), a milk flavor additive. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/43 "2021-05-05T13:33:47Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The same animator [also made these for “Crusha”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z0xsom6TPg), a milk flavor additive. Now that I like! ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/44 "2021-05-05T14:04:10Z")
Cue the memes: “You had it your way, now it’s his turn” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/45 "2021-05-05T14:34:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Now that I like! If you like that, try one of the videos it was based on: [Northern Kittens Sing Independent Women](https://rathergood.com/2016/04/04/northern-kittens-play-independent-woman-as-covered-by-elbow/) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/46 "2021-05-05T15:01:30Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > They’re everywhere in the Detroit area now, but given our location relative to Canada, it’s to be expected. One of our accounting clients owns a few of them, and he’s complained that Tim’s opens new ones too close together, which significantly affects his business. They want one less than a mile from everyone’s house it seems. Well, they allegedly had one in the Canadian military base in Afghanistan. And I did see the one in the mall at the base of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. (I refrained from indulging) Interestingly, I don’t recall them having a mascot, they rely on all sorts of other connections with the public, like tie-ins with hockey players (eh?) driving a Zamboni through the drive-through. > [@Limmin](#): > > No argument from me! I’m just a bit cynical, after McD having a record of getting their way even when they shouldn’t (e.g. the hot-coffee-spilled-in-lap incident). They may have lost that one but they sure made it seem like the victim’s fault. Because it was? This is an argument on which neither side will budge… but (my side of the same issue) squeezing a soft cup of a beverage freshly made from boiling water between your legs while prying off the lid - probably not the coffee maker’s fault if something goes wrong. McD’s and Starbucks and makers of good coffee continue to make coffee at that temperature to this day. Perhaps this was the peak of the trend of juries thinking that big business has the deep pockets to pay for the stupidity of the general public regardless of blame… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/47 "2021-05-05T15:01:52Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Kinda like all the dozens of variants in the Energizer Bunny ad campaign. There’s an ad campaign that keeps going…and going…and going… I wonder how many people recall that the Energizer Bunny was a response to the 1979 Duracell battery commercial featuring mechanical rabbits banging on drums (snare-type drums, not the big bass drum). The Duracell pitch was that their rabbit would keep on drumming after “brand X” had stopped. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/43VhRKJX_sk/hqdefault.jpg "Classic Duracell Bunny Commercial (1979)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43VhRKJX_sk) Energizer responded with a shades-wearing bunny banging a big bass drum and claiming that _they_ lasted longer. And were cooler, too. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qiFQsxGUQOI/hqdefault.jpg "First Energizer Bunny Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFQsxGUQOI) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/48 "2021-05-05T15:03:23Z")
I remember the screen saver Energizer Bunny that would also occasionally interrupt what you were doing to parade across the screen too. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/49 "2021-05-05T15:07:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I get the impression that McDonald’s targets adults now while back then, the target market was children. I agree. They stopped building those McDonald restaurants with the play land additions long ago. We still have a few left in the Chicago area, but they aren’t even open anymore. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/50 "2021-05-05T15:29:56Z")
Thanks for the nightmares. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/51 "2021-05-05T15:51:22Z")
No, that’s a misrepresentation of the case. McD had multiple cases of their coffee being served at an unsafe temp. Spilling coffee on your lap should not result in third degree burns and skin grafts. > **[Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants, also known as the McDonald's coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit, was a highly publicized 1994 product liability lawsuit in the United States against the McDonald's restaurant chain. > The plaintiff, Stella Liebeck (1912–2004), a 79-year-old woman, suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a McDonald's restaurant. She was hospitaliz... _ **Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants** _ ,[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants#cite_note-1) also known as the **McDonald’s coffee case** and **the hot coffee lawsuit** , was a 1994 [product liability](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_liability) [lawsuit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawsuit) that became a flashpoint in the debate in the [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) over [tort reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tort_reform). Although a [New Mexico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico) civil [jury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juries_in_the_United_States#Civil_juries) awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot [coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee) in her lap after purchasing it from a [McDonald’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s) restaurant, ultimately Liebeck was only awarded $640,000. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent [skin grafting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_grafting), followed by two years of medical treatment. Other documents obtained from McDonald’s showed that from 1982 to 1992 the company had received more than 700 reports of people burned by McDonald’s coffee to varying degrees of severity, and had settled claims arising from scalding injuries for more than $500,000.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants#cite_note-Gerlin-2) McDonald’s quality control manager, Christopher Appleton, testified that this number of injuries was insufficient to cause the company to evaluate its practices. He argued that all foods hotter than 130 °F (54 °C) constituted a burn hazard, and that restaurants had more pressing dangers to worry about. The plaintiffs argued that Appleton conceded that McDonald’s coffee would burn the mouth and throat if consumed when served.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants#cite_note-Gerlin-2)[[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants#cite_note-FOOTNOTENaderSmith1996270-272-20) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/52 "2021-05-05T16:10:36Z")
As I said, there’s two sides and neither is going to convince the other. 700 reports in 10 years? How many cups of coffee did McD’s sell in 10 years? (Or rather, how many tens of millions?) That makes it far, far safer than crossing the street or having a backyard pool. And it’s an incredibly obvious danger which requires a very minimum of intelligence and caution to avoid. . The solution is to not use very hot water, which coffee experts will tell you (and told the jury) does not make good coffee, which is the whole point when selling coffee. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > …The plaintiffs argued that Appleton conceded that McDonald’s coffee would burn the mouth and throat if consumed when served. We hold these truths to be self-evident… 'Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/53 "2021-05-05T17:33:57Z")
Read the link. No other restaurants around used as hot water. 20+ degrees cooler in most cases. I get that you don’t agree that the details of the case merit liability on McD side, but the details of the case aren’t in dispute. They knew is was dangerously hot, other restaurants didn’t use as hot water, and the patient suffered extraordinary complications that were foreseeable, based on past incidents. Coffee should not burn you when consumed as served. Burning is different than being hot, or even hurting. In my opinion they showed a disregard for customer safety and when the really bad thing happened, holding them liable was appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/54 "2021-05-05T17:48:04Z")
McDonald’s here used touchboards inside, to order, and you paid after chosing your ‘artisan’ burger, elaborate coffee drink, or whatever. And an employee delivered your food to your table. So very high-falutin’ of them (with homeless people hanging around, inside and out) - (and they certainly aren’t cheap any more). No matter what they try, though, McDonald’s will always conjure up a creepy clown with red vinyl hair, shilling happy meals to kids. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/55 "2021-05-06T10:45:43Z")
You want fries with that nightmare. Go ahead. Eat the fries. _Nothing will happen._ 👻 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/56 "2021-05-06T10:55:16Z")
Yes…eat the fries… [https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/screen-shot-2019-09-27-at-10-55-03-am-1569596118.png?crop=1xw:0.9767441860465116xh;center,top&resize=768:](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/screen-shot-2019-09-27-at-10-55-03-am-1569596118.png?crop=1xw:0.9767441860465116xh;center,top&resize=768:)\* (Two-click rule applies, although it’s not _quite_ NSFW…) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/58 "2021-09-03T02:33:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > From the wikipedia page: > > “Both lands feature … a multi-armed evil creature.” > > Is this why Grimace lost two arms? > > [https://youtube.com/watch?v=gMS5dsdNSqE](https://youtube.com/watch?v=gMS5dsdNSqE) > **[McDonald's Mascot Grimace Is a What Now?!?](https://www.themarysue.com/mcdonalds-mascot-grimace-is-a-what-now/)** > > A McDonald's manager told us what Grimace really is and the results were not what we were expecting. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/59 "2021-09-03T16:14:12Z")
Apparently the claim is that he’s a taste bud. Which is weird, but not worth the hype that article gives it. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/60 "2021-09-04T15:47:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m just speculating but I think all advertising campaigns generally have a built-in life expectancy. This. Off of the top of my head I can name any number of examples. I don’t think there is anything special about the McDonalds characters. Why isn’t Speedy selling Alka-Seltzer anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369/61 "2021-09-04T16:13:27Z")
I think Barney was the death knell for Krofft like characters intended to entertain/sell to anybody over the age of four. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-mcdonaldland-characters-disappear/941369.md?page=4)