Comments on: Should Happy Meal Toys Be Banned?

By: Valerie Jennings

Valerie Jennings — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:37:38 +0000

As you mentioned, eating fast food in moderation is an important thing to remember. Banning the toy in a kids’ meal will not have a great effect on whether or not a parent chooses to stop occasionally at a fast food restaurant. This ban is simply taking away the rights and responsibilities of parents to make the correct food choices for their children. It is not a good solution and this ban should be stopped before it spreads to other municipalities in the U.S.

Eric Mar, member of the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco, is asking for legislation similar to Santa Clara County’s happy meal toy ban. Call and tell him NO.
Eric Mar
415-554-7410
Eric.l.mar@sfgov.org

Mar’s request to ban kids meal toys can be found in this article from the San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/28/MNLA1D5QFV.DTL

A leading kid-focused marketing agency for the restaurant industry, Creative Consumer Concepts (C3), has taken a stand on this issue. Bob Cutler, CEO, states that “unfortunately, banning kids meal toys from restaurants will not resolve childhood obesity. C3 has been educating, advocating and executing healthy food options for kids and parents and will continue to commit to supporting this issue.”Read more in their position paper on the toy ban: http://jenningssocialmedia.com/downloads/C3.SANTACLARA_Final.pdf

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:15:17 +0000

If they do this, then they also need to apply consistency and eliminate the “toy” from the unhealthy, presweetened children’s cereals, too. There will always be something that will promote junk food with a toy. Movie theaters. Sit-down restaurants. And really, what about places like Sonic and Chic-fil-A? They don’t do toy promotions except for educational ones. Same with Subway. Why not just encourage the fast food places to do away with movie themed toys. Although then for the adults who eat Happy Meals because they want to collect the movie themed item, this is stinky. Adults have a right to decide what they want. So do kids, which is why if parents encourage them to make healthier choices at the food establishments, toy or no toy, this should not be an issue.

By: Kari

Kari — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:18:52 +0000

If it’s an issue of just liking the toys… you have always been able to buy the toys and not the food with it.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:10:43 +0000

Did you hear that some people also are trying to get Ronald McDonald retired, and no, it’s not just PETA.

By: Suzy Smith

Suzy Smith — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:01:15 +0000

I miss the Halloween buckets. That was the only time of year I would want to go to McDonald’s and it continued until they stopped giving them away with Happy Meals.

On the boy/girl toy thing, I get irrationally angry about it, and always tell them which toy by name, not by gender. Especially since it is normally the “boy” toys that are better.

By: gabi

gabi — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:50:25 +0000

I’m ambivalent about McDonald’s. During cold winter months in Chicago when my son was a toddler, the Play Place was a great place for him to run around for hours and for me, a single parent, to read, relax, and talk with other parents. I let my son eat Happy Meals, but I never insisted he “eat it all before he can go play”. I was never distressed over tossing out the leftovers.
I also never miss the opportunity to point out to him that there’s no way the toys could be made by anyone earning a living wage, otherwise they wouldn’t be part of a meal that costs under $4. And that they’re all plastic and have to travel halfway around the world to get to us, neither of which is environmentally friendly.
Over time, these tactics have eroded his interest in Happy Meals.

By: FatNsassy

FatNsassy — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:14:52 +0000

This is exactly why Cali has the nutty reputation it does. The state is in a dire fiscal emergency, and this loser can’t think of any more pressing problem than Happy Meals. Nero dieted as Los Angeles burned!

By: Silver Fang

Silver Fang — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:02:51 +0000

What kind of society are we becoming where fun playgrounds, bake sales and now Happy Meal toys are being banned left and right? When did it become politicians’ job to manage our health choices?

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:58:48 +0000

I don’t know. I don’t have kids, but I don’t see anything wrong with letting them have fast food once in a while, but not a whole lot because it’s just not healthy. But whether or not they should ban toys? I don’t know. They gave out Barbie and GI Joe in my day, and it was kind of a childhood staple. Promoting obesity? I don’t know about that either, but maybe if their kids want a toy, they could eat at a healthier place and their parent buy them a small toy from a store.

Also, I’m reading a lot of comments saying that they are for the banning because of the clutter in the household? Like the toys came uninvited into your homes? Lol. If it’s that bad, how about stop buying happy meals??? Maybe I’m just retarded, but it sounds like it might work to me.

By: bazu

bazu — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:46:29 +0000

I’m all for the ban- get rid of plastic junk, stop an outlet of sweatshop labor, stop silly movie tie-in marketing, take away the attractiveness of fast food? Why not!