Taking The Toy out of the Happy Meal?

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

and smoking is an addiction and something she would have fought to the death to maintain...different species all together

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

Not to be rude...but how old are you Peggy?...cause your age makes a big difference in the smoking and marketing debate

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

The only way a child gets brainwashed is by a parent allowing it so MAYBE it's the PARENTS who not be brainwashed and blinded to the facts of the crappy foods they are providing for their kids!!!

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

My mom smokes, she has done so all my life. She smoked in the house, in the car rather us kids were around or not. I CAN'T stand cigarette smoke... Never could but she was the adult and she continued to do it. My same point for parents who feed their kids unhealthy frozen foods, ff, chips and junk.... Until a parent wants to change then a child can not make the decisions until they are old enough to provide for themselves. If I wanted to eat ff every day then my children would be eating it too... It is me who puts the food infront of my children to eat.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

I don't ask that they are banned...I believe in TRUE choice and free will.

I ask that they stop brainwashing children...BIG DIFFERENCE

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

So until all unhealthy foods are banned from the world there will still be a problem. And until children are old enough to provide for themselves the parents will continue to do what they want to do!

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

Unfortunately Peggy, most parents do...so...to protect the children of stupid lazy people, we ask that businesses NOT market unhealthy products to children...no more, no less.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

so if you are a child with a shitty parent...you DESERVE to be manipulated, brainwashed, to become obese, contract type two diabetes and heart disease.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

Laura, I am not saying you are wrong...actually I agree with you...to an extent. People are in control, not advertisers. They certainly know how to market things to make it more appeealing to kids and adults alike...but we are in control of what we want to buy our children, and what we bring into our homes to nourish our family.

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

And I am a Floridian... AND? There are still parents who have NO backbone to parent their kids... And give in to a begging, crying, fit throwing child over food is just the beginning of allowing them to have a life going down the wrong path.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

And no I do think toys should be sold with lead paint...I will thank Bush for that....not the devils at McDonalds, and fisher price.....free trade fucked us.

April - posted on 02/15/2011

Whatever happens, happens. It's natural selection.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

"Marina, marketing unhealthy products to children IS WIDELY KNOWN in the marketing arena as an unethical business practice.

Do YOU believe that selling toys with lead paint should be legal? "

KIDS are not in control of MY wallet. It is MY choice as a parent what to buy...so if they are marketing to children...are they buying it NO!!!! Mom and dad are...that is when laziness and convinience comes into play.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

They are STILL marketing to children...just their outrageous CRAZY ones got nipped in the bud...and only in Florida so...

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

Ok Laura..settle down. Marketing DOES work...but we are in control of what we buy. If we want to buy the fruity Cheerios like I do ....I will. If we want to buy the whole grain goldfish, I will....If I want to buy brocolli and cauliflower and make that for dinner (like last night) I will. Marketing is a tool.....it does not FORCE people to buy things. We do that by choice.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

Marina, marketing unhealthy products to children IS WIDELY KNOWN in the marketing arena as an unethical business practice.

Do YOU believe that selling toys with lead paint should be legal?

Erica - posted on 02/15/2011

LMAO - Actually, I brought potatoes on the intent of making french fries :P

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

Yes I read it and like I have said from the get go.... It doesnt matter if the gear their "marketing" toward children or not... It's the parents who make the decision to take their child there and feed them ff. I said I didnt believe if they stopped gearing it towards kids that it would stop people from going in and I still stand firm on that opinion. I believe it's others saying if they weren't allowed to market or advertise toward kids it would make a difference. It doesn't matter if they gear it towards kids.... Parents are STILL going.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

so children of stupid or lazy parents deserve to become obese, get type two diabetes and heart disease...likely dying early

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

and EVERYBODY knows that it's bad for you...yes?

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

People make choices...do they buy the french fries at the frozen section, or go get a potatoe from produce. I don't think it is all about the advertising....yes it can be tricky and misleading...but I think it is also out of shear laziness, and convinience.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

just to make sure I have YOUR argument straight...Marketing doesn't really work???

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

you are wrong.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

I think you are missing that I use it as an occasional treat, I'm just saying that in order to stop the epidemic of childhood obesity...we need to stop marketing to children...less tantrums and begging=less children eating crap EVERY DAY because they have SHITTY PARENTS.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

I disagree. People can educate themselves. I know what cigarettes can do...I still am gonna smoke.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

Not Really Marina! Not if you are being lied to, tricked, manipulated, subliminally suggested to...nope, then you are a sheep

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

People know how bad fast food is for them...they will still do it...just like i know how bad smoking is and drinking. Am I still gonna do it??? Hell yeah...Why?? Becouse I am an adult and I can. Which in turn means I can turn the tv on for my kids, bring them to mcdonalds and buy whatever I want for them

No one is disagreeing with you I don't think...I think you are just missing that people are saying an occassional treat.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

However, this isn't McDonald's first attempt at directly marketing their products to young kids. According to an article by former fast-food service employee Pratap Chatterjee, "In the 1990s there was a hue and cry by groups like UNPLUG! of Oakland, California, after McDonald's and other companies provided 'sponsored educational materials' on subjects like nutrition to teachers to supplement or take the place of approved curriculum in the U.S. The company was also protested for sponsoring McTeacher's Night in southern California, which involved teachers working at local McDonald's restaurants to raise funds for schools by selling burgers to their own students."

....awesome

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

People have free will Laura.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

By the way...for every ONE parent who said no...TEN parents took their kids to mcdonald's that night

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

OH MY GOD...did you just read what you posted???

"McDonald's, touting its pervasive slogan, ''I'm loving it,'' isn't feeling the love from local Floridians. After advertising on kids' report cards — good grades equal free food — McDonald's received much disapproval from parents in Seminole County, Florida. Especially from one mother, who fumed, ''The ad offered kids a free Happy Meal for their good work. Shouldn't kids be taught to work for knowledge and pride, not crappy food and imported toys?''

ADVERTISING MCDONALD'S AS A WAY OF REWARDING CHILDREN FOR GOOD GRADES WAS FOUND TO BE UNETHICAL...

God Love Florida

Erica - posted on 02/15/2011

Peggy, I think they might have pulled the commercials cause of this law suit...I'm not sure though :)

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

Let's NOT forget the Easter Bunny!!

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

McD's has tried to gear their strategies toward children and there was a stop to it.... Obviously that hasn't hurt their business and when I ask myself "why", it's because it's the adults with the $.

http://www.marketingcrossing.com/article...

I sure would like to see some of the McDonald's commercials... I have yet to see any. I had to go there one time to find out I could get a Big Mac Wrap... LOVE Big Macs but there is no way I can eat a whole one nor want to because of the calories/fat grams.

April - posted on 02/15/2011

True... I hear ya about the "believe in magic" .. but i was a kid of the 80's and this marketing was done in the 90's. I also thought Santa was magical as well... should we sue the Toy companies and candy companies who advertise, using Santa? Let the children have some fun while they are still able to... just use in MODERATION.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

Ok, so here is some wake up info for chicken nuggets...so glad I am a vegetarian!

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

I SAID I want to STOP ALL MARKETING OF ALL UNHEALTHY THINGS TO CHILDREN

YES...that includes things in the grocery store!!!

April - posted on 02/15/2011

I agree with Marina: There are many uneducated people in the realm of eating healthy. Too many foods sold at the grocery stores, along with Fast Foods, have too many additives and misleading Claims on their packaging. One really must look closely at the ingredients in those packages and must also realize, the most healthy foods are sold along the perimeter of the grocery store. So, I suppose we just as may sue the grocery stores, for having these harmful foods with additives? It is exactly the same thing.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/food/myth_bus...

yeah..what kind of RETARD would fall for that???...oh wait, the average person would.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

Good point Jenny!

Jenny - posted on 02/15/2011

"Happy Meals have been around when I was a kid and there was something magical about it. "

Hmm, where does that "sense of magic" come from?

From Wiki: Do you believe in magic? (March 17, 1992 – February 18, 1997, Ronald McDonald and Happy Meal McDonald's ads)

Erica - posted on 02/15/2011

After finally watching this video, i don't have a problem with McDonalds adding more healthy choices to their happy meal menu- parent decides what the children get and it's healthier for the kids.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

People know FF is not good for them...ask anyone that is sitting and eating it...I gaurantee they know this....but feeding kids healthy food is alot of work. Some people are just to lazy...or they don't have the correct info...they may the chef boyardee is good for them becouse it advertises a full serving of veggies..but it is not. I don't think it is becouse people are dumb.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

They are bath tub toys in my house too

Peggy - posted on 02/15/2011

There are times I get a Happy Meal if I am out doing stuff and grab a bite to eat just to get my daughter the toy if I know it's something she would like. I personally find most their toys good quality for what you get at a ff place.... And most make GREAT bathtub toys.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

E) I never said you couldn't talk about advertising...I just insisted that you use the term correctly, which is to say NOT interchangeably with the term "marketing".

Jenny - posted on 02/15/2011

"And I am still waiting for an answer to "Do you really believe that these kids that are getting fed FF all the time that they are not getting fed crappy junk foods at home"."

If you actually read the responses you would see this point addressed SEVERAL times. It is ONE PART of a broader campaign. This thread focuses specifically on this issue so we haven't covered, in depth, all the other things we can do to reduce childhood obesity.

Isobel - posted on 02/15/2011

A) I think advertising ff to children might already be illegal...I'll have to look into it.

B)NO, an uneducated person with a medium to low IQ CAN NOT figure that out.

C)I SAID that fast food does not create obesity and obesity doesn't cause death in my summation of your argument...not only did you agree, you HAVE stated those things more than once.

D) I am most certainly NOT a republican...but thank you for giving your reasoning abilities even more credibility.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/15/2011

Ok, to much of ANYTHING is a bad thing....if you eat to many carrots you can overdose on vitamin A...I have...I broke out in orange dry patches on my body and my skin started changing color...and that is something GOOD for you.

My son occassionally gets McD and I have no problem with it. Also, every toy he has EVER gotten from there, he still has. Nothing has fallen apart or broken. I don't think they are just cheap shit. We have one from the movie Avatar, and it still glows, I have 2 different transformers, he has the halloween bucket...everything he has gotten has lasted. To tell you the truth, most McD commercials lately have been geared toward adults. You have to go into the McD to see what toys they have to offer.

Once again, I am not a fast food person. But I allow my son to eat it once in a while. If they take the toy out of McD he will never want it again....cause I am not buying it seperately. But I will say the toys are not as junky as you are all saying. They were when I was a kid.

April - posted on 02/15/2011

Like any toy, candy or junk-food, this is a once-in-awhile treat for my daughter. Her Pre-K is across the street from a McDonald's and if she was exceptionally good that week, we would indulge on a Friday. I would get a dollar burger and we'd split her fries. We haven't been in over a month and she actually hasn't even mentioned it.

Happy Meals have been around when I was a kid and there was something magical about it. I don't see anything harmless, as long as it is used in moderation.