McDonald's new 'Happy' mascot dubbed McScary in social media

[okaawhatever]

(Reuters) - McDonald's restaurant chain says its new "Happy" mascot will bring "fun and excitement" to its children's meals, but social media contend the toothy, red box-shaped character will have the opposite effect.

Twitter responses to McDonald's mascot announcement on Monday complain that the animated red Happy Meal box, with its cavernous dark mouth and rows of large white teeth, is scary and will bring children nightmares instead of joy.

"It's the meal that eats you," said one comment. Another said, "I didn't want to sleep tonight anyways, it's cool."

The character will be introduced nationwide on Friday. Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald's said in a statement that it will encourage kids to enjoy healthy food choices, like fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/20/us-usa-mcdonalds-mascot-idUSKBN0E01QG20140520

[Rex]

1. "...encourage kids to enjoy healthy food choices, like fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy."

BULLLLSHIIITTT!!! It looks like a box that did an eight ball and drank 5 Redbulls!

Good thing it's got running shoes on, will need to be fast to run away from the next protest!

[steve2470]

3. bwahahaha ! good one ! DUzy nomination !

Yes, someone failed to test that new mascot on real children outside of corporate headquarters.

[Rex]

6. Maybe McHappy can get a McNikey endorsement.

"Okay kids, help McHappy and Sgt. Cheeseburger sneak past these noisy Commie McProtesters!

[OnyxCollie]

2. Yep. Scary. nt

[MsTanja]

4. You have to give them props....

for how clever they are. A scary, creepy, really rather icky mascot to "encourage kids to enjoy healthy food choices, like fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy."

Yeah....

[KurtNYC]

20. It may "encourage kids to enjoy healthy food choices, like fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy"

by scaring them away from McDonalds.

[GReedDiamond]

5. Besides being scary and weird...

...that thing is just really badly designed and executed.

"I'll take extra CHEESE with that design, thank you."

It reminds me of a stylized corporately branded garbage can -- throw the rest of your inedible "Crappy Meal" into the mouth of the creature!

[arcane1]

26. The ad industry has been kissing its own ass for so long, nothing they do makes sense.

[maryellen99]

7. Still not as creepy as the King from BK nt

[gollygee]

15. +1

[Javaman]

19. I could be wrong, but I think Burger King knows that and uses it to their advantage. nt

[Jamastiene]

29. GMTA

That was my first thought too. I actually had a nightmare about that Burger King guy. That was awful.

[hatrack]

30. The greatest inadvertent marketing campaign in human history . . .

[greyl]

8. Here's the unretouched photo:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

22. Hey, kids, try the new McMuffinTop dessert!

[MADem]

9. It has a gaping mouth, it looks like it could eat a child in two bites.... nt

[snooper2]

10. I guess not a lot of people here have a four year old LOL

Watch Nick Jr for a day or so

[gollygee]

14. I have a 5-year-old

She thought it was scary and funny at the same time.

[yuiyoshida]

11. A happy face on a box in tennis shoes...

Yeah, it took a ton of creativity to come up with that....

[alp227]

12. anything to distract from the workers' uprising? nt

[hatrack]

13. Why not just add fangs?

I mean, they're already about 80% of the way to the Can't Sleep Clowns Will Eat Me stage of marketing failure.

[SQUEE]

16. Still not as sinister as the original Hamburglar...

>shudder<

[theHandpuppet]

17. Wow. That's disturbing.

[Javaman]

18. damn, if clowns didn't scare me enough...nt

[AceAcme]

21. Looks like a mutant GMO skanky Red Republican RightwingNut pretending to be honest & nutritious

[Gidney N Cloyd]

23. Nice work. Combine realistic teeth and tongue with an otherwise cartoon-y look.

[NuclearDem]

24. Well, hey kids, who wants to head out back and do some McSpeed?

[rocktivity]

25. Plagiarism much? It's a total ripoff of those Despicable Me thingys

Who have actually have a video to a song titled "Happy"

rocktivity

[theHandpuppet]

27. Looks like that creepy pacu fish, the one with the human-like teeth

Also known to have a penchant for making a happy meal of human testicles.

[Jamastiene]

28. That is nothing compared to that Burger King guy with the crown.

I literally had nightmares about that masked hideous Burger King guy. I hated that. This one is mild in comparison.

[sakabatou]

31. Oh god, why?!