The following article was written by @TheKingofRetro
I’m going to bring into the spotlight today something in which I absolutely loved as a child that was a big part of our culture back in the 1980’s and 1990’s but has been shunned by the masses and just about every parent group from one coast to the other. A topic that was once something special and meaningful and an event that helped to really make being a kid fun. In my household it wasn’t too often but in others it may have been a weekly tradition or in others it may have been avoided altogether. Today I’m going to discuss fast food and how when I was a kid there was (almost) nothing better.
When I was a kid I watched a lot of cartoons. When I say I watched a lot of cartoons I really mean it. I was so in love with watching cartoons that I would feel so lost and depressed if I missed an episode of one of my favorites and I would feel as if my day was ruined. Don’t get me wrong though, I had my fair share of time outdoor activities such as riding bikes with friends and playing hide n’ go seek and all that jazz, but I sincerely loved to watch cartoons. One of my absolute favorite things about watching cartoons was that I would get to see commercials centered around things I enjoyed as a kid whether it was toys, video games, or in this case…….fast food. McDonald’s in particular had the absolute best commercials back in the 80’s and early 90’s thanks to the famous clown known the world over as Ronald McDonald, and his colorful cast of friends, who starred in a majority of the advertisements that adorned my television set. I would always get a sense of excitement whenever a McDonald’s commercial would come on and I’d get even more excited during Halloween and Christmas when they’d air their special holiday themed spots. Man, there was nothing like it. Ronald McDonald interacting with the Chicken McNuggets in their Halloween costumes always gave me a warm feeling whenever I’d have the opportunity to see those commercials, and the Christmas ad where he was ice skating with the kids was always one of my all-time favorites, and every time I’d bare witness to those magical moments I’d be compelled to want to go eat at McDonald’s. Burger King also had some pretty cool commercials back in the day with the Burger King Kids Club spots that featured Kid Vid and his cool gang of friends who embodied the late 80’s look and vibe, and of course wearing the free crown inside of the restaurant was always something to look forward to, but they just couldn’t match the magic of McDonald’s no matter how hard they tried. Though I do admit that as an adult their form of burgers are like 10x better than anything McDonald’s can produce, but I’d take a real hamburger from a real restaurant any day of the week over what I can get at a fast food joint and that’s a huge reason as to why I haven’t had fast food in years. But when I was a kid a trip to either McDonald’s or Burger King was always an amazing experience and so much fun thanks to most of the places around me having a section of the restaurant set up for kids to play in thanks to the ball pits and slides and other such novelties that kids could lose themselves in. I’d probably be taken to McDonald’s or Burger King once a month or so (usually McDonald’s) and I’d usually get the Happy Meal, which consisted of a cheeseburger, fries, a soft drink, and a toy of some sort, none of this diced apples, chicken nugget, and milk bullshit they’re passing off to kids these days. Thanks to lazy parents who don’t want to put the effort into monitoring what their children eat they pressed upon the government to do it for them which has basically transformed fun places like McDonald’s from a place of wonder into a place of blunder where they have to offer healthy alternatives and ditch the kid friendly advertising. Hey parents, if you don’t want your kids eating at McDonald’s than don’t take them there, but to impress your bullshit onto the government and force a company to change is pathetic and ignorant and you need to do a better job parenting your own children and not worry about what other people (or companies) are doing.
Anyway. Now that I just put idiotic parents in check I’ll continue on with my entry. Back in the day fast food was marketed toward children quite a bit but it was also marketed toward adults as well with an ad campaign that featured a talking moon who played the piano to the tune of Mack The Knife who became known as “Mac-Tonight”. These advertising spots painted the picture that McDonald’s was not only a place for kids but a place where grown ups could go and enjoy dinner and conversation without lugging along the family, and there were even other commercials that spoofed the competition and took a stab at making going out to a fast food restaurant seem like it was the thing to do. But as much as McDonald’s and Burger King ruled the roost in those days as a place where kids could go and have fun and boasted a family friendly atmosphere it seemed as if Wendy’s was the one fast food restaurant that really catered to the adult crowd with little to no advertising geared toward children. Their mascots weren’t made up of clowns or moon men wearing sunglasses, instead they were a middle aged man and a photo of a young girl with red hair. When you entered a Wendy’s back in the day you didn’t enter into a place that housed a ball pit or a super slide, you saw no colorful characters on the walls, and there certainly were no gimmicky crowns to wear or toys to hand out. You had an establishment that had nicely tiled floors, wooden walls, and tables that had pictures of newspaper clippings and articles on them. It was very different than what you were used to seeing in those days, but man, their food was incredibly good. Probably better than even Burger King. I enjoyed going there as a kid just as much as I did McDonald’s or Burger King and even though it lacked the kid friendly atmosphere I highly enjoyed the quality of their food and felt that it had a “real restaurant” vibe to it that was a tad more relaxing than other options back then. The inside of Wendy’s has changed throughout the years and the same can be said for Burger King and McDonald’s. The later have (for the most part) ditched the colorful exteriors of their restaurants and have added in pictures of wildlife, nature, or cities instead of the colorful characters that adorned their walls back in the 80’s and 90’s, and some of them have even added fireplaces to attract the adult crowd all but forgetting that they once catered to children as well. Gone are the pictures of the McDonald-Land characters, the hamburger sitting stools, and the colorful buildings that once brought a gleam to our eyes as children, and in came the “cafe” atmosphere and a building that reminds me more of a Panera Bread than a joyful place of fun and wonder. It’s a damn shame too.
No matter what I’ll always remember the fun of visiting a fast food establishment when I was a child. It’s one of those fun little memories that pop up from time to time and I’m glad I had a chance to experience it back when there was something worth experiencing, it’s just a shame they had to change over time but I’ll always hold with me the memories of visiting those special places with my family and friends. Even as the 80's made way into the 90's McDonald's and Burger King kept their fun factor alive and kicking and I personally didn't start seeing changes in how the two presented themselves until the very late 90's. But I've read blogs and other such ramblings from those in other parts of the United States who have noticed these changes both sooner and after, so I guess it really all depends on where it is you live. While I don't regularly visit fast food establishments anymore I do have a soft spot for them in my heart because of the era I grew up in and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. As the world changes so do I, but I’ll never forget the retro sights, sounds, and smells of a good ol’ fast food restaurant from back in the 80’s and early 90’s. Who’s with me?
Contact Information
Twitter - @TheKingofRetro
All content within this article is © & ™ by KOR Productions 2015
