“There’s a brand new clown in town…” (McDonald’s commercial, 1976/77)
Happy Funshine Friday, Bionic pals! Here’s an early morning commercial for McDonald’s you may have caught in 1976 or ’77 featuring the Little Ronald McDonald doll.
Only $1.00! That’s a cheap gift. Somehow though, the whole clown thing seems slightly creepy in retrospect.
Previously on Funshine Friday: ‘Sesame Street’ – Ernie & Bert ‘Emotions’ (1975)
Once again, a visit to your site as transported me back to the thrilling days of yesterday. Seeing the image of that stuffed clown, recalls a time in my youth when the most important phrase in my life was, “Cheese on 6 please”. Hidden, way back in the dark and unexplored nether regions of an unused bedrooms closet, sits a box filled to the top with McDonalds toys, POP kit items, yo-yo’s, a wristwatch and at least one of these dolls still protectively wrapped in it’s original plastic.
Yes, I was once a “crew kid”, as McDonalds used to refer to us; just saying that phrase again has caused me to flash back on a huge number of memories. A time when there were less than a dozen lunch menu items and the entire grill and fish station could be run by two people during a rush, and one during slow spells. A time when the drive up window was a unique thing to have at your store, the cash registers still had holes in the sides so they could be run by hand crank if the power went out and if you looked like you were goofing off, a ‘swing’ manager would shout at you to, “get out there and mop the red”.
In retrospect, working for McDonalds was a lot of hard work, but it was also one of the most enjoyable jobs I’d had. Once again, good memories.
Thanks for the flashback knowledge of your McDonald’s years. I never worked at a fast food franchise, but I worked in an ice cream shop. I ate a huge amount of ice cream every week. I never seemed to tire of it.