Creepy early McDonald’s commercial

Posted by Adam Stanhope in Advertising, Food & Drinks, Video Clips on October 5, 2007 at 10:41 pm



I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t like clowns. Am I afraid of clowns? No - I don’t think so. Do I find them to be repulsive and want to shrink away to nothingness whenever I see one? Well, who doesn’t?

This video appears to be an early McDonald’s commercial. (The post on YouTube says that it’s the FIRST, but I find that hard to believe). That insane warlock Ronald McDonald appears in the commercial. How would you describe his accent? Working class New York? Longshoreman?

Note also that the commercial is a full minute long. Back in Ronald McDonald’s salad days I guess it was cheaper and more efficient to engage potential clown-haters with commercials lasting longer than 30 seconds.

YouTube.


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COMMENT

13 comments to "Creepy early McDonald’s commercial"

  1. Dave
    October 5th, 2007 at 10:48 pm

    Believe it or not, that first version of Ronald was played by none other than Willard Scott.

  2. SubGenius
    October 5th, 2007 at 10:57 pm

    Don’t you recognize the voice? It’s Willard Scott (who’d 100 years old today!) the first Ronald McDonald. Creepy then. Creepy now.

  3. sarah_mascara
    October 5th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

    yeah, that’s willard scott from the Today Show.

    i don’t think that makes him any less creepy, though. just means he went from liking kids to liking really old people.

  4. Caley
    October 5th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

    I could be wrong, but I believe that the man behind the mask is none other than Willard Scott, of TV’s “Today.” If it’s not him, I know that he did portray the clown prince of hamburgers at one point in his career.

  5. Caley
    October 5th, 2007 at 11:05 pm

    sarah beat me!

  6. Charley
    October 5th, 2007 at 11:17 pm

    That’s Willard Scott of the today show. Read it in an Uncle John’s and also on Wikipedia.

  7. c
    October 6th, 2007 at 1:49 am

    there are plenty of 60 second and even 90 second commercials even today, just as there are lots of 15 or even 5 second cut-downs. the way it usually works is that the agency makes a 30 or 60 second commercial and just recuts it to fit other bought slots. they often start out airing the 60 and then go to 30’s after a week and show the 90 in theaters.

  8. oOPonyOo
    October 6th, 2007 at 1:54 am

    Wow, what a creepshow. I wonder why the first burger doesn’t re-appear, but every other one does. I truly wouldn’t eat anything off that clown’s “Magic Tray”. Also wanted to add, his “watch for me on tv” would make me fear my TV.

  9. Alex
    October 6th, 2007 at 2:35 am

    Willard Scott! Wow, he’s gone a long way from creepy Ronald to the Today show!

  10. ted
    October 6th, 2007 at 7:24 am

    Is it any more creepy than those homoerotic Burger King ads?
    I recall where the guy sees the king, who is standing at the window, holding a long sandwich at groin level. After first making sure his wife isn’t watching, he then takes the sandwich and begins to indulge.

    This is just ordinary compared to today’s commercials.

  11. algonkin
    October 6th, 2007 at 6:04 pm

    Another less know Ronald McDonald actor played by King Moody a.k.a. Shtarker in the television series Get Smart

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Moody

  12. Lawrence Tureaud
    October 7th, 2007 at 8:21 pm

    Don’t you know that is Willard Scott… Motherfucker!

  13. Elliott
    October 8th, 2007 at 4:01 am

    Definitely the inspiration for Michael Richards janitor character in Weird Al’s UHF


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