Food Theory: The Dark History of McDonaldland (McDonalds)

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We've covered McDonald's a few times on this channel and this will likely not be the last. Theorists, have you ever heard of McDonaldland, the McDonald's theme park? Yes, a real place where you could go hang out with Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and the rest. Think of it like a Disney but for a fast food chain... because that was exactly what McDonald's was trying to rip off. It is time to open the greasy wrapper of a part of McDonald's dark history that they want you to forget.


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Credits:
Writers: Matthew Patrick, Bob Chipman, and Luke Barats
Editors: Josh Langman, Dan "Cybert" Seibert, Alex "Sedge" Sedgwick, and Pedro Freitas
Assistant Editor: AlyssaBeCrazy
Sound Editor: Yosi Berman

#McDonalds #McDonaldLand #ThemePark #FastFood #RonaldMcDonald #FoodTheory #Food #Recipe #Matpat #GameTheory #FilmTheory

[Novusod]

As a Gen-X who grew up in the 80s. The McDonald land theme definitely had the same kind of magic as Disney. They had talking hamburgers. Which was just as cool in the pre-internet era as a talking mouse. Ronald was the only clown that wasn't scary. I hated clowns but Ronald was the man. He was a low key super hero who was always saving the Hamburgers from thieves and pirates.

[agent_seb]

"Can I copy your homework? "
"Yeah but make it a little different so it isn't obvious. "

[taylspin]

Ooooh gosh. Someone who lives in the next town over has one of those McDonald land jails in their yard; just with a lot of the paint missing. I've always wondered what it was and where it came from. Now I know and I don't know if finding the answer made it better or worse.

[carolinejohnston_]

My dad used to tell this story of when he would go to McDonalds and get SOOO excited to see Ronald. this was when they would have people dress up as Ronald. He would always run up to him and hug him, and since he would go there so much as a kid, the guy playing Ronald knew his name. He would go around school all the time telling everyone that Ronald McDonald knew HIS name. Kinda cute, really reminds you on Disneyland with all the characters going around

[PeacefulRises]

And at the end of 2020, as we all thought the chaos had ended, A ringing can be heard in the distance, like a bell. You don’t understand it at first, but then it all comes back to you. Your heart drops as you mutter those cursed words.
*”The Burger Alarm”*

[MrJag]

Trash cans: "Would you mind letting us have the papers please..."
Comrade: "Glory to Arstotzka"

[opbossgg]

Me: "Mom, can we go to Disneyland?"
Mom: "No we have Disneyland at home."

Disneyland at home:

[morxsum]

Your description of Grimace, calling him "fast food Jabba the Hutt" was HILARIOUS 😂 That did come as a big shock to me that Grimace was originally a villain, he is my only fav character in Mcdo, everyone else I was scared of.

[Webb_Studios]

The Fnaf joke isn’t as weird once you remember The Banana Splits costumes were made by Sid and Marty Kroft, the same people behind the law suite

[TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Imagine being a kid who's scared of clowns and having to go to McDonaldland because your parents thought it was like Disneyland

[godslaughter]

My friend with a special... _fondness_ of clowns made me view clowns as something completely else and singlehandedly removed any discomfort I may have felt with them. I primarily felt uncomfortable because I feared being approached in public and messed around with for fun, but now that I know I'm my own biggest clown, nothing can stop me.

[CHEFPKR]

Matt, I've never bought a Ramen shirt so fast. Well played.

[art_by_black]

Grimace: Where's the coke?
Me: Someone pulled a fast one in the writers room...

[joshuabender]

Crazy how matpat accually went back in time just to make the intro. Such a deticated youtuber.

[ajwinberg]

As a member of Gen X I played on these very scary play grounds in the 1980s.

[alexmorrison]

The picture of Mat Pat by the grill confirms he's evolved into Dad Pat.

[curtdog]

"Where's the Coke?"

Pretty sure the founder snorted it all when coming up with McDonaldLand

[cheesecakelasagna]

As a kid, I came up with a theory that Ronald Mcdonald and Hamburglar met in a correctional facility. And somehow they got out, or at least intensively planning to. Birdie was their pet bird, who they truly believed can carry messages like a spy, and Grimace is just a figment of Ronald's imagination as he descended into madness.

Looking back at it now, that could be some indie slice-of-life webseries.

[aiRCoft]

Here's an idea for a video: "Who is Grimace and Why Should I Care About Their Birthday?", where you could dive further into the history and development of _McDonald's_ characters/mascots, as well as their current "Grimace's Birthday" promotion.

[ailsaide]

McDonalds should change their slogan from "I'm lovin' it" to "Who needs friends when you're McRich?"