Happy Meal Musings

McDonalds Responds to the Happy Meal Hummer



McDonalds has caught a lot of flack lately because of the infamous toy Hummers included in their happy meals for kids. They've also caught a lot of defense from people who don't really see what the big deal is - it's just a toy truck after all. The problem, of course, is that the Hummer has become something of an international symbol of bad taste and touching it with so much as a ten foot poll is bound to rile people up, whether justified or not.

Bob Langert's excellent McDonalds CSR blog offers a response today, saying that he feels the promotion does not, in fact, reflect McDonald's commitment to envrironmental responsibility, which is not quite the same thing as saying it was a bad idea. But either way, I think it's great that McDonald's official blog can offer an honest response.

Well that's all fine and dandy but check out Mrs. Puddles respone to the Happy Meal Hummer



Also I've been on the soapbox alot about McDonalds offering "boy" and "girl" toys. Why is it their policy to ask when you order a happy meal "do you want a boy or a girl toy?" Can't they ask "do you want the doll or the car?"

I checked their blog but there is no post on this issue. I recommend you check out their blog. It's a cool idea. I learned from this blog that Eric Schlosser has a new book called "Something to Chew On."

http://csr.blogs.mcdonalds.com/

I used to take a stand and when they would ask if I wanted a boy or girl toy I would say "I want the ... (Hummer)." However this was often met with undue confussion from the employee. I didn't feel like chewing them out for the sexist gender standards they are promoting because they are just the poor scmuck behind the counter.