When I read Bryan Young's article about the conflicted feelings he has around the upcoming Star Wars collector toys coming out at the end of this month, I understood exactly what he was talking about.
The conflict is not about the toys per se -they are cool little toys that Star Wars fans will be happy to add to their collections (we all have our nerd habits so cut me some slack) – but about how these toys are being released to the public: as a toy in a McDonald's Happy Meals.
The author of the article doesn't feed his kids McDonald's food because he sees it as 'poor quality… junk food.' Many people I know agree.
I understand why he doesn't want to feed his children McDonald meals just to get a a cool toy — but not just because of the health factor that he describes (I don't think all choices are horrible in moderation). It's that entire 'getting a gift with the meal' deal. It's pretty much set up my daughter with this expectation of receiving something more than just food when she goes to a restaurant. That, and the toys in general are junk and sometimes they receive more attention than the meal. I don't like wasting money or food.
So that gift-with-meal is an expectation I would like to nip in the bud, not least because getting a toy from every place we eat out at is not always in the cards. Our favourite Thai restaurant has no such thing unless you count the free shrimp chips that land on the table as soon as you sit down. Ever try to convince a kid that shrimp chips are as good as Dora figurine?
I'm not going to say that we don't eat at Mickey-D's – we do eat there on occasion, usually when on the road or on the run, and it's a treat. And we emphasize that it is a treat. And I think that they have tried to make some of the meals healthier and I cannot describe how much my child loves to go to one with a playground. (Personally I see these as massive germ-infested Petri dishes but she just sees the balls and tunnels. Go figure.)
Anyway, regardless of where one stands on McDonalds, I'm sure we all agree that it's not every day food because when that happens obesity and health concerns are pretty much guaranteed which leads us back to the conflict about getting the cool toys without the guilt. Etc.
So what to do when you (or your child) really wants that toy? Bryan Young suggests you just go in and buy it directly. Skip the food, explain why to the kids, and then you (or your child) gets the toy without the saturated fats.
Which is a great idea because the Darth Vadar kind of has my name written all over it. But how I would ever be able to resist the smell of those french fries and not buy them is a challenge I'm not sure I'm up to. I swear they put something in them to make them irresistible. Or addictive. God, I hope it's not nicotine.
source via Disinformation
About katie
Oh come on, Mickey D’s does NOT use nicotine in their fries. God.
Everyone knows they use crack.
:D
its probably MSG or something!
@sherry — I could kiss you, that was my first choice. Then I decided that nicotine was FAR more addictive so there you have it.
@Becca_Masters MSG, nicotine, crack… lets just agree it cant be good ;)
Our son is allowed to have fast food every once in a while — usually Chick Fil A or McDonald’s. We have NEVER given him the toy with the meal. I take it out of the box/bag before he ever sees it, and stash it. Then if we have to take a road trip, or if he just needs a treat, I pull one out of the “treasure chest.” This way he doesn’t get the idea that every meal should be accompanied by a toy, AND I have a stash of pretty much disposable toys that I can give to him any time.
What I do, is get a Happy Meal for myself, during the work day, for my lunch, with apples and milk. Way less guilt, and I get my damn toy. :)
@Amelias_Sprout – Stop giving me ideas and justification (as in Amelia Sprout does it, so can I). OK, full disclosure: Ive done the same AND kept the toy for myself.
What’s the issue exactly? You can walk in and just buy the toys. Yes, they will sell you just the toys!!
@EAS — I was not aware the toys could be sold separate from a Happy Meal and was glad that this article told me I could. I thought I’d share this information with others who want the toy but not the food. At the McDonalds around here, the toys aren’t listed on the menu as sold without the meal so I was just trying to pass along the tip :)
They’re not so bad but they’re not that great either, I didn’t know you could buy them though, it could come in handy, bookmarked it.