1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Let's give a hand to 4 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: the one and only, the Man, the myth, the legend, 5 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:41,880 Speaker 1: our super producer, Mr Max Williams. They called me Ben 6 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: my heart thought in it today. I'm sorry. Sorry, Well, hey, hey, 7 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: you've made it to the wou you know. Okay, So 8 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: this is funny because I have no idea what this 9 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: is gonna sound like after after Max gives it his 10 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: magic much but I trust you and we, as we 11 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: said earlier, this is the second part of a two 12 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: part series on a mystery in the world of fast food? 13 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: What happened to Ronald McDonald? Uh? As we said earlier, Uh, 14 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: my dear friend Mr Noel Brown is out at the moment, 15 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,759 Speaker 1: but we'll be returning soon. In the meantime, we were 16 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: lucky enough to get one of the busiest men in 17 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: the history of podcasting to come on and flash up 18 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: our show. Fellow Ridiculous Historians joined me and welcoming back, 19 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. This little man called Jonathan certainly pushed around 20 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: and how Jonathan must be found? Man and a little 21 00:01:55,240 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: episode Jonathan maca just fast as they can and a 22 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: little like thank you, Ben. Technically on some days I'm 23 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: two of the busiest men. It's it's gonna be weird 24 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 1: over there. Gained a lot of weight in the pandemic. Ben, Okay, 25 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: it's been like Okay, I thought you were going for 26 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: like a multiplicity thing, you know, in multiple mean I 27 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: could be a man of two minds because I am 28 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: someone who likes to eat healthy, and yet I am 29 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: sitting here with a lot of McDonald's food in front 30 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: of me, just for a joke that was only for you. 31 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: Because no one who's listening can actually see it. We 32 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: described it though. I thought it was well done, because 33 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: I thought that was a good bit. What do you think. Yeah, 34 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: we also got to go on about how we all 35 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 1: have mesophonius and no one eat around us, which is amazing. 36 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: I mean, the more week to stay that out loud, 37 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: I think, the better it is for the world. Yes, yeah, 38 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: maybe there's an episode in the future for that. We'll 39 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: have to have you back on Jonathan for the history 40 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: of noises people hate, which is hopefully not our voices. Yeah, 41 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: I didn't want to turn this into a muck Bang podcast. 42 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: So oh oh yeah, wow, how's that? That's such a 43 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: fascinating genre. Anyway, look it up if you if you 44 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: want to know what we're talking about, we will leave 45 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: that discovery to you because we have another mystery. We 46 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: have another discovery on our hands. Knowing everything that we 47 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: know now after part one of what happened to Ronald McDonald, 48 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: we have to ask ourselves, where is he? Now? How 49 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: did a world famous figure, as you know, well known, 50 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: some would say is Jesus Christ or Santa Claus suddenly 51 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: go the way of the Dodo? I think, and you 52 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: put this in our notes earlier, Jonathan, I think it's 53 00:03:55,240 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: a really good point. Seriously, Ronald McDonald probably not as 54 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: recognizable as Mickey Mouse, right, that's what I think. Like 55 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: the the reference you you are citing is from a book, right, 56 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: So there was a book by Eric Schlausser which was 57 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: called Fast Food Nation, and in that Schlosser makes the 58 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: assertion that, uh, Ronald McDonald was the second most famous 59 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 1: fictional character behind Santa Claus. I submit that Mickey Mouse 60 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: is definitely in contention. I would be shocked if Mickey 61 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 1: Mouse was lower, especially well now, obviously it would be 62 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: clear that Mickey Mouse would win out because Ronald, as 63 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: we are going to talk about, the Star, has been 64 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: on the decline for quite some time. And and honestly, 65 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: part of the reason we're having this episode, and you know, 66 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: the reason why we built it up so much in 67 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: the first episode is you had a character who was 68 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: synonymous with the franchise across the world, not just the 69 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: United States. You know, we started off in the US, 70 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: but by this point it's a global phenomenon. Someone that 71 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: you know they're branding was incredibly recognizable and yet seemingly 72 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: in very short order, was largely erased. And you think, 73 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: how do you get to that point where you've you've 74 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 1: poured this capital, this amount of resources and assets as 75 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: a corporation into your marketing and then you say, you 76 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: know what, we're gonna switch gears, We're gonna throw this away. 77 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: So why would that happen? Was did something happen to 78 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: the resource itself, Ronald McDonald that poison the well and 79 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: perhaps necessitated a move away. Yeah, yeah, that's a very 80 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 1: just so that's a very good way to put it. 81 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: Because we're not blowing smoke here. Ronald McDonald began to 82 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: become a symbol for capitalism overall. In other parts of 83 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:02,359 Speaker 1: the world, he started to represent some idea of the 84 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: United States. Protesters began dressing as the clown Capital c 85 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: when they were, you know, doing different demonstrations, and a 86 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: troubling discourse began if this was a murder and they 87 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: were likely multiple conspirators, or to be more realistic, there 88 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: are multiple factors. Uh. There is a fantastic Vice article 89 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: written by a journalist named Amelia Tate. This is an 90 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: interesting thing about this article. She is, this journalist is 91 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,600 Speaker 1: looking into the story and trying to figure out what 92 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,679 Speaker 1: happened to uh, the most famous clown in the world 93 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: of fast food, and oddly enough she gets kind of 94 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 1: stone walled in a really strange way. First, she goes 95 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: to the official McDonald's website and they say they're a 96 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: little ahead of the curve in the United Kingdom. They say, 97 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: with afraid that Ronald McDonald's no longer appears in McDonald's 98 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: UK advertising. Yeah, he still travels up and down the 99 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,799 Speaker 1: country to visit restaurants and make sure everyone is enjoying 100 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: their meals. Um, it was a little bit arch on 101 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: that way. Yeah, but but but she right, Yeah, no, 102 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: that's a good point. So she is able to speak 103 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: with the press office for McDonald's UK and they said 104 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: they refused to elaborate or to really explain in depth 105 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: what happened to Ronald, but they say they do confirm 106 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: he hasn't appeared in any UK advertising since, including appearances 107 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: in restaurants. She asked for more information and the press 108 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: officer says, I'm afraid we don't have anything further to add. 109 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: And that's where she starts, you know, has the starts 110 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 1: doing some forensics, some detective work, and comes up with 111 00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: one of my favorite phrases. She said, as it seems 112 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: that sometime in something made Ronald Amelia's words here personna 113 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: non hemburger brilliant. I mean it's clear we have a 114 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: real plastic knives out situation here. Perfect. Yes, uh, she did, 115 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: though she did find herself stone walled. She asked a 116 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: veteran of the advertising game for scoop. This person used 117 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: to work for McDonald's UK for some time, and this 118 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: person only replied, I don't fancy being sued by a clown, 119 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: which I didn't know was being concern I mean it 120 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: happens all the time here in the United States. But 121 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: the thing I was going to mention is that in 122 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: our first episode we kind of alluded to the fact 123 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: that there was an extremely strict series of rules that 124 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 1: were laid down for actors who were playing the part 125 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: of Ronald McDonald. We only touched on some of those. 126 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: There were actually it a few more, including the part 127 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: where there's only one Ronald McDonald. It doesn't matter how 128 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: many actors are playing Ronald McDonald throughout the various territories. 129 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: There's only one Ronald McDonald, right. So you start hearing 130 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,319 Speaker 1: this and you're thinking, all right, this is an extension 131 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: of that same kind of veil of secrecy that the 132 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: company took extremely serious when Ronald McDonald was like front 133 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: and foremost in in the restaurant business. And now we're 134 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: seeing that same level of of attention and uh, careful 135 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: approach now that Ronald has mysteriously vanished. And obviously there 136 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: are a lot of hypotheses you could come up with, 137 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: and in fact, chances are the reason for Ronald's disappearances 138 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: due to a combination of factors that we're gonna talk about. 139 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: But you know, it's frustrating when you can't get a 140 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: solid answer, not even from people who have left the 141 00:09:56,559 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: company for fear that the documents they had sign those 142 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: NBA's will still hold a legal threat over them. Yeah. Yeah, 143 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: and this, I mean, this is a serious concern. Tate 144 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,200 Speaker 1: runs into multiple instances of this. She speaks with a 145 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: guy named A J. Who was a former Ronald and 146 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: actually had a big hand in writing that official rule 147 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: book we mentioned in part one, and Jay says that 148 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,319 Speaker 1: they're not allowed to talk about this. Uh. The author 149 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: of an earlier version of the rule book, the one 150 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: that said if you're Ronald, you can't tell children where 151 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: hamburgers come from. They also declined to speak uh. And 152 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: then she goes to the people who make those Ronald 153 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: McDonald's statues and I think a lot of us in 154 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,680 Speaker 1: the crowd today remember those. It's it's Ronald frozen and 155 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: tableau on a bench, usually with like an arm out 156 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: so that you can sit next to the statue and 157 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,199 Speaker 1: it looks like he has his arm around you when 158 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: you're just you know, hanging on a public bench with 159 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:07,439 Speaker 1: a clown. Before before we move on, though, I am 160 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: not gonna let this accidental pun go without being pointed out. 161 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: You said A J had a big hand in writing 162 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: the rule book. What uh, I don't think I get 163 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,319 Speaker 1: my own pun there? Oh you got a big hand 164 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: like Ronald McDonald, did you have? I thought he was 165 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: more of a like big foot guy. Am I missed 166 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: remembering the story had big hands? You figure this out, hey, 167 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: it's future Max here to correct something that passed. Max said, 168 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: Robald McDonald hand size very normal, completely normal. There is 169 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: nothing larger about his hands. I mean there bright and 170 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,400 Speaker 1: yellow and weird. But so that's Ronald McDonald. He's bright 171 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: and yellow and red and weird. So yeah, I don't 172 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: know what past Max was thinking. But yeah, back to 173 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: the story, Ben, there is a good news kind of take. 174 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: Does find an answer when she talks to a guy 175 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:14,679 Speaker 1: named well, Guy More, which makes me think of uh, 176 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: nominative determinism. Guy More, Yeah, is the He's the co 177 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: founder of something called Creative Coalition. He's an admin. Between 178 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: two thousand four and two thousand fourteen, he worked for 179 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: that advertising agency Leo Burnett the I'm loving It folks, 180 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 1: and he also won several prizes for a McDonald's ad 181 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: he did called just passing By, and it's frankly poetic. 182 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: I think maybe we can play just a little clip 183 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: here now the laborers and cables and council motion table 184 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: is with just passing by, and the guffey types and 185 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: scuffy types, and like the three frothy types with just 186 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: passing by, those on their own whilst on the phone 187 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: don key McNuggets and having a mom with just passing by, 188 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: the driving through with hungry crew who just pulled off 189 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:13,640 Speaker 1: the A three two, We just passing by. Okay, So 190 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: what we're what we're seeing here and what we're hearing 191 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: here is a is this almost like spoken word monologue 192 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: about all the different people who eat at McDonald's, quick 193 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: glimpse into their lives. Gone is the clown. And as 194 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: Guy points out, when he started working with McDonald's, it 195 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: wasn't maybe the best year because two thousand and four 196 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: was also the year a certain documentary came out. I think, um, 197 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,040 Speaker 1: I think you you probably remember this one, to Jonathan 198 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 1: Morgan Spurlock. I I have. I have distinct memories of 199 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: this this era. Uh, most of them don't involve McDonald's, 200 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: because by then I had moved on to other I'd 201 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: put away childish things, and I moved moved on to 202 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: to local regional chains. But no I mean, I remember 203 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:16,959 Speaker 1: very much the Supersize Me documentary, and the documentary is 204 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,359 Speaker 1: an interesting way of putting it. I remember the Supersize 205 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: Me film, and I remember that that did kind of 206 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: it generated a wave of concern about the nature of 207 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: the obesity issue in the United States and the connection 208 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: to things like fast food restaurants. I would say that 209 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 1: was the starting point for that conversation. I would not 210 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: take supersize me as like the thesis statement that you 211 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: should follow. There is some some showmanship and supersize me, 212 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: but it definitely it definitely got the conversation moving more 213 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: toward we need to do better for ourselves and for 214 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 1: our children. We need to make certain that we are 215 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: provide healthier options for meals because as it's going, uh, 216 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 1: things are taking a very unhealthy turn. And the real 217 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: concern was that in the long run, we might see 218 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 1: things like life expectancy start to go down for people 219 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 1: in the United States because of the various health issues 220 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: you can get through through morbid obesity. And so that 221 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: was kind of where that conversation got going. And obviously 222 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: that's a very complicated conversation. It's one that it goes 223 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 1: well beyond just fast food or exercise. It goes into 224 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: all sorts of different things. You cannot simplify this down 225 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: to like a bite size uh bullet point, but it 226 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: is the sort of thing that got a lot more 227 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: attention and scrutiny directed towards the fast food industry in 228 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: general and McDonald's in particular. Yeah. Yeah, the big revelation 229 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: of supersize me, which does have showman ship in it. 230 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: I agree with that is surprise, surprise. Eating fast food 231 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: all the all day, all the time, isn't super great 232 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 1: for you? Not the same as you know, a more 233 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: varied diet guy. More is working during this time when 234 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: the when the pushback and concern about McDonald's really really 235 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: kicks into high gear and gets into the public uh. 236 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: He says that internally McDonald's had a serious issue with 237 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,240 Speaker 1: childhood obesity and lots of rumors about what goes into 238 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: the burger. This is also the time where we see 239 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: the rise of speculation about like what's in McNuggets? Right, 240 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: what is the what are the true ingredients of a 241 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: hamburger or a big Mac. This leads McDonald's and their 242 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: roster of ad agency Boffin's, to say, look, when people 243 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: have these real concerns, regardless of how how much weight 244 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: they put in something like supersize me, We need to 245 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: realize it may not be the best look to have 246 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: what More describes as a joker at the table. So 247 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: McDonald's begins to pivot and their ad campaigns are increasingly 248 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: targeting adults more so than children. This is a big 249 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: change for this company. About eleven, there's another backlash that occurs, 250 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 1: and nonprofit out of Boston starts calling for Ronald McDonald's retirement. 251 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 1: They say he exploits children, he promotes obesity. Critics are 252 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 1: saying that he's undermining the authority of parents right by saying, hey, kids, 253 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 1: make your parents go do this, which is how a 254 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: lot of advertising for children works. To your excellent point earlier, Max, 255 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 1: and he says, this guy's really he's kind of a 256 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,200 Speaker 1: pie piper figure. You know, he's enticing kids with sugar 257 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: and cool toys into bad decisions that may potentially have 258 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: life impact in consequences. So that's how in just a 259 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: few years, the world's most famous clown, this kind of 260 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: Santa secular Santa Claus of America, is being compared directly 261 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: to cigarette mascots like Joe Campbell. I will say that 262 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: being Enticed by Sugar and super Cool Toys could be 263 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: my autobiography title. Also, I think a good strong contender 264 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: for my autobiography title is a phrase you uttered earlier, 265 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: Mr Bolan, gone is the clown? Both of those would 266 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: work really well. Uh yeah, yeah. So here here's here's 267 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: another take that I have. It's it's interesting because it's 268 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 1: not something that we really address in the notes. And 269 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 1: part of it is that McDonald's had not only was 270 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: it starting to look at Ronald McDonald as a potential 271 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: liability for the company right like it's it's a bad look. 272 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: As the kids say, or they used to. I don't 273 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,760 Speaker 1: know what kids say anymore. I don't understand them. So 274 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:56,919 Speaker 1: the the other thing, though, is that the generation that 275 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 1: grew up with Ronald McDonald as the this icon that 276 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: enticed them into McDonald's, they are grown now, they're adults, 277 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: they have kids of their own, they have already established 278 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 1: a habit of going to McDonald's. You don't have to 279 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,439 Speaker 1: go after the kids to get the people into the restaurants. 280 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: Now the kids have grown up to be the adults 281 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: and they're going into the restaurants already, So it's almost 282 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: like you're like, hey, we got them, we hooked them. 283 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 1: Now we just have to perpetuate the cycle and watch 284 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,640 Speaker 1: the money roll in. So that's another kind of cynical 285 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: way of looking at this. At that one, Ronald McDonald 286 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,479 Speaker 1: was representing a potential risk that it was uh standing 287 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:38,640 Speaker 1: in as a symbol for some negative things, and that's 288 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:42,679 Speaker 1: never what you want for your marketing campaign. And too 289 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: really it had done its job already. Yeah, that's a 290 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: very good point. And that's when I hadn't considered, you know, 291 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:54,919 Speaker 1: because um Max is our our marketing expert here, so 292 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,679 Speaker 1: I would I would defer to I would defer to 293 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: your expertise here. But next that I I would say, 294 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,080 Speaker 1: that doesn't even sound cynical. That sounds very on the money. 295 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that that's the marketing one on one right there. 296 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: That's that's perfect. I mean, it's like, you know, marketing 297 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 1: is all measured in impressions. You've already made the impressions 298 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: with Jonathan's point, with the adults, with the people who 299 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:21,199 Speaker 1: are your audience. You want who have disposal income, who 300 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: are going to spur on the next generation. So instead 301 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 1: of just con and let's be honest. I mean, like, 302 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:30,159 Speaker 1: I'm a child of the nineties. I clowns by the 303 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: time around, we're really kind of an outdated image. I 304 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 1: mean I don't even think it was like even like 305 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: the like creepiness had fully set in yet of clowns. 306 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:44,639 Speaker 1: But it was also just like not it wasn't something 307 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: that was pertinent in my like thinking or if I 308 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:52,239 Speaker 1: want to complicated my zeitgeist. It was like and so 309 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: it's just like, you know, moving moving on from this thing. 310 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: As Jonathan said, who's just like it's not making any 311 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: money and soon it's gonna start costing you money. So 312 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,879 Speaker 1: uh so it just makes a lot of sense, you know, 313 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: for them to you know, just think instead of like 314 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,439 Speaker 1: trying to get impressions with this thing that's clearly not 315 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: gonna make it so much money, let's, you know, instead 316 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: be like, this is the McDonald's that you got your 317 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: happy meal out when you're a kid. Now you can 318 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: get your whatever they advertise to adults. I don't know 319 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,919 Speaker 1: why your kid gets your happy happy meal. Spin it 320 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 1: that way. Nostalgia for you, maybe not nostalgia, but like 321 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 1: you know, like remember ince an enjoyment for you and 322 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: then building that memory and like of like like going 323 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 1: McDonald's as a kid with your kids and stuff. There. Yeah, 324 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 1: that's I think you guys nailed it. Um. Ronald was 325 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: not ready to give up the ghost just yet. He 326 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:58,439 Speaker 1: wasn't after that big big Mac in the sky at 327 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: one last hurrah, you know, rage, rage against the dying 328 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: of the fries, etcetera. So he ditches the jumpsuit and 329 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: he cleans up a little. He's got a blazer now, 330 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,199 Speaker 1: a red blazer. He's got a sharp bow tie, and 331 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:18,920 Speaker 1: he begins tweeting directly from McDonald's official Twitter account. Uh 332 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,399 Speaker 1: is for people who are very experienced with Twitter, like 333 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: like you, Jonathan. Uh You've We've seen this happen before 334 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: with mixed results, where an official Twitter account goes into 335 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: a little bit internet trolleing, or they try a campaign. 336 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:38,160 Speaker 1: Sometimes they work really well, like the Windy's mixtape. Sometimes 337 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 1: they fall flat. Unfortunately, the latter is what happened with 338 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: our poor boy Ronnie. People were literally hashtag not loving it, 339 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: and we're not kidding that was a trending hashtag. Yeah 340 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: to all the brands out there, before you decide to 341 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: have a snarky, fun Twitter marketing push, really think it 342 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: over because one, if it's not really kind of zany 343 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: and fun, the audience picks up on it immediately. If 344 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: it's not sincere, then they know and you might get 345 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: a lot of traction, but it's not gonna be positive. Uh. 346 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: And to just like think over that snarky joke a lot. 347 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: E A recently got into trouble because they posted a 348 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: tweet that read She's a ten except you find out 349 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,879 Speaker 1: she only plays single player games. That did not go 350 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,359 Speaker 1: over well. So yeah, this, the Ronald McDonald experience is 351 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 1: a is an example of this kind of trend of 352 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: brands trying to embrace new communication on Twitter is not 353 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:51,440 Speaker 1: new but newish communication channels and finding that their approach 354 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:57,320 Speaker 1: to messaging is just a complete misfire for that particular audience. Right, So, 355 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 1: at this moment, if we could wax poetic in the 356 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:03,800 Speaker 1: spirit of Guy more and is just passing by add 357 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: and performance, we can picture Ronald McDonald like the scene 358 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: in Um part way through so many rom coms. He's 359 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: standing in the rain outside of America's dining room window 360 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 1: and he's humming to himself the song he's humming, the 361 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: oldie hit Everyone Loves a clown. Everybody loves a clown, 362 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: so why don't you. Yeah, he's got cute cards, you know, 363 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:34,399 Speaker 1: maybe he's got a boom box. But the makeover doesn't 364 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: work out spoilers. So first he has he has grim 365 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: is holding a boombox. Yeah, I'm you're mixing too many 366 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: movie metaphors to say anything, guys, just say anything, well done. Points. Also, 367 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:54,439 Speaker 1: we're just gonna keep piling on. Hamburglar is like a 368 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 1: Syrano character and he's in the bushes. He's gonna keep 369 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 1: adding the beef to this, yes, beef it and so 370 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: he's like he's trying to uh, he's trying to tell 371 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald what to say, but because he's the hamburglary's 372 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,359 Speaker 1: speaking in gibberish. So it's just like rubble rob rubble 373 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:15,360 Speaker 1: rubble and s and seen uh so and then sun 374 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 1: then Sundays there, and Sunday just looks at the camera goes, 375 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: are you happy? Jonathan? I have I have to say. 376 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: I have to say that this is making me feel 377 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:33,359 Speaker 1: like we are all in improv level three class guys, 378 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: be specific. What kind of bush is the Hamburgler hiding behind? 379 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 1: Uh uh? And we're going through so much cool, weird 380 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,639 Speaker 1: stuff in this series today, folks. Uh, you may be 381 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,920 Speaker 1: hearing some thunder in the background, and I think it's 382 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,240 Speaker 1: appropriate to the way our story has turned apart two, 383 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: so we're gonna keep it in. Uh, there's something else. 384 00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 1: McDonald's tries another mascot. It is an anthropomorphic happy Meal 385 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: named in a burst of creativity. Happy Happy is not successful. 386 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: I hesitate to put a picture in the chat, but 387 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,919 Speaker 1: you can. You can find it and you'll kind of 388 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: see why. But that was not the final Uh. I 389 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: was not the final fry in the coffin because something 390 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:29,679 Speaker 1: else happened in Yeah, this was completely out of McDonald's control. 391 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:35,359 Speaker 1: This was one of those cultural moments where a trend 392 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:41,639 Speaker 1: starts and begins to build and has rippling repercussions for 393 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 1: unrelated entities. So McDonald's in a way is a victim, 394 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: as were we all. So what Mr Boland is referring 395 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:56,639 Speaker 1: to is that very special time in six where, for 396 00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: reasons that never really became apparent, people were dressing up 397 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: as scary clowns and scaring people in a scary way. Right, 398 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: And that's true. It's a look collectively, everybody listening to 399 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: this show now we've all been through a lot in 400 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: the past few years. Sixteen seems a shockingly long time ago, 401 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:27,440 Speaker 1: but it is true. For unspecified reasons. Uh, people across 402 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 1: the United States, in the Midwest, the South, all along 403 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,640 Speaker 1: the East Coast began seeing, you know, clowns just out 404 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: in the wild, sometimes standing creepily like the old school 405 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:41,360 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald when he thought the camera was done rolling, uh, 406 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,719 Speaker 1: sometimes trying to engage with people. People thought it might 407 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:48,679 Speaker 1: be a weird gorilla marketing campaign for a movie, you know, 408 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: Blair Witch Style or something, But there was no way 409 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,679 Speaker 1: of knowing who would be motivated to dress as a clown. 410 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: There was no way of knowing whether there was a 411 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: concerted effort or whether it was just organic le a 412 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: trend that other people were independently picking up on. And 413 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,479 Speaker 1: there's not a way to address the issue in this country. 414 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: You can't really make the act buying a costume illegal, 415 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:17,280 Speaker 1: and things start to escalate across that summer. It's August. 416 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: I think when law enforcement in South Carolina gets reports 417 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: that suspicious individuals dressed like clowns are literally trying to 418 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: lure children into the woods, and then there are more 419 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: stories about this. It continues, we even did a stuff 420 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know episode on it. Eventually 421 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:38,080 Speaker 1: McDonald's who I agree with you, Jonathan, They are a 422 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: victim here. This is beyond their control. Eventually they have 423 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: to make a statement, which is something you know, you 424 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: probably never think about when you join a pr for 425 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:52,719 Speaker 1: firm or you work for McDonald's. You never think one day, 426 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to talk on record about all these 427 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 1: clowns and make sure that our clown is separated from 428 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: that conference agent. But it really comes up, and the 429 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: it rarely comes up in the interview process, right right, 430 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to improv Level three or McDonald's corporate. Here's the question. 431 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, I don't think people plan that way. But 432 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: the company did come out with a statement. I think 433 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: it was the right thing to do. They said they're 434 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community 435 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,760 Speaker 1: events as a result of the quote current climate around 436 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:35,479 Speaker 1: clown sightings in communities, meaning in playing English, the sun 437 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 1: was setting on McDonald land and then like you brilliantly 438 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: foreshadowed in part one of this episode. A year later, 439 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: Stephen King's newest adaptation of it hits the big screen. 440 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: The main villain of it is, and this is not spoiling, 441 00:29:56,360 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: it is an evil clown named Pennywise, originally played in 442 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 1: a made for TV adaptation by Tim Curry and then 443 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: in this big screen adaptation also two parts. Uh is 444 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 1: played by one of those Scars Guard kids, right, Yes, 445 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: one of them. It's one of the it's the same 446 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: one from Himlock Growth, Yeah, yes, yes, he and we 447 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: we talked about this. We're not going to get into 448 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: like favorites or anything, because everyone has their own favorite. 449 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: But I will say I have a soft spot in 450 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 1: my heart for Tim Curry, largely because I was a 451 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 1: kid when that, yeah, teenager, when that mini series came out, 452 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: and I had already read the book by the time 453 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: the mini series had come out, and so I feel like, well, 454 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:46,680 Speaker 1: there's a lot of stuff that's in that book that 455 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: I don't think it's appropriate for children, a lot of 456 00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:54,560 Speaker 1: the because it follows kids. It speaks to a kid's 457 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: sense of adventure, like it's a horror novel, but it 458 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: is also an adventure book. Um, And so like, I 459 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: have a soft spot for the Tim Curry version. That 460 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: being said, I definitely would not want my corporate mascot 461 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: to be associated or compared in any way to this 462 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: monstrous clown that gets even more monstrous and the more 463 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: recent adaptations. Yeah, it's like think about, um, think about 464 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: like the afflack Duck, or what the Geico the get 465 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,240 Speaker 1: it's a gecko right, Um, Well, if you're going with Geico, 466 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: you've got about eight different mascot choices you could go with. 467 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 1: There could be caven, it could be a pile of cash. 468 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: Yeah that's true. But in any one of those cases, 469 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: you could be caught flat out if the wrong thing 470 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:50,160 Speaker 1: happens in the real world. So it looks like because 471 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,400 Speaker 1: they made the decision to pull Ronald back even further 472 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: due to literally sightings of grazed clowns, it looks like 473 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 1: they dodged the bullet because as they got out just 474 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:06,360 Speaker 1: a year before, it's once again ruined clowns for a generation. 475 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: So whither our hapless Ronald? What's up with old Ronnie 476 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: these days? He's not tweeting anymore. Checked just to confirm 477 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: you're not going to see him in a commercial anytime soon. 478 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 1: McDonald land has probably been paved over. We're going to 479 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 1: skip that terrible joke I made. Look Let's be honest, 480 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,040 Speaker 1: a lot of people in the United States have some 481 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 1: degree of what's called cool roophobia, fear of clowns. And 482 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,400 Speaker 1: I would argue, uh, for many of us listening today, 483 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:38,400 Speaker 1: it's because we grew up in a post John Wayne 484 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:43,440 Speaker 1: Gaycy America. Right sure, And there's a clear yeah, I 485 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,480 Speaker 1: am I over am I like assigning too much power 486 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:50,600 Speaker 1: to that. I don't think so. I think that that was, 487 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:56,240 Speaker 1: you know, this this real world monster who took an 488 00:32:56,280 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: image that previously had been associated with childhood on an 489 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: innocence and then used it to such horrific extent it 490 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: ended up fueling tons of horror fiction for the following decades. 491 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:16,360 Speaker 1: Right that, there's that become tropes that were based off 492 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: this real world incident that to this day, like the 493 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: evil Clown is something that just is like a standard 494 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,080 Speaker 1: stock monster. And I would argue that that gay Cy 495 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: was kind of the launching point for that to really 496 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: become a thing. To some extent, We've seen that sort 497 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: of association with childish things in the past, whether it's 498 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:39,720 Speaker 1: like a ventriloquist dummy or a doll or something like that. 499 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 1: There always is something slightly creepy with any element where 500 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: a child's imagination creates some of the anima for that thing. 501 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:50,880 Speaker 1: And I think clowns fall into that category to even 502 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: though they're portrayed obviously by hopefully animated people. But yeah, 503 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 1: I think that gay cy that was like a real 504 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 1: turning point and and kind of became an inspiration if 505 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:05,160 Speaker 1: you will. It's terrible to use that word for someone 506 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,200 Speaker 1: like that, but an inspiration for a lot of horror 507 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:12,400 Speaker 1: novelists and filmmakers moving forward. Yeah, I agree with we've 508 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,280 Speaker 1: put it, and I will say whenever we talked about 509 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:19,320 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff, it is important to note hashtag 510 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: not all clowns. Uh, easily confused with the hashtag no 511 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:28,640 Speaker 1: tall clowns. But but there are plenty there. I'm not 512 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: above it, but there are plenty of people who are, 513 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: you know, working as clowns. There are prestigious clown academies 514 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 1: right in different parts of the world. There is an 515 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 1: ancient tradition and there is an art to it. There 516 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 1: is a craft. So we're not saying that all clowns 517 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:49,880 Speaker 1: are bad. We're just saying it's inescapable. Uh, it's inescapable, 518 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: at least in the minds of many US residents to 519 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,160 Speaker 1: not see a clown and think there's some sort of 520 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:00,200 Speaker 1: implied sinister aspect. We can blame it on Penny Eyes, 521 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:01,960 Speaker 1: we can blame it on Gaycy, we can blame it 522 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 1: on you know, honestly, anything other than the cinematic masterpiece 523 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:11,959 Speaker 1: Killer Clowns from Outer Space. You guys remember an amazing 524 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 1: theme song by the Dickies. So yeah, that's like, that's like, 525 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:20,680 Speaker 1: that's like Gold Cinema. I'm sure it's in the Criterion collection. Yes, 526 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 1: it should be. Max. Have you seen Killer Clowns from 527 00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:27,919 Speaker 1: Outer Space? I am pretty certain I have. It's been 528 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:32,879 Speaker 1: a long time if I have though of that theme 529 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: song to Hear to Hear the uh the entrance of 530 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: the Gladiators, which is the famous tune that we always 531 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,239 Speaker 1: associate with clowns, but being played speed metal style and 532 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 1: a guitar man one of my favorite movie soundtracks of 533 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:53,239 Speaker 1: all time. Yeah, true classic of of goofy schlock horror one. 534 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:59,279 Speaker 1: How dare you to just kidding? Yeah, it's definitely it. 535 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,200 Speaker 1: The leap is some schlock. It puts the shock and 536 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:06,000 Speaker 1: schlock um and you're gonna have the most fun watching 537 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 1: that film if you do not worry about the motivations. Uh, 538 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: and don't bother addressing plot holes or indeed plot so 539 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,400 Speaker 1: we can't deny that what happens here is that Ronald 540 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:23,960 Speaker 1: McDonald was, in this case found guilty by association. His 541 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 1: whimsy was also kind of outdated. More and more people 542 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:29,799 Speaker 1: saw him less like a fun goofball and more like 543 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,840 Speaker 1: that pie Piper character you know, who is getting kids, 544 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:38,360 Speaker 1: getting into minds of children and leading them towards quite 545 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 1: possibly serious health problems. McDonald's leadership is aware of all 546 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: these factors. That's why today if you go into the 547 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:50,280 Speaker 1: modern McDonald's, if you stroll into one of well most 548 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,360 Speaker 1: of the thirty six thousand, eight hundred eighty nine or 549 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 1: so locations across a hundred nineteen countries, sorry Russia, you 550 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,800 Speaker 1: will have to look pretty closely to find a trace 551 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:04,280 Speaker 1: of what I think we could call a fast food Osamandius. 552 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:08,760 Speaker 1: I would love to travel around McDonald's of the world 553 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:13,480 Speaker 1: and just take that, take that line from Ozamandius, look 554 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,600 Speaker 1: upon my works mighty in despair and just like put 555 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 1: it in a little placard by by the statue. I 556 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,719 Speaker 1: don't know. I have to admit ben a peek behind 557 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:26,080 Speaker 1: the curtain really quickly. We do have these notes that 558 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,399 Speaker 1: we share with one another, and we contribute. We all 559 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:32,839 Speaker 1: contributed to it. Ben did the vast majority of the contribution. 560 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:39,080 Speaker 1: And when I read this, this comparison to Ozamandius, I 561 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:46,080 Speaker 1: was so delighted to know you. Oh man, uh likewise, 562 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:50,439 Speaker 1: likewise I used that reference way too often. By the way, 563 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:53,240 Speaker 1: it's it's gonna be a problem. So thank thank you 564 00:37:53,800 --> 00:38:00,720 Speaker 1: for enabling my myopia, uh thematic as it is. And um, 565 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:02,760 Speaker 1: there's the thing though, I think we can all agree 566 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 1: nostalgia is a heck of a drug, Max Jonathan. That's 567 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:08,879 Speaker 1: something we've been talking about in part one. It's something 568 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 1: we're talking about in part two, and it still remains 569 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:17,560 Speaker 1: the case today. People pretty much everywhere we will remember 570 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald, or not everywhere, but in many parts of 571 00:38:20,719 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: the world, you can stroll into a place and you 572 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:27,399 Speaker 1: can say, hey, do you remember Ronald McDonald, And even 573 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:29,120 Speaker 1: if they don't know the name, you can strow them 574 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,440 Speaker 1: the picture and they'll go, oh, yeah, yeah, the uh 575 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:34,520 Speaker 1: yeah McDonald's. They might even just call him McDonald's. In 576 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:38,560 Speaker 1: some places, people still like have a hot market for 577 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:42,080 Speaker 1: happy Meal toys. I used to love those Uh, I 578 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 1: didn't know that some of them would be worth money later. 579 00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:50,080 Speaker 1: You can, right, it's not what we're some of your 580 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:59,520 Speaker 1: favorite Happy Meal toys guys. You know what's interesting because 581 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:04,080 Speaker 1: like I remember back when the toys were completely independent 582 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:07,000 Speaker 1: of any other type of branding, and then there was 583 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: a shift where you started to see partnerships between McDonald's 584 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:16,279 Speaker 1: and other um popular brands that were out there, and 585 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,080 Speaker 1: you would get tie ins, especially Disney. There was like 586 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,840 Speaker 1: a string of Disney tie ins with Happy Meals for 587 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:25,640 Speaker 1: a while. But I almost said it, Oh my gosh, 588 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:32,680 Speaker 1: I almost said in my day, the toys, the toys 589 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,319 Speaker 1: weren't like that, and uh, you know, I I just 590 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,400 Speaker 1: remember getting these little toys that I thought were fun 591 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:43,080 Speaker 1: and diverting from maybe like a day or two, and 592 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,480 Speaker 1: then they find their way at the bottom of the 593 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:48,640 Speaker 1: toy box and never emerge again. And then you know, 594 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:51,480 Speaker 1: flash four thirty years and you're like, I could have 595 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: paid my college debt with that one toy if I 596 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:57,319 Speaker 1: had just not played with it and kept it in 597 00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:00,239 Speaker 1: good condition. Yeah, I mean, I was kind to think 598 00:40:00,239 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: about it. Like then you post a question, I'm like, 599 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:03,880 Speaker 1: I can't think of a single toy and then Jonathan, 600 00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:06,000 Speaker 1: you said that part about it being tied in, and 601 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:08,800 Speaker 1: I'm like, so yeah, I mean, like a lot of 602 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:11,719 Speaker 1: times I remember, I remember like whatever movie or TV 603 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,319 Speaker 1: show or whatever I like, if they had a McDonald's toy, Oh, 604 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:16,160 Speaker 1: we had to go get it. We had go get it. 605 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:20,560 Speaker 1: I remember being definitely way too old for happy Meals 606 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:22,440 Speaker 1: and getting happy meals still because you need to get 607 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:24,719 Speaker 1: the toy. I think eventually they worked out some sort 608 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 1: of system where you could buy the toy if you 609 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,839 Speaker 1: wanted to what You didn't have to get happy meals, 610 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:31,440 Speaker 1: but there will be like stories of people buying it 611 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:33,959 Speaker 1: happy It was like full grown adults buying happy meals, 612 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:38,600 Speaker 1: so you get the toy and stuff. I particularly remember 613 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:43,480 Speaker 1: um Sub I don't know if they were tied to anything, 614 00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:46,960 Speaker 1: but there was a series of these little figures that 615 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:51,840 Speaker 1: were that would transform from uh, from you know, like 616 00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:58,239 Speaker 1: a coup of soda or a basket of fries into robots, 617 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:01,719 Speaker 1: the robot characters, and I thought, I thought they were 618 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:05,080 Speaker 1: so cool and you know, be living a life of 619 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,799 Speaker 1: leisure now if I had just held onto them, you know, 620 00:41:10,239 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 1: But I can't I can't remember if those were tied 621 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:16,719 Speaker 1: in with transformers or maybe go bots thing that a 622 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:18,920 Speaker 1: lot of people don't remember. But just to remind you, 623 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:24,080 Speaker 1: gobots came first, Transformers came after gobots. There's just that 624 00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 1: the Transformers were let me check my notes here one 625 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:35,040 Speaker 1: billion times better. So uh, let's I also just want 626 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 1: to see if we can get a sense of scale 627 00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:40,360 Speaker 1: hero and I don't want to give us too many regrets. Um, 628 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: but you can find any number of list This is 629 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 1: just a cursory duct duct go search and find any 630 00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:54,279 Speaker 1: number of lists of highly prized McDonald's happy Meal toys. Uh. 631 00:41:54,600 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: Number one apparently is ties teeny Panie Booze, so like 632 00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:05,040 Speaker 1: Beanie babies. Uh. You could sell them for four and 633 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,000 Speaker 1: fifty dollars, so not quite not quite a mortgage yet, 634 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:12,120 Speaker 1: but we still should have saved them. I got one 635 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:17,240 Speaker 1: right here. I have one from Kids Kids Meals, Kids 636 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 1: Meal fandom page, and it has like a list of 637 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:23,839 Speaker 1: all the ones and the first half meal toys they 638 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:26,880 Speaker 1: have listed is from nineteen nine for a Star Trek, 639 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:31,799 Speaker 1: the motion picture that's random and weird. It was great 640 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:37,320 Speaker 1: because those toys were just as boring as the movie was. Really, 641 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 1: you guys agree on that Star Trek the Motionless Picture. 642 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:44,440 Speaker 1: I was watching in four kmaster one day. It was 643 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:48,520 Speaker 1: so bad. I mean, there's so bad. There's a segment 644 00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: that has to be at least five or six minutes 645 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:56,520 Speaker 1: long where they're just doing a slow orbit of the 646 00:42:56,760 --> 00:43:00,879 Speaker 1: Enterprise as the movie theme is playing. That movie theme 647 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:03,279 Speaker 1: is the one that they would repurpose for Star Trek 648 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:07,359 Speaker 1: the next generation many years later. And and I mean, 649 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,279 Speaker 1: it's it's a pretty ship. And you understand that at 650 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,760 Speaker 1: the time that this was a real achievement in special effects, 651 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,919 Speaker 1: but it destroys any sense of pacing that you have 652 00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:21,200 Speaker 1: when you're you're taking like literally five to six minutes 653 00:43:21,239 --> 00:43:24,000 Speaker 1: out of your movie just to do heroes shots of 654 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:28,319 Speaker 1: your your spaceship. It's so bad. And uh, it's even 655 00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:31,680 Speaker 1: worse when you see afterwards the difference in budgets between 656 00:43:31,719 --> 00:43:34,200 Speaker 1: that and the Wrath of Con Like. The Motionless Pictures 657 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:36,759 Speaker 1: budget was so much bigger than Wrath, like twice the 658 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,880 Speaker 1: biggest the Wrath of cons budget. Wow, you guys are 659 00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:44,240 Speaker 1: schooling me here. Also, as you can tell, Jonathan Max 660 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:47,759 Speaker 1: is in addition to be our resident curing expert, our 661 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:51,920 Speaker 1: resident expert on Star Trek, so we might have to 662 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:54,279 Speaker 1: have you back when we we finally do our Star 663 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:58,239 Speaker 1: Trek episode. Right now, what we can say is that 664 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:04,280 Speaker 1: people still you'll find very ardent fans of Ronald McDonald. Uh. 665 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:09,319 Speaker 1: He didn't entirely leave social media. He has an official Instagram. Uh. 666 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:13,200 Speaker 1: And maybe most importantly, Ronald McDonald House Charities that that 667 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:16,480 Speaker 1: organization is still around. They're still doing good work and 668 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:20,120 Speaker 1: who knows. Really it's a a pop culture is a 669 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,160 Speaker 1: study of cyclical things, right, so a lot of things 670 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:25,400 Speaker 1: that shine one day we'll find their way into a 671 00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:28,960 Speaker 1: spotlight again. And with the sheer enormity of the shadow 672 00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:34,240 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald cast, we can't ever quite say he's gone 673 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:37,600 Speaker 1: for sure. So what we have witnessed could perhaps be 674 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:42,759 Speaker 1: described as the first age of the clown. So we 675 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:45,360 Speaker 1: have so much crazy stuff that we got to. We 676 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:48,200 Speaker 1: found a lot of really interesting tangents in trivia. We 677 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,040 Speaker 1: sprinkled some throughout the show. I wanted to ask, Jonathan, 678 00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:53,359 Speaker 1: are there something that we didn't get to that really 679 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,360 Speaker 1: stood out to you? The only one I would really 680 00:44:56,880 --> 00:45:00,640 Speaker 1: mention is the fact that you talked about how you 681 00:45:00,719 --> 00:45:04,680 Speaker 1: had these Ronald McDonald's statues. Some places had statues where 682 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:07,760 Speaker 1: it was like a seven foot tall clown standing there, 683 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:10,440 Speaker 1: and others. It was the bench one where there's a 684 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:12,759 Speaker 1: sitting clown with its arm extended, where you could have 685 00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:15,920 Speaker 1: sit down and maybe have your picture taken with Ronald 686 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:20,799 Speaker 1: giving the old yawn and reach move on you on 687 00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 1: the bench next to you. Um. But what was really 688 00:45:23,960 --> 00:45:28,000 Speaker 1: interesting is obviously those became targets for vandalism throughout the years, 689 00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:32,920 Speaker 1: like teenagers and college students would often target these and 690 00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:35,719 Speaker 1: it became kind of almost like a contest to see 691 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:39,400 Speaker 1: if you could steal one from your local McDonald's. And 692 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:42,240 Speaker 1: I've got a few examples. In nineteen eighty one, Ronald 693 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:45,560 Speaker 1: McDonald was found sleeping with the fishes. Uh so, this 694 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:47,799 Speaker 1: full size statue of Ronald was pulled out of the 695 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:51,680 Speaker 1: theta U pond at Oklahoma State University. Nineteen eight six, 696 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:54,000 Speaker 1: it happened again, but this time it wasn't Oklahoma. It 697 00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:58,120 Speaker 1: was in Florida at Lake Sumter Community College. And then 698 00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:01,040 Speaker 1: you started you you'll see other reports of this too. 699 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,800 Speaker 1: Sometimes a lot of times they didn't find the statue, 700 00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:06,080 Speaker 1: but there were some interesting ones. There was one where 701 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:08,520 Speaker 1: a statue was stolen in ninety one and turned up 702 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,360 Speaker 1: in the middle of the desert outside of Phoenix, Arizona. 703 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:18,000 Speaker 1: And my favorite was there was an a military officer 704 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:20,359 Speaker 1: or military a member of the military I shall say, 705 00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 1: I want, won't say officer who stole a Ronald McDonald 706 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:27,440 Speaker 1: statue with the goal of setting it onto a raft 707 00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:31,040 Speaker 1: off the Santa Monica pere. Now. He stole it in Biloxi, Mississippi, 708 00:46:31,280 --> 00:46:35,400 Speaker 1: which is not close to Santa Monica, right drove it 709 00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:40,000 Speaker 1: across the country to California, but was unable to complete 710 00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:43,800 Speaker 1: his plan. He was caught with the statue. The statue 711 00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:49,640 Speaker 1: was returned to its location in Mississippi via an Air 712 00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:54,279 Speaker 1: Force flight, so Ronald McDonald had a military escort bring 713 00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:58,080 Speaker 1: him back to Mississippi from California. Think about how much 714 00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:01,400 Speaker 1: you regret your actions turned that drive because you steal 715 00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,520 Speaker 1: that statue and you're like, yeah, this is great, and 716 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:06,880 Speaker 1: then you have that entire drive to think about like 717 00:47:08,120 --> 00:47:10,239 Speaker 1: it is this bit really that funny? And then you're like, 718 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:12,080 Speaker 1: you know, if I set him off the coast, like 719 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:14,400 Speaker 1: who else gonna know about this? This is gonna go 720 00:47:14,440 --> 00:47:16,560 Speaker 1: down on the ocean. And then by the time you're 721 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:18,840 Speaker 1: in the middle of nowhere, Texas on that drive, you're like, 722 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:22,640 Speaker 1: why am I this way? Why do I do things 723 00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:27,239 Speaker 1: like why why am I risking a court martial over 724 00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:30,520 Speaker 1: a Ronald McDonald's statue? Also, another good question to ask 725 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:34,160 Speaker 1: is why do we taxpayers foot the bill for the 726 00:47:34,200 --> 00:47:37,279 Speaker 1: Air Force to take a statue of Ronald McDonald back 727 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,600 Speaker 1: to Mississippi. That's my only thing I vote for is 728 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:43,279 Speaker 1: to make sure that happens. I'm a single issue voter, 729 00:47:43,520 --> 00:47:46,640 Speaker 1: and that's all. That's all that I I look at 730 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:49,200 Speaker 1: what I consider a candidate and I'll ask him to 731 00:47:49,280 --> 00:47:51,040 Speaker 1: I'll write to the campaign and say, where are we 732 00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:55,000 Speaker 1: at with McDonald's statues? Um, yeah, no, this is all 733 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:59,560 Speaker 1: a true story. Uh. And that member of the military's 734 00:47:59,640 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: name was Colin Powell. You can read about it being 735 00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:10,320 Speaker 1: his autobiography. Uh, that's might not be true. Don't in 736 00:48:10,400 --> 00:48:13,000 Speaker 1: fact check that part of the show, folks. But we 737 00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:14,799 Speaker 1: are going to call it the day. We're gonna call 738 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:19,799 Speaker 1: it the week. We have found the the official explanation 739 00:48:20,280 --> 00:48:25,520 Speaker 1: for the demise of Ronald McDonald. Now, given again his 740 00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:28,640 Speaker 1: his enormous influence of pop culture, it's fair to say 741 00:48:28,719 --> 00:48:33,160 Speaker 1: he's kind of maybe Cathulu esque right, dead but dreaming 742 00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:37,279 Speaker 1: and may rise again. But uh, for now. We hope 743 00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:40,520 Speaker 1: you enjoyed the ride. Thanks to our super producer Mr 744 00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:45,000 Speaker 1: Max Williams. Thanks again to Chris Frosciotis, Eve's Jeff Code, 745 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:49,600 Speaker 1: our research associates, Zach Williams, no relation, Jeff Bartlett, and 746 00:48:49,719 --> 00:48:52,760 Speaker 1: of course one of my absolute favorite people, Mr Noel Brown, 747 00:48:52,920 --> 00:48:58,040 Speaker 1: who will be returning soon. Uh. And with that, Jonathan, 748 00:48:58,080 --> 00:49:00,839 Speaker 1: I'm sure you can hear our outra music. I want 749 00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:04,400 Speaker 1: to thank you specifically. Man. Uh. This has been an 750 00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:07,280 Speaker 1: absolute blast. I can't wait for you to come back 751 00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:10,680 Speaker 1: again on the show. Thanks so much, Ben. And if 752 00:49:10,719 --> 00:49:16,200 Speaker 1: you guys are interested in hearing, are sorry. If you 753 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:20,480 Speaker 1: guys are interested, wait, no, I got this. I got this. 754 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:32,000 Speaker 1: If you guys are interested in hearing these are sucked 755 00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:37,880 Speaker 1: at it. Damn it you did? Uh the quister a K. 756 00:49:38,239 --> 00:49:42,080 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I can't believe. I can't believe you're back. 757 00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:45,880 Speaker 1: I'm back you you you see that I have ripped 758 00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:50,320 Speaker 1: off my Terraway clothing to reveal my doublet injustors hat underneath. 759 00:49:52,520 --> 00:49:56,719 Speaker 1: I uh, you got us, man, I thought we were 760 00:49:56,719 --> 00:49:59,799 Speaker 1: gonna I was actually surprised. I thought we were just 761 00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:04,400 Speaker 1: talking to your alter ego. Jonathan Strickland. But it seems 762 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:09,240 Speaker 1: your true colors are shining through. You have flam mixed us. Uh, 763 00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:13,919 Speaker 1: well you've yet to fla mix us hopefully, but but yeah, 764 00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:15,640 Speaker 1: you got us. I thought we were going to get 765 00:50:15,680 --> 00:50:19,919 Speaker 1: away clean. Not this time, Mr Bolan. No, for those 766 00:50:19,960 --> 00:50:23,879 Speaker 1: of you who are unaware, blissfully as to what the 767 00:50:23,880 --> 00:50:27,439 Speaker 1: heck is going on right now, welcome to the most 768 00:50:27,560 --> 00:50:32,440 Speaker 1: cringe worthy segment in All Love podcasting, where I the 769 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:39,120 Speaker 1: quiz to quiz your beloved host and his plucky producer 770 00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:45,000 Speaker 1: on some scenarios. I present three scenarios too are true, 771 00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:51,360 Speaker 1: one is false, and the contestants have to decide which 772 00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:54,840 Speaker 1: what's the false one. It's definishly clever. So it's just 773 00:50:54,960 --> 00:50:58,600 Speaker 1: it's just a game show. I mean, that's your devilishly 774 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:02,319 Speaker 1: clever thing. It's just those standard basic game show. Ever, 775 00:51:02,440 --> 00:51:05,360 Speaker 1: is that what I'm herring McDonald's is just a fast 776 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:10,160 Speaker 1: food restaurant? Max to Shap, Sure, I I give that 777 00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:11,799 Speaker 1: to you, But yeah, I don't think we were ever 778 00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:14,359 Speaker 1: up to debate that that was a just a fast 779 00:51:14,360 --> 00:51:16,680 Speaker 1: food restaurant. But you know what, buddy, I'll let you 780 00:51:16,719 --> 00:51:18,200 Speaker 1: have this one. I'll let you have this one. I'll 781 00:51:18,239 --> 00:51:21,200 Speaker 1: go ahead, right here we go. I shall I shall 782 00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:24,759 Speaker 1: present three scenarios. You shall have three minutes between the 783 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:28,000 Speaker 1: two of you to debate which of the scenarios is 784 00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:31,640 Speaker 1: the false one. And as always, I will allow you 785 00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:34,560 Speaker 1: to ask me questions, but only if you first preface 786 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:37,279 Speaker 1: your question with a particular phrase of my choosing. And 787 00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:42,040 Speaker 1: this time the phrase shall be BAA, I'm loving it. 788 00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:50,839 Speaker 1: M hmm, Okay, that's it. Yes. Scenario number one. The 789 00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:54,680 Speaker 1: regional fast food chain Rax Roast Beef, at one point 790 00:51:54,719 --> 00:51:58,080 Speaker 1: boasted more than five hundred locations across the United States. 791 00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:01,040 Speaker 1: These days, that number has dwindled down to less than 792 00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:04,920 Speaker 1: half a dozen. Reasons for the restaurants decline on many, 793 00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:07,440 Speaker 1: but perhaps one of the most pertinent to our discussion 794 00:52:07,480 --> 00:52:11,719 Speaker 1: today was the introduction of a certain Mister Delicious. This 795 00:52:11,800 --> 00:52:15,840 Speaker 1: was an animated character in commercials, a sad sack divorcee 796 00:52:16,160 --> 00:52:18,839 Speaker 1: who was supposed to lure adult diners into the fast 797 00:52:18,840 --> 00:52:23,919 Speaker 1: food establishment. Shortly after his introduction, the company filed for bankruptcy. 798 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:31,879 Speaker 1: Scenario two. The first location of Doggie Diner opened in Oakland, California, 799 00:52:32,040 --> 00:52:36,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen The mascot for this hot dog and hamburger 800 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:39,799 Speaker 1: fast food joint was a ducks and wearing a bow 801 00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:43,800 Speaker 1: tie and a chef's hat, which you could see outside 802 00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:47,279 Speaker 1: some of their establishments, a three dimensional one. And not 803 00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:51,480 Speaker 1: only that, the dog's head would rotate exorcist style, letting 804 00:52:51,520 --> 00:52:55,080 Speaker 1: you know the victuals inside were devilishly good. But the 805 00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:59,480 Speaker 1: spread of larger franchises ultimately spelled doom for the poor doggie, 806 00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:05,000 Speaker 1: and by nine the company was out of business. Scenario three. 807 00:53:05,440 --> 00:53:08,560 Speaker 1: In the late nineteen sixties, a regional restaurant chain in 808 00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:12,279 Speaker 1: the Upper Midwest called doc Oh the Bay promised to 809 00:53:12,360 --> 00:53:17,759 Speaker 1: bring quote unquote fresh seafood to the landlocked States. The 810 00:53:17,840 --> 00:53:21,359 Speaker 1: chain's mascot was a fish doctor. By that, I mean 811 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:23,920 Speaker 1: it was a fish wearing a stethoscope and a head mirror, 812 00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:26,920 Speaker 1: not a human who tended to sick fish. It was, 813 00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:31,160 Speaker 1: of course named doc Perhaps it was a bad idea 814 00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:34,120 Speaker 1: to associate a sea food restaurant with a doctor like that. 815 00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:37,919 Speaker 1: The experiment only lasted until nineteen seventy seven, when Long 816 00:53:38,040 --> 00:53:42,520 Speaker 1: John Silver's lay broadsides against the little chain and sunk it. 817 00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:45,560 Speaker 1: By that, I mean Doctor the Bay went out to business. 818 00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:51,040 Speaker 1: Begin Okay, I'm running to our running towards timer. We 819 00:53:51,160 --> 00:53:53,440 Speaker 1: spent a lot of a lot of the show budget 820 00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:57,600 Speaker 1: on this one, so we are going to have three minutes. 821 00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:02,240 Speaker 1: Let me get the clock rolling. Okay, I'm I'm running, 822 00:54:02,440 --> 00:54:08,560 Speaker 1: I'm running, and go Ben, what you feeling? First impression? 823 00:54:08,560 --> 00:54:10,799 Speaker 1: Which one are you saying? Which ones he say is real? 824 00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:13,280 Speaker 1: Which ones he say in her falls? I gotta say 825 00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:16,240 Speaker 1: maybe because the most recent my memory, the fish Doctor 826 00:54:16,280 --> 00:54:18,960 Speaker 1: one seems sucks. What do you think? I don't know. 827 00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:23,719 Speaker 1: Being a born in the Midwest, that seems very Midwestern 828 00:54:23,920 --> 00:54:25,640 Speaker 1: to do some of that. I think number one is 829 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:27,960 Speaker 1: totally real. That's what I'm coming off. As as soon 830 00:54:27,960 --> 00:54:31,000 Speaker 1: as I heard, I'm like that sounds I've heard of. Okay, um, 831 00:54:31,120 --> 00:54:32,680 Speaker 1: we need you know what we need to recap in 832 00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:37,960 Speaker 1: number two? Uh? Popa poppop pop. I'm loving it. Wow, 833 00:54:38,120 --> 00:54:40,680 Speaker 1: we did two full podcasts. You still don't have their 834 00:54:40,680 --> 00:54:46,000 Speaker 1: catchphrase right? So number two was the Doggie Doggie Diner 835 00:54:46,360 --> 00:54:50,080 Speaker 1: hot dog and Hamburger fast food joint that a mascot 836 00:54:50,239 --> 00:54:53,200 Speaker 1: was a docksin wearing a chef's hat and a bow tie. 837 00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:57,960 Speaker 1: They had essentially a bust of this character outside some 838 00:54:58,040 --> 00:55:01,800 Speaker 1: of the restaurants that would wrote three hundred sixty degrees, 839 00:55:02,239 --> 00:55:08,560 Speaker 1: spreading its endless gaze across all the lands, judging throughout 840 00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:11,640 Speaker 1: all of time, at least until nine when the restaurant 841 00:55:11,680 --> 00:55:15,160 Speaker 1: went under. Yeah, I totally think that's real. Do you 842 00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:18,239 Speaker 1: think so? I don't know. I think they're all real. 843 00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:21,160 Speaker 1: They all sound like something terrible that that people would 844 00:55:21,280 --> 00:55:25,279 Speaker 1: would do. Okay, how about this, Max, Let's let's you 845 00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:29,920 Speaker 1: and I. Um let's leave it to chance. I'm gonna 846 00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:35,920 Speaker 1: say that I think I feel like I'm having a 847 00:55:35,960 --> 00:55:38,360 Speaker 1: tough time to sign between number two and number three. 848 00:55:39,600 --> 00:55:43,800 Speaker 1: Let me ask, but I'm loving it. Oh, well done, Max. 849 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:48,600 Speaker 1: What's your quest? So we've already both trashed on Star 850 00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:51,239 Speaker 1: Trek the emotion less picture. What is your favorite Star 851 00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:53,680 Speaker 1: Trek movie? Oh? That would be Star Trek to the 852 00:55:53,719 --> 00:55:55,400 Speaker 1: Wrath of Colin. I think that that one is the 853 00:55:55,440 --> 00:55:58,600 Speaker 1: most It's not like Star Trek the series, which was 854 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:03,040 Speaker 1: much more thoughtful and more about working things out and exploration. 855 00:56:03,480 --> 00:56:06,920 Speaker 1: But as an action film, Star Trek two is phenomenal. 856 00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:09,560 Speaker 1: Now if I wanted to go beyond that, maybe I 857 00:56:09,600 --> 00:56:13,800 Speaker 1: don't know. Star Trek four of the Voyage Home is fun, 858 00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:16,759 Speaker 1: but I mean it's very cheesy and Star Trek six 859 00:56:16,960 --> 00:56:21,920 Speaker 1: has Shakespeare, so that's also one. Okay, we've got just 860 00:56:21,960 --> 00:56:25,760 Speaker 1: a few seconds now, all right, don't let him distract you, Max. 861 00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:29,360 Speaker 1: He's taking the time, that's what he's doing, all right. 862 00:56:29,440 --> 00:56:31,640 Speaker 1: So Ben, which one are you going with? Uh? It's 863 00:56:31,680 --> 00:56:34,640 Speaker 1: three or two for me? Man, which one are you 864 00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:37,360 Speaker 1: feeling strong? Or? I can go either way myself? Three 865 00:56:37,480 --> 00:56:41,319 Speaker 1: fish doctors? Weird? Let's go fish doctor. We're locking it 866 00:56:41,360 --> 00:56:50,480 Speaker 1: in three to one. Well, so, so you really thought 867 00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:54,920 Speaker 1: there was a doggie, Dina, there was? You were right? 868 00:56:55,040 --> 00:56:57,120 Speaker 1: It was number three. That was the one I made up. 869 00:56:57,160 --> 00:57:03,000 Speaker 1: Congratulations you have you have picked the correct one. Uh. 870 00:57:03,040 --> 00:57:05,880 Speaker 1: My favorite of those is, in fact, the Rax Roast Beef, 871 00:57:05,920 --> 00:57:10,239 Speaker 1: because there are videos about that establishment online that you 872 00:57:10,400 --> 00:57:15,239 Speaker 1: need to watch to really understand exactly how strange that 873 00:57:15,320 --> 00:57:18,920 Speaker 1: marketing campaign was. It was. It was like taking the 874 00:57:18,960 --> 00:57:21,920 Speaker 1: spirit of Sunday the Dog and putting it into a 875 00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:31,200 Speaker 1: divorced cartoon character. Well, uh, you know, that really was 876 00:57:31,280 --> 00:57:34,000 Speaker 1: up to chance for Max and myself. And I think 877 00:57:34,040 --> 00:57:36,560 Speaker 1: one thing at least that I learned with that is 878 00:57:36,640 --> 00:57:42,680 Speaker 1: that um fast food campaigns can be so surreal and strange. Anyhow, 879 00:57:43,120 --> 00:57:48,000 Speaker 1: that all three of those seemed believable to me, So 880 00:57:48,120 --> 00:57:52,240 Speaker 1: I guess I just right like, thank goodness for fish doctor, 881 00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:56,400 Speaker 1: But very well done, Jonathan. We just scraped by with 882 00:57:56,560 --> 00:58:01,000 Speaker 1: that one. Thank you for most of your work on 883 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:04,840 Speaker 1: these two series or on these two episodes. So uh 884 00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:07,760 Speaker 1: we we can't wait to have you back on the air, 885 00:58:07,880 --> 00:58:11,439 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians. We can't wait for you to tune in 886 00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:16,000 Speaker 1: when Max, Noel and I are diving into more strange stories, 887 00:58:16,240 --> 00:58:21,040 Speaker 1: possibly with more returning guests in the meantime, quister where 888 00:58:21,040 --> 00:58:26,640 Speaker 1: can people find you under your daylight cover identity? Jonathan Strickland, Well, 889 00:58:26,880 --> 00:58:29,480 Speaker 1: they can find him as the host of the tech 890 00:58:29,520 --> 00:58:33,360 Speaker 1: Stuff podcast. They can find me and that flash of 891 00:58:33,440 --> 00:58:37,560 Speaker 1: lightning just before the light completely goes dark, look out 892 00:58:37,560 --> 00:58:42,960 Speaker 1: your window. I'm there. Oh that's amazing. It feels anticlimactic 893 00:58:43,000 --> 00:58:45,320 Speaker 1: to say that Max and I are on Twitter. Yeah 894 00:58:45,520 --> 00:58:47,439 Speaker 1: you can find me on Twitter. I'm at it fail 895 00:58:47,520 --> 00:58:52,280 Speaker 1: underscore Max Williams, So, um yeah, I will be there, 896 00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:56,800 Speaker 1: and um yeah I don't. I'm like a little too 897 00:58:56,880 --> 00:58:58,920 Speaker 1: terrified as to anything else right now. So Ben, why 898 00:58:58,920 --> 00:59:02,680 Speaker 1: don't you go away with stuff? Sure? Sure, we've got 899 00:59:03,400 --> 00:59:05,240 Speaker 1: sure you can find me at Ben Bull and H. 900 00:59:05,360 --> 00:59:07,600 Speaker 1: S W. On Twitter. You can find me on Instagram 901 00:59:07,640 --> 00:59:10,320 Speaker 1: where I'm at Ben Bulling bo w L I N 902 00:59:10,800 --> 00:59:12,840 Speaker 1: be sure to tune in next week thanks to all 903 00:59:12,960 --> 00:59:16,800 Speaker 1: our research associates. A big special thanks to our ride 904 00:59:16,880 --> 00:59:20,840 Speaker 1: or Die, Mr Noel Brown. In his words, We'll see 905 00:59:20,880 --> 00:59:30,479 Speaker 1: you next time, folks. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, 906 00:59:30,600 --> 00:59:33,200 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 907 00:59:33,360 --> 00:59:34,880 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows