Ronald McDonald is one of the most well-known figures in popular culture. But not everyone
really knows what's going on behind the scenes. In order to call yourself Ronald, there are
some rules to follow and also a few perks that can come your way. So Here are 10 Secrets
About Being Ronald McDonald You Never Thought About.
Ronald McDonald is not allowed to hug kids
Kids have boundaries that need to be respected. While intentions may be noble, a misinterpretation
can lead to trouble that no brand, no matter how big and popular, wants to deal with. That's
why anyone who plays the role of Ronald McDonald is not allowed to hug the children. Imagine
the scenario if Ronald hugged a child and they started crying. This could then create
a snowball effect which leads to the kid's parents believing that the actor somehow hurt
the kid. As if that weren't enough for this rule to be put in place, who would really
want their kid hugging some strange clown in a fast food restaurant anyway? This might
be one reason as to why the brand has outright banned the actors from hugging. This is probably
a good move from Mickey D’s corporate. Big fast food giants have enough on their plates
when it comes to legal issues and they definitely don’t want Ronald involved in any lawsuits. In
the end, it’s a rule that makes plenty of sense and the consequences for breaking it
are likely severe. While it's not directly known what the consequences are, it's not
hard to imagine that Mickey D’s would fire any actor for breaking this strictly enforced
rule.
The total number of Ronald's
While it has been said that worldwide, there's around 250 Ronalds working for the company
at any given time, the actual number might be much higher when you consider how widespread
the brand truly is. With the reported 250 amount, it would mean that there's one mascot
for about every 150 restaurants as there's an estimated total of 37,855 McDonald’s
locations. As to how McDonald's keeps up the appearances of the characters over several
countries and locations, it can’t be easy. Mickey D’s must have one talented booking
agent making sure all the Ronalds across the world are where they need to be on any given
day. This would make sense since corporate wouldn't want two Ronalds showing up at the
same charity event or showing up at the same Walmart. The number of Ronalds and the number
of Mickey D’s restaurants factor into why it's rare to actually see a Ronald McDonald
at your local outlet.
The actors need to sign waivers
Actors hired to play the role of Ronald McDonald need to sign a waiver. It's mandatory and
protects the company in the event an actor breaks the rules or gets sick from working
with kids. There is a little more that goes into the waivers that the actors sign. It
basically states that they're not allowed to disclose any information that they’ve
learned while on the job, which is good because it prevents other companies from creating
copy cats of Ronald. This is basically insurance for the company. If something bad like an
injury or hot coffee burn were to happen to one of the actors while on shift, they might
be inclined to sue their employer, but a waiver would protect McDonald’s from precisely
that. However, while a waiver might be common practice for dangerous activities like skydiving
and even zip-lining, it's not something you'd expect to have to agree to simply to get a
job as a mascot. Despite all of that, there are likely some benefits to both parties after
the waivers are signed. An actor, in some circumstances, might find themselves getting
some extra perks and benefits included in these waivers. I wonder if any future Ronald
can get a rider in the contract like a rockstar making crazy demands like having a dressing
room decked out with only yellow and red flowers, or requesting french fries but all must be
longer than 3 inches. Somehow, we don’t see Ronald McDonald being such a diva.
Ronald can't tell where the burgers come from
Sometimes children are curious as to where their food comes from. In those situations,
the parents might decide to have a conversation with their children. How and when the parents
go about telling their kids where food comes from and how different products are made is
up to them. This makes total sense as kids vary in degree of being able to understand
and process information. So if a parent does not want to tell their child how a hamburger
is made yet, it is their decision. It’s not up to Ronald to tell kids how the chicken
McNuggets are made. Keeping Ronald McDonald as just a mascot and not a dispenser of information
can not only keep the good reputation of Ronald alive. This also prevents the characters from
revealing information that might ruin a child's love for McD’s altogether. You see, Ronald
is a just a clown and Mickey D’s doesn’t want him telling a little kid something they
might find mildly traumatic. I mean, we wouldn’t want Ronald talking about Santa Claus with
these little kids now would we? These are issues left up to the parents who can find
all the info they need from the McDonald’s website, well except for on Santa Claus that
is.
Some of the actors get awesome services
McDonald's has always tried to have a culture of being like a family for those who work
there. They take care of their own, which certainly explains why it is said that they
offer perks like bodyguards, personal chefs, and chauffeurs to the Ronald McDonald actors.
These services are pretty awesome, especially the personal chef. I guess corporate HQ wants
to make sure their clown is eating well. There are also some instances when Ronald needs
protection or at least someone to keep all the twelve-year-old boys in check when they
wonder if he's real or not. For example, it was described that some children actually
try to stomp on his red shoes and pull his hair. In this case, it's pretty important
to have a big burly bodyguard to say "step away from the clown." Though, this probably
isn't the reality for every Ronald McDonald actor. It's only for a select few of them
who might be longtime employees or be working at a large event. It's basically a way to
keep the actor feeling safe and comfortable all while following the many rules that come
with being Ronald McDonald.
Being Ronald in Japan is far different
McDonald’s Japan is known for being very unique in its marketing tactics as well as
for its menu options. That's why it's not surprising that there are several differences
with Ronald in Japan. Everything about the traditional aspect of the clown was revised
and even modernized to appeal to a new type of customer. In Japan, he's apparently known
as Donald McDonald. There was also an advertisement that featured a female Ronald McDonald which
was described as sexier, younger and without ten pounds of makeup on. The ad featured a
model wearing a red and white striped tankini, and fancy large red shoes. Despite what some
people might think about the ad, it turned out to be a hit - with high school girls apparently
liking it the most. In another instance, there was what appeared to be a male Ronald, who
was looking fresh in a McDonald’s colored suit and tie. He also had nice hair which
differed from the traditional clown’s hairstyle. These Ronald’s were obviously not aimed at kids.
Other than these specific ad campaigns, the Japanese Ronald McDonald is pretty much up
to corporate standards in the region.
Actors have got to follow a script
Scripts are very useful, they prevent someone from panicking and breaking company policy.
Better yet, they allow for quick and decisive answers to frequently asked questions from
children and possibly some adults. In the rare event that an actor playing Ronald McDonald
doesn't have an answer to a question from a customer, they're expected to say “ask
someone wearing normal shoes.” This would likely be the case if an adult was asking
specific questions about the history of McDonald’s or the food itself. What this action does
is simply redirect the customer to a person better equipped to deal with the question
rather than the customer getting false or incorrect information from the mascot. That's
just one reason why those who are tasked with playing the part of Ronald McDonald have got
to hold their ground and stay on script. They're not allowed to break it by any means. While
consequences for doing so are not known, it can only be imagined that depending on what
was said, an actor might find themselves being fired or suspended. However, that would probably
only happen in the event of a serious deviation from the script, like a Ronald McDonald jumping
on tables and yelling at customers. That is definitely NOT in the script.
Everyone Knows Ronald McDonald
Being the mascot to one of the biggest fast food restaurant chains in the entire world,
is of course going to make you a pretty recognizable figure. But maybe even more recognizable than
you would think. At the height of Ronald McDonald's popularity craze, you could find people sporting
all kinds of Ronald memorabilia. Everything from actions figures, dolls, lunchboxes, watches,
glasses, clocks, telephones, basically any memorabilia that exists, Ronald has lent his
likeliness to at some point or another. This saturation of the clown faced mascot into
pop culture turn Ronald McDonald into one of the most recognizable figures in the entire
world. Need proof? A magazine called "Marketing Week" actually did a marketing survey, and
concluded that "Ronald McDonald was said to be so huge, he was more popular than Jesus".
This was the headline to an article they released in the 90s and it was based on a survey they
had done of 7,000 people, across eight countries, that found that far more people recognized
the McDonald's mascot, than they did the Christian cross. This is a pretty crazy statement, but
these claims were actually also backed up in the 2004 documentary "Super Size Me". Where
the subject of the documentary, Morgan Spurlock, went on to prove this point in a clip where
you see a host of school kids who all easily recognize who Ronald is, but mistake an image
of Jesus for George W. Bush... This is due in large part to the fact that McDonald's
spends more money on marketing and advertising than any of its competitors. Which in turn
launched Ronald McDonald into superstar status, one that could be identified by over 95 percent
of Americans! It is said that the only fictional character that is more recognizable, is the
one and only Santa Claus.
Ronald McDonald looks far better today
When the original Ronald first made himself known to McDonald's fans in the 1960’s,
he wasn't as friendly looking as he is today. Forget the familiar big red shoes and unique
yellow outfit, he was more than a little creepy and seriously looked like a lunatic that was
about the nab you in the shower. The original Ronald had a cup for a nose, a hat that was
similar to a tray with food on it and massive amounts of makeup. Compare that to the new
and improved Ronald, who's got a fairly similar color scheme, large red shoes, a clean red
wig, and a vest, and you can see the character has come a long way. The hat/tray was tossed
into the trash, which was a good move since it really did clean him up a lot and make
him look much less like a tray holder. This allowed for his other aspects to show off
a little more. The copious amounts of makeup have stuck around but we can definitely say
the application of it has been thankfully refined. These changes were a good move. Let's
face it, that hat would not be flying high today and the same goes for the straw-like
hair from the original Ronald. Ronald McDonald is known for his big head of red hair as much
as he is for his burgers. The first actor to play Ronald McDonald was a famous weatherman
named Willard Scott. He had also played the role of Bozo The Clown, a popular television
clown of the era. Scott's role in creating the original Ronald was largely forgotten
after McDonald’s decided to give the mascot a makeover. Scott was fired and the Ronald
we all know and love today began to take shape.
No McD's for Ronald McDonald
McDonald's is a fairly messy food. It's not the type of food that someone wants to eat
without washing their hands afterward. There's salt, sauce and whatever else on a person's
hands. Now, imagine what their faces might look like if they had to eat quickly. On top
of that, there's the issue of getting clothing dirty by accident due to some sauce falling
on your shirt. These are some of the reasons why a Ronald McDonald actor is not allowed
to eat when in costume. They can't ruin the image of the company's character by him eating
a messy meal. It simply doesn't portray a good and clean restaurant environment if their
mascot is covered is mustard and ketchup. This also makes a lot of sense when you consider
how much makeup the actor is wearing and how much time goes into putting it on. Since there
are standards for how the makeup is applied, it might not be easily fixable with a "touch
up" brush after a couple of Big Macs. Since Ronald McDonald is the mascot for the company
and more specifically for the kids, it could be seen as a direct promotion to eat fast
foods like McDonald’s, which might not sit too well with parents. In fact, this was actually
one thing that the clown was accused of back in 2010 - contributing to the obesity problem
and marketing junk food to kids. There is no denying that Ronald McDonald has been through
a lot over the years, but there is also no denying that he is probably one of the most
famous mascots ever created.
Stick around. Tap that screen for another great video, show us some love and hit that
subscribe button and ring that notification bell.