The reason why McDonald's got rid of Ronald McDonald was revealed
RONALD McDonald was the face of McDonald's for decades, but fans may wonder why they don't see him anymore.
With a history dating back to the 1960s, it has always been on our screens and in McDonald's advertisements.
Why did McDonald's divest Ronald McDonald?
McDonald's first introduced Ronal McDonald in 1963 as the world's “newest, dumbest, hamburger-eating clown”.
Initially, many were skeptical about the new mascot, but he quickly became the face of the fast food chain and was loved by everyone.
The clown was often seen with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids.
Sadly, Ronald's reign came to an end in 2016, after the company announced he would be taking a break.
It followed a disturbing craze in which pranksters jumped at people dressed as creepy clowns.
Some wielded weapons to spread terror and this trend spread around the world.
It started in the US but soon took off in Britain, where police declared it was “no laughing matter”.
What may have started as a joke quickly turned sinister as a knife-wielding clown chased schoolchildren on their way to class, while another lurked under streetlights and tried to lure children into the woods.
A statement released by McDonald's at the time explained that due to the “current climate surrounding clown sightings in communities,” it would do its best to “be considerate regarding Ronald McDonald's participation in community events.”
As a result, the red-haired, face-painted figure has barely surfaced since.
a rack McDonald's website said: “We're concerned that Ronald McDonald will no longer appear in McDonald's UK adverts, but he is still very busy working for us.
“He often travels around the country to promote some of our exciting new activities and visits our restaurants to ensure everyone enjoys their meals.”
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Ronald remains a figure in the Ronald McDonald House Charities logo, but only his striped arm is visible.
Although the clown sightings were the main reason for Ronald's fall from the spotlight, people had been campaigning for McDonald's to lose its mascot for years.
Critics claimed he encouraged children to eat unhealthy foods, and in 2011 a group of 550 doctors took out newspaper advertisements urging him to retire.
It read: 'We ask you to stop marketing junk food to children.
“The number of sick children is enormous. Rising healthcare costs and an overburdened healthcare system make treatment more difficult than ever.
“And we know that reducing junk food advertising can significantly improve children's health.”
What is the relationship between Ronald McDonald's and McDonald's?
While Ronald may no longer be the face of McDonald's, he is still the face of Ronald McDonald House Charities UK whose mission is to keep families close together.
They offer families with seriously ill children in the hospital a “home away from home” – a place where they can cook, sleep, be together and always be just moments away from their sick child.
Every year the charity helps more than 6,000 families stay close to their children in hospital.
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