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Tag: mascot

  • McScary: McDonald’s New Mascot Scares The Internet

    McScary: McDonald’s New Mascot Scares The Internet

    McScary, or Happy as McDonald’s knows him, is the new Happy Meal mascot hitting North America. The smiling anthropomorphized Happy Meal has been a staple of McDonald’s marketing in France since 2009, but he’s just now making it to the U.S. The thing is – North Americans find him to be a little terrifying.

    On Monday, McDonald’s announced via Twitter that it was bringing Happy the serial killer Happy Meal to North America to encourage kids to eat healthy. Happy was unveiled alongside the announcement that McDonald’s would start offering Go-Gurt as a side in Happy Meals starting July 4.

    As you might imagine, Happy didn’t receive a warm reception. There were many profanity laden responses to the original tweet with people wondering “what the hell” Happy was. Some even decided to “improve” the recently unveiled mascot to bring out its true nature:

    Now, McDonald’s is no stranger to botched social media campaigns. In 2012, the restaurant asked for consumers’ #McDStories, but only got stories of disgusting food and impoverished employees in return. It tried something similar a few months later to promote the Shamrock Shake and got a similar response.

    After those two incidents, you would think McDonald’s would finally learn, and it did. Over on McDonald’s Twitter account, it’s obvious the company is just rolling with the response Happy has received thus far:

    While it’s good to see McDonald’s finally learn how the Internet works, response to Happy is still divided:

    Despite how you may feel about Happy, he’s not going anywhere. We can only hope our TV ads are as terrifying (and hilarious) as they are in France:

    Image via McDonald’s/Twitter

  • Ronald McDonald Gets a New, Hip Look

    Ronald McDonald Gets a New, Hip Look

    McDonald’s fast food restaurant chain unveiled a revamped, more modern rendering of their primary clown-mascot Ronald McDonald, and explained that the character will be “setting out on a global mission to rally the public through inspiring events.”

    The new Ronald now sports cargo pants, a sort of outdoors/adventure-inspired technical vest with many zippers, and a rugby shirt. The new gear is intended to help pull Ronald out of his fantasy realm of McDonaldland and into the domain of social media.

    While the new Ronald doesn’t yet have his own Twitter account, McDonald’s will promote the hashtag #RonaldMcDonald, for the time being. McDonald’s spokesperson Becca Hary commented that the company “felt it was time to evolve his look for his debut into social media.”

    Ronald McDonald, “the Hamburger-Happy Clown” was invented by former Today host Willard Scott in 1959, though McDonald’s doesn’t acknowledge the media personality’s involvement in creating the mascot. Along with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids, Ronald McDonald has gained worldwide recognition. In Japan, Ronald is called Donald McDonald due to a lack of a clear “r” sound in Japanese, and there are also “sexy” male and female versions of the clown in that country.

    At any given time, McDonald’s employs hundreds of full-time actors to portray the burger-happy clown, to make appearances in franchise locations, Ronald McDonald Houses and various events. Ronald McDonald mimes have been known to go off the rails here and there, adding to a global collective perception that clowns are unnerving.

    Here is a series of Japanese McDonald’s commercials featuring Ronald:

    Aside from the new tech-vest, Ronald can also don a jacket and bowtie for select appearances:

    McRib enthusiasts are torn over Ronald’s new look:

    Regarding Ronald’s makeover and hashtag launch, Hary commented, “We’ve been pleased with the reaction Ronald has received in the media with his new debut. He’s an important part of pop culture and enjoys being part of the conversation.”

    Image via YouTube

  • King Cake Baby Back As Pelicans Mascot

    Ah Mardi Gras, where you get beads for lifting up your shirt and eat a cake in hopes to find a tiny plastic baby that some consider good luck. (You also drink, go to a parade, and do other things, but that isn’t what this is about.)

    Because the King Cake baby is such a fixture of Mardi Gras and New Orleans it’s no surprise that the New Orleans Pelicans have a King Cake baby mascot that comes out during Mardi Gras.

    Thank the LORD this thing only comes around once a year. This guy is what your nightmares are made of. I mean, he is supposed to represent the baby Jesus, but he looks more like a long lost relative of the demented Chucky doll (which is what my nightmares are still made of).

    After seeing the King Cake baby for the first time, many took to Twitter to share their horror.

    The King Cake baby mascot isn’t the only Mardi Gras themed mascot the Pelicans bring out this time of year. They also have the King and the Jester.

    The King Cake baby mascot has become so popular he even has his own Twitter account. His first post tried to prepare us all.

    One man can’t believe the King Cake Baby is such a fixture in the news right now since it has been around for years.

    While the King Cake baby may scare some, one lady has no problem with the mascot.

    Image via Craig Ackerman, Twitter.

  • Is this Mascot Offensive? Coachella Valley Asked to Ditch Arab Mascot

    Another school’s mascot is in the news for being offensive, and this time it’s Coachella Valley High School in Southern California. Coachella Valley’s mascot is the Arab and has been for the past 93 years. The mascot features a dark-skinned man who has a crooked nose, heavy beard and wears a traditional Arab head covering. The mascot is also shown with a belly dancer at halftime during football games.

    The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee sent a letter to Coachella Valley Unified School District earlier this month asking them to refrain from using the Arab mascot.

    Check out images of the mascot below.

    Do you find the mascot offensive? Respond below.

    According to the letter policy director Abed Ayoub wrote on behalf of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the “ADC strongly believes that use of the word and such imagery perpetuates demeaning stereotypes of Arabs and Arab Americans.”

    “The ‘Arab’ mascot image is a harmful form of ethnic stereotyping which should be eliminated,” Ayoub continued. “By allowing continued use of the term and imagery, you are commending and enforcing the negative stereotypes of an entire ethnic group, millions of whom are citizens of this nation.”

    “We live in a new America now,” Ayoub said. “We’re more racially sensitive and diverse. The logic used to pick that name no longer applies now.”

    While it is said that the mascot was never intended to be offensive–it was selected in the 1920s to recognize the area’s dependence on date farming, a Middle Eastern crop–district superintendent Dr. Darryl S. Adams says he plans to bring up the issue at a school board meeting this month. “We’re very sensitive to that and how we’re going to work to make sure, maybe sometimes you should have some consultations when we’re working with other groups and cultures,” Adams said.

    For anyone interested in supporting the ADC’s attempts to have the Arab mascot removed at Coachella Valley High School, a petition is available online. People interested in signing the petition that wants to “stop ethnic stereotyping” can sign here.

    Image via Twitter

  • Denver Nuggets Mascot Passes Out While Being Lowered to Arena [IMAGES]

    The mascot for the Denver Nuggets gave fans quite a scare on Friday night. During the pre-game festivities, mascot Rocky was being lowered onto the court as part of a stunt, but it was quickly obvious that something was wrong as his seemingly lifeless body descended.

    After Rocky was lowered to the floor, he slumped over. Officials for the Denver Nuggets say that Rocky got the wind knocked out of him while in the harness, but that he is okay now. Check out a video of the scary scene involving the Denver Nuggets mascot below.

    The scene was very frightening, especially for younger Nuggets fans. “Can’t lie, seeing Rocky’s lifeless body being lowered was kinda creepy,” one fan said.

    The incident caused quite a stir on Twitter, with many fans inquiring about the mascot’s condition. A few commenters described the incident and photos as “funny” and “hilarious,” but most comments were well wishes for the mascot.

    The Denver Nuggets mascot made a tweet on his official Twitter page yesterday thanking fans for their concern.

    Denver Nuggets went on to lose their home opener against the Trail Blazers 113-98, but that didn’t seem to matter much as most were concerned about the mascot. Rocky hopes to be back on the court in the next Nuggets game.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • ‘Cookie Monster’ Arrested For Pushing a Two-Year-Old

    Cookie Monster is well-known to have an obsession (addiction?) to cookies, but it seems that the blue Sesame Street character can also become a bit belligerent when he doesn’t get paid.

    According to a New York Post report, a man dressed as Cookie Monster in Times Square assaulted a two-year-old boy this weekend.

    The man, named Osvaldo Quiroz-Lopez, is reported to have posed for a picture with the child and then pressured the boy’s mother for two dollars (for cookies, presumably). According to police, when the mother refused to tip, the man “cursed her” and pushed the boy to the ground. Quiroz-Lopez was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.

    This isn’t the first time costumed characters have run afoul of the law in New York City. In December 2012, a man dressed as the video game character Mario in Times Square was arrested for placing his hand on a woman’s thigh. In June 2012, a man named Adam Sandler (not that Adam Sandler) was arrested while wearing an Elmo costume and going on an anti-Semitic tirade in Central Park.

  • Super Mario Groper Arrested In New York’s Times Square

    Street performers are just a part of daily life in Times Square. The performers dress in various costumes and put on a show for a few bucks. It may not be glorious, but hey, it’s a living. That being said, it’s really not cool to use your job as a street performer to start groping people, especially when you’re dressed as an iconic game character.

    The Daily News reports that Damon Torress, 34, was dressed up as Mario at Times Square when he was caught touching the thigh of a 58-year-old woman. A security guard at the scene said he “walked up to her and touched her private parts.” The police arrested him soon after and charged him with forcible touching and unlawful possession of marijuana.

    This isn’t the first time that a street performer dressed as a children’s icon has found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Earlier this year, a performer dressed as Elmo was kicked out of Central Park for spouting anti-semitic slurs. Funny or depressingly enough, depending on who you ask, the performer shares a name with Adam Sandler.

    There’s no law barring street performers in New York City as long as they aren’t obstructing traffic or selling goods. Many citizens feel that the city should ban them though. Speaking to the Daily News, one street vendor, Betty Ford, said that street performers are “always putting their hands on you.” She then said that the “pollice should keep them all out.”

    Costumed street performers are great, but you should probably stick to the mimes and music performers. Guys in mascot suits are already kind of creepy, even at a “safe” place like Disney World, but there’s nothing stopping them from getting a handful on the streets of a busy place like New York City.

  • French Runner Shoves 14-Year Old Girl At Olympic Meet, Vid Goes Viral

    French runner Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad recently won the 3,000-meter race at the European Championships, and when he crossed the finish line he seemed less than happy. Instead of celebrating, the 27-year old stalked up to a 14-year old girl in a mascot costume, swatted something from her hand that she appeared to be handing to him, and shoved her, hard, with both hands.

    A spectator caught the entire thing on video, which is quickly going viral as backlash ensues and people demand that he is reprimanded. While it’s unclear why he was so agitated–or why he took it out on a teenaged girl–it’s a pretty clearcut example of bad sportsmanship.

    According to The Age, this isn’t the first time Benabbad has exhibited strange and violent behavior toward a mascot:

    “It was not the first time that Mekhissi-Benabbad had picked on a mascot. After winning the same race at the 2010 championships in Barcelona, he asked a mascot to kneel in front of him before he pushed it to the ground, according to Le 10 Sport.”

    He was also suspended for 10 months in 2011 after getting into a fight with teammate Mehdi Baala at the finish line of the 1,500-meter race during the Monaco Diamond League games.