1976 McDonaldLand Ronald McDonald and friends by Remco Toys.

youtube

My first experience of McDonalds was going to a birthday party one of my class mates was having at the newly opened McDonalds in Walthamstow back when I was about 8 or 9.

I can't say I was massively impressed, even at that age... it was colourful and fun, and I was excited 'cos I was at a Birthday Party, and it was somewhere brand new where only a couple of us (20 or so children, who'd been invited) had been before, but I also found it a bit weird... 

Like it was trying too hard to appeal to children and the burgers were tiny and rubbery, nothing like my mum made at home... 

One thing I did discover was my love for root beer and anything flavoured with it, it's pretty elusive nowadays, especially in Wales, but if I can get my hands on it, I savour the rare treat!

Anyway, back in those days, a birthday at McDonalds meant accompanying McDonald things such as a plastic glove puppet of Ronald. 

agonybooth.com

A Frisbee with the clown spread-eagle in the centre... and even an appearance by the freaky bugger himself!

ebay

In those days (early 1980s) Ronald McDonald looked just like the one above, on adverts etc, but it wasn't always that way...

The first McDonald's restaurant opened their doors in 1948, becoming a franchise in 1955, although at this time there was no Ronald McDonald - he wouldn't come into being until the early 1960's.

famousclowns.org

In 1963, Willard Scott, who had been working on WRC-TV under the moniker Bozo The Clown was approached to record three television adverts for the food chain.

tumbral.com

In doing so he invented a disgustingly scary looking thing that was named "Ronald McDonald the Hamburger Happy Clown" who's outfit he cobbled together from the restaurant's food packaging, as you can see from the image above, the result was terrifying.

google

Clearly, McDonald's realised that the packaging covered Ronald was a terrifying freak of a mascot, and so the design was altered and became more like the Ronald my generation came to know.

Over time, Ronald gained a huge group of friends who all lived in McDonaldLand with him, several of which were even freakier looking than the clown himself, but I digress.

mashed.com

This eventually led to a line of toys, featuring the clown and his friends from McDonaldLand that were made by Remco Toys in the early to mid 1970's.

By 1976, Ronald McDonald, Big Mac, Mayor McCheese, Hamburglar, Captain Crook, The Professor and even Grimace had been made into 6 inch high figures which could be played with on their own or as part of the MacDonaldland Train Set.

popculture.mearsonlineauctions

The train set was pretty cool, it was approximately two by three feet in diameter and included not only a wind up train and track but also a passenger car and Hamburglar's Paddy Wagon; for taking him away in, once he'd been caught up to no good.

The train track had a decorated mat to rest on, with a folded side which when folded up forms a backdrop (11 inches high) both of which were decorated in the same style as the McDonaldLand Murals which used to adorn the walls of  McDonald's Restaurants.

In some restaurants you may even see a huge fibreglass Apple Pie Tree which occasionally doubled up as a swing along side other playground equipment they often had at the time.

mentalfloss.com

As well as a bridge, mini McDonald's Restaurant, complete with seating area and Apple Pie Tree swing, the set also came with a bridge which makes sense as there is a pond in the centre of the play mat and a pair of stilts which your McDonaldLand figures can wear, these are free standing due to the base, but honestly, I can't figure out why they are included in the set at all, I can't remember a time when I ever saw Ronald or his Friends / Bad guys wearing stilts, so I'm clueless as to their inclusion.

Another thing the box states is included is a stationary set, which is very kitsch and very cute but again, what has it got to do with anything else in the box...

If you'd like to see a picture of the stationary; click on the Mentalfloss link below the above picture and you'll be taken to a very interesting article about the train set as well as some legal bother McDonald's got into when they were sued by the creators of  H.R PufnStuf who felt some of the McDonaldLand characters were a bit to close to their own creation, it's a fascinating read.

So far, I've only managed to get my hands on 2 of the action figures; Ronald and Hamburglar...

Hamburglar is in storage so I unfortunately can't show you him right now, he's missing his cape anyway, but my Ronald did come out with me on my birthday a couple of years back when Creeping Stink Flesh got her name and The Hujoo's and Pendle Makie went sunbathing in Langland Bay in Swansea, so here's a picture of him from that day...

The only other pictures I have of him right now are from his Ebay listing, I bought him from an American Seller, which is as it should be, anyway, these are the images that made me want to give him a home...

As you can see he is in great condition, his outfit is in perfect condition and so his hair... you've probably also noticed that little round toggle thing in the middle of his back, it allows you to move his head up and down, side to side, do the scene from The Exorcist, etc

 Here he is sans clothes, in a photo  I lifted from another Ebay listing (for a nakie Ronald) while I was waiting for him to arrive.. as you can see his arms and legs are moulded in red plastic, his shoes are not removable as they are moulded onto his feet, his gloves are painted on and in terms of articulation, apart from the rotating head button, he is only able to move his limbs at the hips and shoulders, making him best suited for posing standing up.

The plastic he is made from is good quality so not likely to bend, warp or snap providing you don't go crazy, his hair is also good quality, rooted firmly to his head with no loose hairs that I've noticed, not bad for a doll which is now 43 years old!

Anyway, I've run out of things to say for now, so I'll bid you farewell,
Hugs,

Follow