Today, its nearly impossible to find this playset unbroken, intact, and complete with all of its many delicate pieces and parts that were prominently featured in McDonalds advertising campaign. [7], However, in 1994, then-McDonald's spokesperson Jane Hulbert had an entirely different explanation. [5] Grimace has since been featured in additional social media advertising. They were used in Kellogg marketing campaigns, there were a ton of toys made, and they were even the characters used at the Ice Capades. This was long before ball pits: The cornerstone of many a PlayLand (today referred to as a "PlayPlace") was a huge blue-painted tower, topped by a pod that approximated a Big Mac sandwich with painted eyes and a hat that functioned as a climb-in jail, and an assortment of individual carousel horses sporting the head of a hamburger, a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, or other colorful craniums reminiscent of shaggy pom-poms with large, soulful eyes. Reddit is a place for funny memes, thought-provoking discussions, and adorable animals. ins.style.height = container.attributes.ezah.value + 'px'; Some of which were GMO potatoes and adding ammonia to the hamburger meat to clean it I am assuming. Welcome to the fun and excitement of McDonaldland, the back of the box read. He is Ronald [McDonald]'s special pal. var ins = document.createElement('ins'); In the early 2000s, McDonald's experimented with the possibility of animating the characters to improve ratings. At trial, a jury found in favor of the Kroffts and McDonald's was ordered to pay $50,000. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ins.id = slotId + '-asloaded'; The figure has one non-removable gold earring in its right ear. } As Warner Bros turns 100 this year, McDonald's joins the celebration with the release of 24 Warner Bros characters with interchangeable heads and bodies, encouraging kids to practice imagination and creativity as they mix up the characters. He was portrayed with two pairs of arms and was a milkshake and pops thief. ins.style.height = container.attributes.ezah.value + 'px'; The characters were used as part of advertising and marketing for McDonald's from the 1970s through the 1990s. The initial idea to expand the McDonaldland universe was outsourced to Needham, Harper & Steers in 197071 at the request of McDonald's for its restaurants. Mac Tonight is a fictional character used in the marketing for McDonald's restaurants during the late 1980s. Just as Mayor McCheese lived in McDonaldland, H.R. The moon sings a McDonald's rendition of Bobby Darin's Mack The Knife "It's Mac Tonight" with Moon Man His first public appearance after his 2012 disappearance was at the 2020 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade alongside Ronald McDonald. (And while McCheese had an M or "mayor" written on his sash, Pufnstuf had a medal which hung down from the cummerbund and said "mayor."). He sported long, thinning gray hair with a full gray beard, and wore a long white lab coat featuring pockets bursting with tools and implements. In 1963, he and Washington, D.C. franchisee Oscar Goldstein created the initial aspects of the character. var lo = new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent); [6][7] As a result, McDonald's was ordered to stop producing some of the characters, or they must be modified to become legally distinct, and to stop airing commercials featuring those characters until then. The trial lasted for three weeks, during which time a jury compared television clips, commercials, toys, and merchandising of the two corporations. His weird Irish uncle, of course. In an early 1970s jingle, children everywhere were told to keep your eyes on your fries otherwise these horrible little monsters would eat them when you are not looking. The bold and brave heroes of Warner Bros are the latest characters to join the Golden Arches with the launch of the newest Happy Meal collection! Please be sure to review the policies of every site you visit. Once McDonaldland hit screens, they were the trendy new thing in marketing and Pufnstuf started losing all their side gigs. figures. var container = document.getElementById(slotId); var slotId = 'div-gpt-ad-slappedham_com-box-3-0_1'; Merchandise featuring the McDonaldland characters included a kid-friendly magazine titled "McDonaldland Fun Times", which published six issues a year. Hamburglar is upset that he forgot Ronald's birthday and does not have a present for him until an evil mad scientist named Professor Thaddeus J. Pinchworm gives him tickets to a fake amusement park called Birthday World. The were also ordered to stop using certain characters, and to stop airing commercials, running promotions, or selling items that featured those characters. Despite a few changes made to his appearance over the years, he has always been endearingly loved by fans all over the world. Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, and Rocket Power (another Klasky Csupo series). His previously-unintelligible muttering was now the familiar "robble robble." This cannot be undone. container.style.maxHeight = container.style.minHeight + 'px'; Macomb Co. man charged in threat to shoot up a McDonald's where his ex works - Detroit News Macomb Co. man charged in threat to shoot up a McDonald's where his ex works Detroit News. To view the Hamburglar gallery, click here. The main McDonalds characters include Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird and the Fry Kids. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Delivery charges may apply to subscribers outside of Metro Manila. Cross the Filet-O-Fish Lake via the Golden Arches Bridge. And they did, even developing a Brand Specification Manualto make sure every McDonaldland product was uniform. var pid = 'ca-pub-1641696673124925'; His Remco action figure came with a soft plastic orange sword (removable); a removable bircorne pirates hat with golden trim and a golden C (for Captain); a coat with lace cuffs, a lace ascot, hard plastic brown epaulets, and a two-piece removable dickey; and removable breeches with cuffs and an elastic waistband. What species Grimace is has been debated amongst fans for many decades. var lo = new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent); Sounds familiar, right? ins.style.height = container.attributes.ezah.value + 'px'; This ingeniously effective format targeted kids at a very early age, introducing them to various McDonalds menu items with the assistance of friendly mascots beyond Ronald McDonalda character that, according to McDonalds, is second only to Santa Claus in terms of [brand] recognition 96 percent of all schoolchildren in the United States of America recognize Ronald.. From 1998 until 2003, Rugrats creators Klasky Csupo and McDonald's released an animated direct-to-video series exclusively on VHS titled The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald. The Hamburglar is a McDonaldland character who features in McDonald's commercials. In the 1980s, the Professors physical appearance was entirely reconfigured into a much sweeter, more kid-friendly scientist. According to the AV Club, some of the original characters fell by the wayside by the time the '80s were in full swing. The agency generated these characters and their world out of essentially nothing, using the McDonaldland Brand Specification Manual. The case was appealed by both parties to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A minor character until the early 1980s, The Professor wore a light bulb helmet and lab coat. Remcos set is astonishingly well-rendered. While the McDonald's Corporation twitter account stated "Grimace is the embodiment of a milkshake,"[6] according to Brian Bates, the manager of a McDonald's franchise in Windsor, Canada "He is an enormous taste bud, but a taste bud nonetheless." container.appendChild(ins); Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue is a 1990 American animated television film starring many characters from several animated television series at the time of its release. They also come across a plot by a mad scientist named Stiles and his assistant Pip's attempt to build a replica of the Loch Ness Monster in order to make money from the discovery. Originally known as the Mad Professor, in early appearances the character rarely spoke and functioned as a second-tier, background personality. Pufnstuf doing all the design work for the sets, the costumes, and the characters. He is a large, purple being of indeterminate species with short arms and legs. You wouldn't mix up a photo of an old-timey McDonald's interior with any other fast food restaurant. Ronalds Remco action figure had high-quality rooted red hair and a body with red limbs, painted red hands, non-removable oversized shoes and molded socks. Ronald is an adventurer with magical powers that acts as an ambassador for good and freedom,[3] such as traveling to the rain forest to bring attention to endangered species and deforestation or delivering a safety PSA on the importance of seat belts.[4]. The appeals court in a 1977 decision, reassessed damages in favor of the Kroffts to more than $1,000,000. McDonald's has changed a whole bunch over the years. The last appearances of Hamburglar on television were prime time commercials promoting the dollar menu. These outdated PlayLands featured aspects (or integrated whole character pieces) of characters from McDonaldland: A mass-market television campaign, launched in 1971, that established a fictional universe which was inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his comrades. No one else agreed with them. var slotId = 'div-gpt-ad-slappedham_com-medrectangle-3-0'; They mention them specifically in the suit, comparing their oversized heads and their attire, including the fact that they both wore mayoral sashes. ins.dataset.adClient = pid; In all six episodes, Ronald goes on adventures with his friends and they learn new things along the way. var alS = 2021 % 1000; If you think that's the kind of thing that doesn't go unnoticed, you're right. Whenever the characters would enter down a tube or other means of travel, they would become animated. Originally, Grimace was the "Evil Grimace", with two pairs of arms with which to steal milkshakes. ins.style.minWidth = container.attributes.ezaw.value + 'px'; Grimace is a character featured in McDonaldland commercials. Grimace is the purple McDonald's guy who debuted in 1971 and was known as the Evil Grimace. Ronald and his friends go on a camping trip in the Far-Flung Forest, where Ronald discovers an old house which he assumes is haunted by a ghost called the Far-Flung Phantom. This site uses third party cookies for analytics and advertising. In addition to being used in advertising, the characters were used as the basis for themed equipment in the "PlayPlaces" attached to some McDonald's outlets, small recreational activity rooms intended for young children. Source: UGC. This character went from having two pairs of arms to one pair he has today. McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner defended Ronald McDonald, and said that he is "here to stay". In The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald the denizens of McDonaldland were shown to be able to travel between worlds using PlayPlace slides. Free shipping for many products! A conflict emerged between agencies regarding whether to continue using the characters or to follow through the desire of ad agency Leo Burnett by elevating the "I'm lovin' it" campaign. Mayor McCheese was a tall bumbling fellow with a cheeseburger head who wore a top hat and spectacles. In Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald's Corp., the plaintiffs proved copyright infringement, showing: a) their ownership of [the] copyrighted work, b) the circumstantial evidence of access to work, and c) that there was a substantial similarity in both idea and expression. Grimace was a friendly purple monster portrayed as clumsy but well-meaning. While many family members have been mentioned, most heavily seen and mentioned is Uncle O'Grimacey, who came one month every year, around St. Patrick's Day in March, to bring Shamrock Shakes. "Grimace personifies the child in everyone. Words for the McFavorite Clown Song are printed on the play surface. var ffid = 2; More characters would later join the fray, building up a sizable and vast McDonaldland universe. Based on the designs of Disneys Captain Hook from Peter Pan (1953), Captain Crook was one of the two major adversaries of McDonaldland (along with the Hamburglar), whoas a seafaring villainwas obsessed with stealing Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. ins.style.width = '100%'; figures starting in 2019 representing numerous McDonaldland characters including a line dedicated to The McNugget Buddies, as well as some characters thought to be retconned like Mayor McCheese & Officer Big Mac.[9][10]. and Back to the Future: The Animated Series, each episode starts and ends with a live-action segment. Courtesy of McDonald's Released in 1988, these DuckTales toys featured characters from the cartoon series with the famous theme song. The series depicted Ronald, Grimace, Birdie, the Hamburglar and a few new characters, like Ronald's pessimistic dog Sundae. He also wears a red and white striped shirt underneath with yellow gloves in 1963. It's a huge part of why McDonald's has one of the most recognizable brands in the world. After a six-year battle, the courts ruled in the Kroffts favor. The fictional world has a variety of inspirations from general high fantasy and low fantasy, to corporate culture and corporate personality, to more specific influences including Christian media and the artwork of Koichi Kimura from McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure.[1][2]. Hereverbatimwas her reply: Mayor McCheese and his friends are indeed alive and well, enjoying life in McDonaldland. These videos would begin in live-action in what resembled a futuristic McDonaldland. Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald's Corp. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wacky_Adventures_of_Ronald_McDonald&oldid=1140737655, 1990s American animated television series, 2000s American animated television series, American television series with live action and animation, American children's animated adventure television series, American children's animated comedy television series, American children's animated fantasy television series, American children's animated musical television series, American television shows featuring puppetry, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from November 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Ronald McDonald and The Visitors from Outer Space", "McDonaldland is Changing" by Pinky Villandry (ep. In Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald's Corp., the Kroffts also claimed that the character Mayor McCheese was an infringement on their copyrighted character "H.R. With his mischievous grin, pair of prominent, rat-like central incisors, short stature, pointed nose, and peculiar clothing, the Hamburglar action figures early design sold quite well for Remco. When McDonaldland came out, Pufnstuf characters were licensed for a slew of merchandising. He had a Big Mac for a head and wore a police uniform. https://ew.com/tv/ryan-reynolds-secretly-voiced-grimace-mcdonalds-super-bowl-ad/, https://twitter.com/Humanstein/status/1331982616229261312?s=20, https://twitter.com/McDonaldsCorp/status/199497184335511553, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-mcdonalds-manager-grimace-1.6156688, https://www.straightdope.com/21342058/mcdonald-s-commercials-explained. The Kroffts took the McDonalds corporation to court and eventually won more than $1 million in compensation. Those smallest details couldn't be a huge deal, with text from the case noting, "We do not believe that the ordinary, reasonable person, let alone a child, viewing these works will even notice that Pufnstuf is wearing a cummerbund while Mayor McCheese is wearing a diplomat's sash.". McDonald's hired an ad agency called Needham, Harper & Steers to build McDonaldland from the ground up, and populate it with characters they could sell to kids. The Hamburglar, also originally a villain, was a thief that targeted hamburgers and sandwiches, but he is now more of a lovable rogue character. There was Hamburglar and Grimace, there were Fry Guys, and there was a cheeseburger-headed mayor and police officer. Hamburglar was voiced by Howard Morris in most commercials, Charlie Adler in some 1980s commercials and "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald"; and Carl W. Wolfe in some 1990s commercials. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); He is known for his slow-witted but optimistic demeanor. The artistic style of the series has a similar look to Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh (best known as members of the band Devo and composers of the music for Rugrats, another Klasky Csupo series) composed the score of the series while John Holmquist (who has also directed some Rugrats episodes) directed the first episode of the series. Pufnstuf" (a mayor himself); Pufnstuf's voice actor, Lennie Weinrib, was even involved with the McDonaldland ads, as the voice of Grimace. Franklin apologizes to the gang for his actions and is allowed to join in their camping trip, becoming their new friend in the process. Later, Hamburglar gets abducted by real aliens after foolishly accepting an offer to go on vacation with them, not realizing until too late that the vacation lasts thousands of Earth years. Created in 1963, Ronald McDonald is portrayed as a clown with bright red hair, red lips, red clown shoes and a bright yellow jumpsuit with red and white striped sleeves. Initially called The Lone Jogger, the Hamburgulars personality traits and design changed quite a bit over the course of the three decades during which he existed (like Grimace, he was retired in 2003). Even though he has always attempted (and failed) to hoard all the hamburgers in McDonaldland for himself, he has always been looked upon as a valued member of the McDonaldland community. If we've learned anything here today, it's not just that McDonald's was built on some serious shadiness and copyright infringement, it's also that kids' shows and commercials from the '70s and '80s were legitimately disturbing. All of the below displays are paraded in shops on London 's Oxford Street or nearby. McDonald's was found guilty, six years after the battle started, and ordered to pay damages. Some of the characters' physical appearances were revised in later commercials (notably Hamburglar, Grimace and Birdie). ins.style.width = '100%'; ins.style.display = 'block'; With a Happy Meal toy of Batman in front and Starfire at the back, or Aquaman in front or Scooby Doo at the back, parents will be able to give their kids a chance to play pretend with the characters they grew up watching. Free shipping for many products! McDonald's went as far as recruiting employees of the Kroffts' who had worked on H.R. Maybe the new Hamburglar can steal back some of the customers that McDonald's has been losing. Those children are all grown up now, in the middle of an obesity epidemic and still seemingly afraid a food stealing muppet will take their hamburger. Their exact geographic layout is unknown, but within these regions are several locales, including; Grimace Island, a Western themed area, several portals to real world McDonald's restaurants, the Moon, and Ronald's home. In 1994, then-McDonald's spokesperson Jane Hulbert had an entirely different explanation. H.R. Modern commercials nowadays depict Ronald McDonald alone in real-world situations with children, whether he visits a local McDonald's restaurant or to visit sick children at a Ronald McDonald House. It has neither been confirmed nor denied that Gritty, the NHL mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers, is the same species as Grimace. ", How McDonald's Stole Their McDonaldland Characters. Although some of these characters have been gone for nearly 40 years, the action figures survive as collectibles, making regular appearances on eBay. In 1976, Remco (then a subsidiary of Azrak-Hamway International) produced a line of 6-inch-tall action figures to celebrate the iconic McDonaldland characters. McDonaldland commercials started airing in January 1971, and the entire concept and some of the characters were so similar to H.R. ins.dataset.adClient = pid; Voice talent on the series includes K-C veterans Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, and Charlie Adler. Soon after the Happy Meal Gang and the McNugget Buddies were prominent features in the commercials (representing the restaurant's Happy Meals and Chicken McNuggets respectively, being the menu items that mainly appealed to kids) along with Ronald. The bold and brave heroes of Warner Bros are the latest characters to join the Golden Arches with the launch of the newest Happy Meal collection! Scott (a local radio host who also played Bozo the Clown on WRC-TV in Washington D.C. from 1959 to 1962) performed while using the name Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown in three television commercials. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Grimace is a character featured in McDonaldland commercials. Predicting the defendants appeal based upon the Look and Feel defense, the court concluded that McDonalds had unjustly utilized the total concept and feel of the Krofts H.R. Their time travel adventures take them to prehistoric times, where the time machine is nearly digested by a Tyrannosaurus and they meet their cavemen ancestors, medieval times, where they entertain the spoiled young King Murray with in order to save a captured Birdie, the Wild West, where they discover Hamburglar's ancestor Henry H. Burglar II (whom the residents mistake Hamburglar for) and the disco era of the 1970s, where they briefly encounter Mayor McCheese. container.appendChild(ins); This weird behavior continued into the 1980s when hamburger equality became more widespread. The background music was recycled from later episodes of Nickelodeon's Rugrats. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage McDonalds Happy Meal 1994 Happy Meal Box Train Car with Ronald McDonald at the best online prices at eBay! Until they redesigned Hamburglar for a throwback campaign in 2015, Ronald McDonald was the only McDonaldland resident to make an appearance for years. container.style.maxHeight = container.style.minHeight + 'px'; (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He also wore red and white shoes to go with the look, with four-fingered red gloves. Though many assume it had something to do with the lawsuit, this might be incorrect as Mayor McCheese and Officer Big Mac both appear in the 2020 Funko McDonaldland Pop! var alS = 2002 % 1000; In the mid 1990s, the marketing geniuses at McDonalds decided to shy away from the outdated mascots of the 1970s. As time went on, Grimace's family were seen in commercials and the VHS series "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald". Take kids on a bold adventure alongside the well-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros with the newest Happy Meal collection now available at McDonalds Dine In, Take Out, Drive-Thru, and Delivery! Probably not.). Video games featuring the characters were also released, such as M.C. Shortly thereafter, Marty Krofft telephoned Needham only to be told that the advertising campaign had been cancelled.". But first, in early 1970, they reached out to Sid and Marty Krofft, the brains behind one of the biggest kids' programs on TV at the time: H.R. Although the costume was removable, the characters shoes were not, so anyone undressing the figure would have to take carethe delicate fabric tended to snag and pull. A Happy Meal featuring Lego vehicles to build was released at the restaurant chain in 1999, a year after the series originally premiered. Great deals on McDonald's Twilight Sparkle My Little Pony TV Cartoon Character Action Figures. Other prominent characters in the past included Mayor McCheese, Officer Big Mac, The Professor, Captain Crook and Sundae. The icing on the cake, as it were, was Mayor McCheese. McDonald's brings together favorite cartoon characters, The newest collection features Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry, and DC superheroes. McDonald's had a strange sort of defense, and according to the lawsuit, they fully admitted that they came up with the idea for a fantasy land based on the success of H.R. The newest collection features Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, and DC superheroes in interchangeable heads and bodies to allow kids to mix-up and play their way! Despite this, the characters continued to appear in advertising and McDonald's PlayPlaces, decorative seats for children's birthday parties and bibs, though only Ronald McDonald, Birdie, Grimace, the Hamburglar and the Fry Kids appear in them. Put him next to Pufnstuf's title character, and the similarities are unmistakable. Of course, Ronald McDonald decides to show the wayward egg some love. Ronald and the gang go out on a journey to Grimace Island (where Grimace's species is originated) after Grimace receives a letter supposedly by the island's residents asking for help. Happy Meal is a form of kids' meal sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's. You can watch funny Happy Meal commercials. [6], In 1976, Remco created a line of six-inch (15cm) action figures to celebrate the characters.[6]. Hamburglar tricks the gang into believing that aliens have come to Earth so that he can steal McDonaldland's hamburgers without interference from them, which costs him their trust in him when they find out. Reduce, reuse and recycle your way to a zero-waste life, SUBSCRIBE Renowned for beginning each sentence with the word duh, both versions of Grimace are quite fond of McDonalds Triple Thick Milkshakes. Yet it's a familiar sight everywhere. Various spots featuring the Hamburglar and other characters alongside celebrities were planned but were canceled. ; Speedy Favorites iconic Characters. Our weekly highlights and entertainment guides, straight to your inbox, JEFF CIFRA : DEKADA Sampung Taon ng Musika at Pagkanta Featuring The Boxers Band, WATCH: Haunted Mansion Trailer Teases New Creepy Comedy Movie from Disney, Xiaomi Launches Xiaomi 13 Series in the Philippines with Leica-powered Cameras, Skybiz Shares Five Business Trends to Help Upgrade Your Business This 2023, Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez Reunite for New Amazon Original Movie Walang KaParis, Prime Video Announces Upcoming Korean Rom-Com Title True to Love. The characters were used as part of advertising and marketing for McDonalds from the 1970s through the 1990s. McDonald's Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. container.style.maxWidth = container.style.minWidth + 'px'; First appearing in the early 1970s, the Hamburger Patch was a garden of sentient hamburgers. Are your kids fiends for the Happy Meal toys, then why not check out more awesome toy ideas here. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'slappedham_com-box-4','ezslot_2',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-slappedham_com-box-4-0'); Officer Big Mac was the symbol of law and order in McDonaldland. NOW, Unlimited ad-free access to website articles, Access to subscriber exclusive website contents. "Needham and the Kroffts were in contact by telephone six or seven more times. Despite being angry at him for his lie and prank, Ronald and his friends go on a mission in outer space to rescue Hamburglar. Its probably no surprise that a line of toys would follow McDonalds uber-successful ad campaign. All this on a 28 x 30 Playland surface enhanced by an 11 colorful backdrop. ins.style.display = 'block'; var ins = document.createElement('ins'); In early 2022, the McDonald's TikTok and Twitter accounts began using Grimace in promoted video posts featuring an animated Grimace ordering food at a McDonald's and beginning his order by saying "Can I get uhhhhhh". Along the way, the Fry Kids and McNuggets get caught in traps and are separated from the group and the rest face off against the Phantom head in a challenge of riddles. The fully poseable dolls had multi-piece cloth outfits with stenciled and dyed fabric details, hard and soft plastic outfit accoutrements, and, with the exception of Grimace and Ronald, an interesting character-specific accessory. ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Gone is the short, chubby, masked cartoon character who spent the '80s and '90s scheming to steal . 46) as, Terry Thoren Executive In Charge of Production, Tracy Kramer Executive In Charge of Production, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 14:35. Here is a list of characters that appeared as McDonald's characters through the years. If you visited an older, well-established McDonalds franchise during the latter part of the 1990sspecifically one of the corporations two-story restaurants boasting a McDonalds PlayLandyou may have noticed some odd shapes and unfamiliar characters featured on the playgrounds equipment.