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Post by Rob Allen on Nov 14, 2024 1:50:11 GMT -5
I loved Bozo the clown as a kid and have always associated clowns with fun and laughter. The "scary clown" image never resonated with me.
But Homey the clown was funny in a whole different way.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Nov 14, 2024 8:15:26 GMT -5
I've been having to watch the two "new" episodes of It! in another room as my wife won't let me watch them in the bedroom as she has the fear of clowns. I won't say Tim Curry wasn't fearsome and accomplished as It but holy $hit this dude in the new ones is downright terrifying. And not because he's a clown but because he's just terrifying period.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 14, 2024 8:15:32 GMT -5
Yeah, I was never scared of or creeped out by clowns either when I was a kid.
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Post by impulse on Nov 14, 2024 9:04:58 GMT -5
I’ve probably been in McDonalds once every 2-3 years, I mean it’s hardly cheap.And this is where they’ve lost the plot. They were never exactly a high-end or healthy experience, but they were tasty, inexpensive and quick. They’re still unhealthy, not as quick as they used to be, and depending where you are, barely any cheaper than a sitdown place. They used to be at least a cheap fun place to take the kids, but most of them have done away with their play places now, jacked up the prices, and added a faux coffee shop trying to be Starbucks light. I feel like they have lost their brand identity. It will be interesting to see how or if they recover.
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 14, 2024 9:19:11 GMT -5
I’ve probably been in McDonalds once every 2-3 years, I mean it’s hardly cheap.And this is where they’ve lost the plot. They were never exactly a high-end or healthy experience, but they were tasty, expensive and quick. They’re still unhealthy, not as quick as they used to be, and depending where you are, barely any cheaper than a sitdown place. They used to be at least a cheap fun place to take the kids, but most of them have done away with their play places now, jacked up the prices, and added a faux coffee shop trying to be Starbucks light. I feel like they have lost their brand identity. It will be interesting to see how or if they recover. They have raised their prices because of inflation, but they offer cheaper meal deals. Wendy's has done the same.
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Post by Cei-U! on Nov 14, 2024 9:36:33 GMT -5
Yeah, I was never scared of or creeped out by clowns either when I was a kid. Heck, I was a clown when I was a kid. Literally. I was part of a program to educate school kids about disabilities and, yeah, I got paid a wee bit for my involvement. I'm pretty sure I wasn't scary (though I might've been creepy, I suppose) but, since there are no photos of me in my costume and make-up, you'll have to take my word for it.
Cei-U! I summon my shameful past!
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Post by driver1980 on Nov 14, 2024 9:38:44 GMT -5
I’ve probably been in McDonalds once every 2-3 years, I mean it’s hardly cheap.And this is where they’ve lost the plot. They were never exactly a high-end or healthy experience, but they were tasty, expensive and quick. They’re still unhealthy, not as quick as they used to be, and depending where you are, barely any cheaper than a sitdown place. They used to be at least a cheap fun place to take the kids, but most of them have done away with their play places now, jacked up the prices, and added a faux coffee shop trying to be Starbucks light. I feel like they have lost their brand identity. It will be interesting to see how or if they recover. On brand identity, there’s been a few memes about old vs. new McDonalds. Old photos show a rather welcoming place, with colourful decor (exterior), but modern photos show restaurants that, if you took away the logo and window menus, would look like accountancy offices.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Nov 14, 2024 9:46:10 GMT -5
A quarter pounder meal (here in the midwest) is over $11. Meanwhile if I spent $11 at Taco Bell I could not eat it all in one sitting. But yes I remember the days of $5 McDonald's value meals/happy meals (though I think the happy meals were cheaper) and play places when our parents would treat us to a surprise. Because it was cheap and my parents weren't rich. Still nothing like a regular McDonald's cheeseburger. Still taste the same 40 years later from being a kid. I can give McDonald's that; their consistency in taste.
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Post by driver1980 on Nov 14, 2024 9:52:27 GMT -5
A quarter pounder meal (here in the midwest) is over $11. Meanwhile if I spent $11 at Taco Bell I could not eat it all in one sitting. But yes I remember the days of $5 McDonald's value meals/happy meals (though I think the happy meals were cheaper) and play places when our parents would treat us to a surprise. Because it was cheap and my parents weren't rich. Still nothing like a regular McDonald's cheeseburger. Still taste the same 40 years later from being a kid. I can give McDonald's that; their consistency in taste. The consistency point is interesting. I have never eaten a McDonalds outside the UK, but I know people who have. A friend of mine told me had one in Portugal, and it tasted the same. A couple of other folk have told me the same. On another topic, know what I find frustrating? I prefer Burger King’s burgers, but I prefer McDonalds’ fries. It’s a shame both outlets don’t open up next to each other. I could get my flame-grilled burger from Burger King, but then walk into McDonalds to get my fries. Incidentally, and maybe this is an example of the Mandela Effect, I once mentioned how I could have sworn that Burger King did milkshakes years ago (they don’t now, certainly not here in the UK). Some other people did. But then there have been others who claim they never did. Maybe someone here knows.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 14, 2024 10:23:14 GMT -5
A quarter pounder meal (here in the midwest) is over $11. Meanwhile if I spent $11 at Taco Bell I could not eat it all in one sitting. But yes I remember the days of $5 McDonald's value meals/happy meals (though I think the happy meals were cheaper) and play places when our parents would treat us to a surprise. Because it was cheap and my parents weren't rich. Still nothing like a regular McDonald's cheeseburger. Still taste the same 40 years later from being a kid. I can give McDonald's that; their consistency in taste.Consistently crappy is not a good thing.
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Post by Batflunkie on Nov 14, 2024 10:24:01 GMT -5
What happened to Ronald McDonald? He doesn’t appear to feature in their advertising nowadays. Blame Stephen King. Thanks to "It," that rash of scary clown sightings a decade back, and other negative depictions in the media, McDonalds has been phasing Ronald out, retaining him primarily as the namesake of their Ronald McDonald House charity. McDonalds has been on kind of a downward slope ever since "Supersize Me" came out. I miss the McDonald Land gang a lot (love Hamburglar and Grimace) and they only seem to bring them back for the odd occasion (see the recent "Grimace's Birthday" with Purple Milkshake that supposedly killed the people that drank it) Also the Krofft brothers played a part in McDonald Land's creation, so I think slowly phasing the world out was a way to get out of paying them royalties from a lawsuit? A quarter pounder meal (here in the midwest) is over $11. Meanwhile if I spent $11 at Taco Bell I could not eat it all in one sitting. But yes I remember the days of $5 McDonald's value meals/happy meals (though I think the happy meals were cheaper) and play places when our parents would treat us to a surprise. Because it was cheap and my parents weren't rich. Still nothing like a regular McDonald's cheeseburger. Still taste the same 40 years later from being a kid. I can give McDonald's that; their consistency in taste. While I do enjoy the recent addition of the "meal" box from Taco Bell, I do lament the bean burritos not being under a dollar anymore. And to be frank, I consider cinnamon twists superior over Churros, mostly due to the nice hard crunch
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Post by Calidore on Nov 14, 2024 11:21:13 GMT -5
Meanwhile if I spent $11 at Taco Bell I could not eat it all in one sitting.
I have that same problem with Taco Bell food in general.
I think the McDonalds consistency thing you mentioned is an important selling point for them. Being able to go to any McDonalds restaurant anywhere in the world and know exactly what to expect is huge. Contrast Mexican Coke, which took off a bit in the U.S. due to using real sugar instead of HFCS, but is also a different formula. I tried it once and found it completely tasteless.
On another topic, know what I find frustrating? I prefer Burger King’s burgers, but I prefer McDonalds’ fries. It’s a shame both outlets don’t open up next to each other. I could get my flame-grilled burger from Burger King, but then walk into McDonalds to get my fries. When I was a kid, a nearby street had a McD's and Burger King right across from each other, so you could do that easily.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 14, 2024 11:51:04 GMT -5
Yeah, I was never scared of or creeped out by clowns either when I was a kid. Heck, I was a clown when I was a kid. Literally. I was part of a program to educate school kids about disabilities and, yeah, I got paid a wee bit for my involvement. I'm pretty sure I wasn't scary (though I might've been creepy, I suppose) but, since there are no photos of me in my costume and make-up, you'll have to take my word for it. Cei-U! I summon my shameful past!
So the plan for teaching tolerance was to dress up disabled kids in humiliating clothing, make them perform for their peers, and then pay them less than minimum wage for their efforts? That's all kinds of horrifying.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 14, 2024 12:17:45 GMT -5
Eh, McDonald's went downhill from the point that Ray Kroc swindled the McDonalds Brothers out of their name.
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Post by impulse on Nov 14, 2024 12:38:43 GMT -5
And this is where they’ve lost the plot. They were never exactly a high-end or healthy experience, but they were tasty, expensive and quick. They’re still unhealthy, not as quick as they used to be, and depending where you are, barely any cheaper than a sitdown place. They used to be at least a cheap fun place to take the kids, but most of them have done away with their play places now, jacked up the prices, and added a faux coffee shop trying to be Starbucks light. I feel like they have lost their brand identity. It will be interesting to see how or if they recover. They have raised their prices because of inflation, but they offer cheaper meal deals. Wendy's has done the same. They have increased well beyond inflation, but again, that does vary regionally.
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