Happy Meal toys have long been one of Disney’s most popular collectibles. The fact that it was free with a meal made it a gateway toy and the start of many collections. The problem is that it also became a gateway for the saturated fat and sugary drinks that came with the happy meal. Think of the children, you say.
In fact, McDonalds and Disney have been thinking of the children and they decided to end their 10-year plus relationship distributing happy meal toys tied into Disney films. The aim is to help Disney re-establish their family friendly credibility and distance themselves from the problem of childhood obesity.
For those of us who were dismayed to have McDonald’s set up shop inside Disney themeparks, most US parks serve McDonald’s fries and California Adventure has a whole restaurant inside (with inflated prices), well don’t hold your breath. That part of the agreement has been continued.
[ disney, mcdonalds, fast+food, child+toy, happy+meal, disneyland, disneyworld, wdw, themepark, theme+parks, animation, collectible, disneyana ]
Good. As a parent I try to stay away from fast food and all that it entails. I didn’t have to see Supersize Me to realize that I should never, under any circumstance, eat a McNugget.
That being said, I must confess that the one sure trip to McDonald’s that we do make is inside DCA. Yes, the prices are ridiculous, but comparable to other eats in the parks.
I’ve paid more for McDonald’s. Ten years ago I paid nearly eleven U.S. dollars for a “value meal” in Switzerland. I can only imagine what a value it is today.
The thing about having a McDonald’s in DCA is that it is one thing not coated in sugar that I know I can get my son to wolf down in the middle of a crazed day. Of course, it isn’t the ideal choice, but a little protein on a bun looks good compared to sugar on a stick.
I wonder if that McDonald’s will keep featuring the Disney toys in their Happy Meals. As far as I know they are unique to the park and are made of a surprisingly good quality.
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