They all bloat down here…especially if they have TWO Big Macs
We go to McDonald’s now and again. I might have mentioned it. People will frown about that. They will say things like ‘Consumerism’ ‘Frankenstein food’ and ‘I hate McDonald’s’. And to them I say ‘Yes, but have you tried the bacon double cheeseburger?’.
Now I have the kids full time on a Wednesday (thanks to French president Mr Macron, and I really do mean that) we often head there, especially if it’s raining.
It was raining on this grey and miserable Wednesday, so guess where we ended up?
Our trip to McDonald’s today was made more memorable as we were ‘entertained’ by the real-life, in the flesh, French Ronald McDonald, walking around saying bonjour, cava etc.
In case you didn’t notice the picture at the top of the page, he looked liked this:
Note suspicious glare from kid in bottom right of pic
He was walking around chatting away, smiling/grimacing at and cuddling people, with a balloon person accompanying him, making balloon animals for the kids, as if this would in some way alleviate the sheer terror that his form brought out in them and the adults as well. Especially adults like me.
It’s broad daylight, in a busy restaurant, yet this clown, squeaking around in his big red shoes, has got me quaking in mine. I hate clowns, yet have a perverse fascination with them, and have watched every horror film featuring them.
Some of the kids lapped it up, but some reacted like me and so there were plenty of scenes like this one:
I can say, with hand on heart, that he was at least 200% more sinister than the already-creepy-as-fuck UK ones that I used to see from time to time. I can also say that I have never seen my daughter turn away from something as quickly as she did when he approached our table today and tried to engage her in conversation, she was having none of him, his red shoes, his balloon animals or his ghastly painted face.
It was a pity, as the kids really did want one of the balloon animals – my son specified a dog, any colour but pink – but they were not prepared to endure having this painted creature interacting with them in order to get one.
He left half-way through our meal, probably had other venues to terrorise. We did not mourn his passing, and are not looking forward to him being there again.
Shame about the balloon animals though.
Mr Mum: The 'joy' of a stay-at-home dad 
I must have been raised in a different universe. I like clowns.
When I was a kid, my favorite show was “Howdy Doody”, which featured a live actor – Buffalo Bob, several puppets – including the aforementioned Howdy Doody – and a clown named Clarabelle. Maybe because the show was still in black and white? I don’t know, but clowns always bring me back to my childhood.
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Hmmm, no clowns in my childhood, except the original Pennywise from ‘It’. He was more than enough though!
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OH! Pennywise! No wonder you’re afraid of clowns. Had that movie been out when I was a kid my parents wouldn’t have allowed me to see it! Clarabelle was utterly non-threatening.
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I was allowed to see many, many wildly inappropriate films at a far-too-young age. Nightmare On Elm Street, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre etc etc. It’s a wonder I’m not more messed up than I am 🙂
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They are creepy as. Not a fan of clowns. I feel your pain or rather your kids’
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I honestly think my son may have not been too fussed but thankfully he was engrossed in his ‘free’ McDonald’s Happy Meal toy, so we were spared any further/closer contact. He was even creepy when he left, something wrong about a 6 foot 4 clown saying ‘Have a good afternoon’ while smiling and waving. Actually, there’s a lot wrong with a 6 foot 4 clown full stop.
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