Outside the Beltway

A Very Early McDonald’s Commercial

Doug Mataconis · Friday, June 10, 2011 · 6 comments

This was shared on Facebook by a friend and purports to be one of the first television commercials ever run by McDonald’s. All I can say is that the original conception of Ronald McDonald was a little creepy:

Here’s another one from 1967 which, amusingly, spends a lot of time telling parents how eating at McDonalds will help keep the kids from throwing a fit:

Update: I believe that the Ronald McDonald in the first commercial is played by Willard Scott

FILED UNDER: Open Forum, Facebook, television

About Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

Falze says:

Friday, 10 June 2011 at 16:34

If you squint, it looks like Sarah Palin.

To be clear…if YOU squint, Doug, it looks like Sarah Palin.
jwest says:

Friday, 10 June 2011 at 16:42

Falze,

Give Doug a break. It can’t be easy posting articles while simultaneously searching through Palin’s emails for dirt.
Doug Mataconis says:

Friday, 10 June 2011 at 16:49

Neither one of you has the least sense of humor do you?

I notice that among ideologues on the right and the left.
G.A.Phillips says:

Friday, 10 June 2011 at 17:04

Spooooky….
A voice from another precinct says:

Friday, 10 June 2011 at 20:08

I think you’ve post-moderned the message just a little on the second commercial. “McDonald’s believes in getting to your children before they get to each other” doesn’t strike me as “spend[ing] a lot of time telling parents how eating at McDonalds will help keep the kids from throwing a fit.” But, hyperbole IS part of your stock in trade, isn’t it?
John Burgess says:

Friday, 10 June 2011 at 22:06

Yep, that’s Willard Scott.