Who is Ronald McDonald? This is a clown who is the mascot of the world famous company McDonald's. According to research conducted in 2001 by the authors of the book "Fast Food Nation", Ronald McDonald (see photo below) is quite recognizable. About what kind of a clown, ninety-six percent of American students told. Without any doubt, such popularity allows Ronald McDonald to become the most recognizable symbol of a famous product. In terms of celebrity, he is second only to Santa Claus.
In commercials and television spots, Ronald McDonald lives with his many friends in a fantasy land called McDonaldland.
History of Appearance
The original image of the clown was created by Willard Scott. During this period, the actor starred in Washington on one of the TV channels. From 1959 to 1962 he played the role of the clown Bozo. After that, W. Scott starred in three separate television commercials. In them, he acted as the clown Ronald McDonald.
Willard Scott later moved to NBC-TV as a meteorologist. At the same time, he claimed that the famous clown was invented by him.
The history of the appearance of the mascot according to the company
The world famous network "McDonald's",claims that W. Scott became the author of only the character himself, which is currently second only to Santa Claus in popularity.
In 1965 A. J. became the so-called clown boss. His range of duties was wide enough. He hired new people, created performances, trained actors and organized mass performances. In fact, it was thanks to A. J. that Ronald McDonald appeared before the audience for thirty-five years. During this period, the company hired a huge number of clowns for promotional activities.
In 1966, the McDonald's restaurant chain hired a circus performer. They became Michael Polyakovs. In the circus, he played the clown Coco. This artist has made a significant contribution to the fact that Ronald McDonald appeared in a new image. It was this man who created the make-up and costume known to almost everyone. In addition, Michael himself starred as a clown in the first eight television commercials.
Actors
The McDonald's company employs up to several hundred involved actors. All of them play the role of Ronald McDonald at the events held by the company, as well as in its restaurants. However, it is believed that at the national level, R. McDonald is represented by only one actor.
So, from 1963 to 1965. it was Willard Scott. From 1966 to 1968 Bev Bergeron was brought in by the company. George Voorhees played the title role of the clown from 1968 to 1970, and1970 to 1975 she was given to Bob Brandon. Ronald McDonald was played by King Moody for the next nine years. From 1984 to 1991 he passed the baton to Skyr Fridell. Until 1995, the main clown of the company was Jack Dupki, he was replaced by Joe Maggard, who played the role until 2007. After him and to this day, the main actor of the company is Brad Lennon.
Trademark
Ronald McDonald's costume and various forms of his names are the property of McDonald's. All of these attributes are registered trademarks of McDonald's. Qualified staff train the actors in the same manner of portraying a popular clown. Such a game, combined with identical costumes, allows you to create the illusion of a single character.
This is interesting
In 2010, Corporate Accountability International made a proposal to McDonald's to fire Ronald McDonald. The motive for this was the rapidly spreading obesity among children. However, the CEO of the company said that McDonald's had no such plans.
In 2011, Ace Metrix announced the ineffectiveness of advertising with a popular clown. However, Ronald still continues to appear in television commercials.
In the same 2011, Corporate Accountability International reminded of itself again. In most newspapers, she launched information about the need for Ronald to leave. In addition, this statement appeared on some websites. However, Jim Skinner and thisonce stood up for the mascot of his company. He said that Ronald McDonald is an ambassador for good, and everyone should be responsible for their choice.
The greeting of the popular clown in Thailand is made according to Thai traditions. At the same time, he presses both hands to each other. The Thai image of the McDonald's symbol was created in 2002. The local McThai franchisor was directly involved in this. Later, this character appeared in India, as well as in other countries where a similar gesture is used as a greeting.
Ronald has a different name in Japan. In this country they call him Donald. This change occurred due to the absence of the letter “r” in the Japanese alphabet.
Charity
Since 1984, McDonald's has been helping children with disabilities. An international foundation called the Ronald McDonald House was organized. It currently covers forty-eight countries.
There is a Ronald McDonald Foundation in Russia too. In our country, it began its activities in 1995. Over the years, this charitable foundation has collected more than four hundred and twenty million US dollars. All the money was distributed to provide social, psychological and medical support to sick children.
In Russia, the Ronald McDonald Foundation helps orphanages and sick children. Little citizens receive support and joy from a cheerful clown in their difficult life situation.
