Chuck E. Cheese and McDonald’s have come under fire not only for marketing heavily to kids, but for causing obesity and encouraging gambling.
A woman in San Diego recently filed a lawsuit against Chuck E. Cheese alleging that the restaurant chain is running an illegal “slots for tots” operation, in which kids learn to gamble in games of chance that require tokens and pay off in tickets that can be redeemed for merchandise.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit Corporate Accountability International group, with the support of 550 health institutions and professionals, is running full-page ads today in newspapers around the country challenging McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to kids. A recent study showed that kids ages 6 to 11 saw 3.5 fast food ads daily on TV, a rise of 34% from a few years ago.
The ad—an open letter to McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner, published in the Chicago Sun-Times, New York Metro, and Boston Metro, among other newspapers—makes this request:
We ask that you heed our concern and retire your marketing promotions for food high in salt, fat, sugar, and calories to children, whatever form they take – from Ronald McDonald to toy giveaways.
I can certainly understand the desire to want to help kids and families, but I’m not so sure that making Ronald McDonald disappear is the way to do it.
Most kids I know don’t go to McDonald’s because of the clown, or any of the classic characters. They go for the toys, and the French fries. If anything, the clown tends to freak a lot of kids out.
Maybe that weird clown even keeps some kids away. With that in mind, instead of asking Ronald to retire his red nose, I say: send in the clowns. Put a clown right at the door, ready to jump out and stick that creepy face full of makeup in front of unsuspecting children with visions of happy meals in their heads. Let another few clowns mosey about in the restaurant, perhaps one or two lingering by the restrooms. Heck, why not put clowns behind the counter, and let the clowns hang out in the parking lots on smoke breaks.
For good measure, send a few creepy clowns to Chuck E. Cheese too, ready to jump out when kids try to play those casino-style games.