Mayor McCheese
Perplexing question: what happened to Mayor McCheese? I know, I know. We all see Ronald McDonald around us everyday. He still has TV spots, and if your willing, you can sit down next to a life-sized statue of him at many a McDonald's. I'm not so worried about the scary clown. I want to know where McCheese has gone...
I set out to do a bit of research. Sure enough, it takes .01827 seconds on Google to return a myriad of possibilities. If anyone else has wondered, I have posted the links.
Theory 1: Bottom line - McCheese was murdered and eaten. Evidently the poor bastard's name was also Chauncey. Here's the unofficial biography of Chauncey Munster McCheese.
Theory 2: McCheese was McStolen. This is the most probable answer to the vexing question. Word on the street is that McCheese was a rip-off of H.R. Pufnstuf. Okay, let's think about this. For the lowdown on the McCheese lawsuit that shook the foundations of our great nation, I'd look to Wikipedia. That's the McCheese I remember. Now, take a look at this thing Pufnstuf. I don't think so.
I pulled the opinion of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which heard the lawsuit in 1977. Describing the similarities between McCheese and Pufnstuf the court stated, "The characters are also similar. Both lands are governed by mayors who have disproportionately large round heads dominated by long wide mouths. They are assisted by 'Keystone cop' characters. Both lands feature strikingly similar crazy scientists and a multi-armed evil creature." Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. v. McDonald's Corp., 562 F.2d 1157, 1167 (9th Cir. 1977).
That's awesome. Now I know the truth. Congrats Pufnstuf. You killed off an icon. But the thing is, no one remembers you now. Wouldn't it have made since to bow out gracefully to a real hero?
It was a great marketing tool. I'm still hooked twenty some odd years later. I say resurrect McCheese. We could all certainly do with a little McCheese in our lives. Let's be honest, McDonaldland is just a happier place than most.
I set out to do a bit of research. Sure enough, it takes .01827 seconds on Google to return a myriad of possibilities. If anyone else has wondered, I have posted the links.
Theory 1: Bottom line - McCheese was murdered and eaten. Evidently the poor bastard's name was also Chauncey. Here's the unofficial biography of Chauncey Munster McCheese.
Theory 2: McCheese was McStolen. This is the most probable answer to the vexing question. Word on the street is that McCheese was a rip-off of H.R. Pufnstuf. Okay, let's think about this. For the lowdown on the McCheese lawsuit that shook the foundations of our great nation, I'd look to Wikipedia. That's the McCheese I remember. Now, take a look at this thing Pufnstuf. I don't think so.
I pulled the opinion of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which heard the lawsuit in 1977. Describing the similarities between McCheese and Pufnstuf the court stated, "The characters are also similar. Both lands are governed by mayors who have disproportionately large round heads dominated by long wide mouths. They are assisted by 'Keystone cop' characters. Both lands feature strikingly similar crazy scientists and a multi-armed evil creature." Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions, Inc. v. McDonald's Corp., 562 F.2d 1157, 1167 (9th Cir. 1977).
That's awesome. Now I know the truth. Congrats Pufnstuf. You killed off an icon. But the thing is, no one remembers you now. Wouldn't it have made since to bow out gracefully to a real hero?
It was a great marketing tool. I'm still hooked twenty some odd years later. I say resurrect McCheese. We could all certainly do with a little McCheese in our lives. Let's be honest, McDonaldland is just a happier place than most.
posted by Taft at
5:19 PM
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