Should the Happy Meal Toy be Banned in DC?

Here is a post from McDonald's Happy Meal Toy Study.  Previously I wrote about Wal-Mart possibly coming to DC (NE and SE) to address the growing food desert problem and the burgeoning childhood obesity problem.  Michelle Obama doesn't have to go far to see a generation of kids who don't exercise enough and who adore McDonald's more than they do the grocery store.

Having lived in Congress Heights and Anacostia for eight years, I remember vividly just three years ago when my community got our first grocery store: The Super Giant on Alabama Avenue.  Before that, we had to go across the Ward boundaries or over the bridge to Virginia or Maryland just to shop for a bag of apples.  But apples weren't what Ward 8 citizens wanted.  They wanted the Big Mac and the kids yearned for the Happy Meal.

RUNIN Ronald

To address this issue, a few of us at the George Washington University MBA Ethics class are studying the ethics behind McDonald's providing the Happy Meal toy as an attraction to children and the Center for Science and Public Interest lawsuit against McDonald's for predatory advertising.  As part of the study, I sent an online survey to 60 respondents which asked whether McDonald's is acting ethically.

	answered question		58
	skipped question		1
		Response Percent	Response Count
Including the toy in the Happy Meal is ethical		34.5%	20
The toy is deceptive marketing but McDonald's should be allowed to include a toy		34.5%	20
The toy is deceptive marketing so McDonalds should NOT be allowed to include it.		19.0%	11
Not sure		6.9%	4
Other (please specify) Show Responses		5.2%	3

Here is a pie chart showing the results.  Please click on the pie chart to get the percentage for each group.



Here's the response from McDonald's to the survey results:

Good afternoon,

In response to your inquiry, please find below a statement for your use:

February 16, 2010

“While we share in the desire to find a meaningful solution to the growing problem of kids' health and nutrition, we believe taking away a toy from a kids meal

does absolutely nothing to improve children’s health, nutrition or well-being. 

We are extremely proud of our Happy Meals which give our youngest guests wholesome food and toys of the highest quality. Getting a toy with a kid's meal is just one part of a fun, family experience at McDonald's.

Public opinion has – and continues to be - overwhelmingly against this idea. It does not reflect what consumers want, nor is it something they asked for. Parents tell us they want to have the right and responsibility to make their own decisions and decide what’s right for their children – not lawmakers.

Any fair and objective review of our menu and the actions we’ve taken will demonstrate we’ve been responsible, we’re committed to children’s well being, and we’ll continue to learn and take action for our customers that is guided by science and facts.

Banning a toy is not the way to fight obesity or improve children’s well-being. Solutions will come only from education and awareness based on science and fact.”

Danya Proud, Spokesperson

McDonald’s USA

"The Arabian Nights" and the Victimization of Women

Nursing Mothers Revolt Against Hirshhorn

 "If you don't know the rules, Wikipedia is just a few clicks away."

Today, dozens of lactivists will be visiting the Hirshorn Museum not to admire sculpture but to nourish their babies (in public).

Reclining Nude at the Hirshorn

The incident that spurred this nurse-in occurred last month when Noriko Aita, who was nursing her daughter on a bench in the museum was told to go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet, not once, but by two different guards.

I understand that the guard had good intentions.  But when you're not sure of the rules, Wikipedia is only a few clicks away.  That's what Noriko did and after confirming that a mother has a right to breastfeed on federal property (Right to Breastfeed Act, 1999), she went online to report the outrage and word quickly spread.

DC Parking Attendants Need to Have Heart

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My car parked at "A" directly in front of Cosi's.


Always be Vigilant

Ok, so I'm sitting in the Cosi's on 6th St, SW.   My car is parked directly in front of the restaurant.  I am sitting at a table right next to the window and only the sidewalk is between me and my car.  I knew that my parking meter would be expiring any minute, but I was virtually next to my last bite on my sandwich. I can't think of a scenario more safer.  For the most part, I was a happy camper.  What could possibly go wrong?


It was 3:59 PM and I've had a long day, wondering my plans for the evening.  I'm polishing up my Hummus and Fresh Veggies sandwich when I see a DC parking attendant crossing the street scouting out my car like a recon ranger.

Courtesy of NBC-4

Zealous Parking Enforcers
As he's crossing the street, he's already turning on his handheld computer.  I drop my sandwich and ran out of Cosi's like my hair was on fire.


Thankfully, I was able to beat the attendant to my car.


"This is my car. Is there a problem?"


"Yeah, you're parked in a rush hour zone," as he pointed to street sign.

For Once in a Year, Chinatown Gets its Groove Back

Colin misses Chinatown LA.  There's so much more to do there, the dim sum is better priced, the pork dumplings are juicier and yes, even the bass comes straight out from the fully-stocked fish tank.

But apart from jetting cross country, we had to settle for the subdued rhythm and aura of New York's more conservative second cousin.

Video we shot from Chinatown Cafe.  Next year, come here to get a great view from your dining table.

For the rest of the year, visiting Chinatown DC equates to rooting for  the ruinous Wizards only to have your hopes dashed again and again or keeping up with the latest fashion or decorative trend trend at American Apparel or Bed and Bath.  Or perhaps even grabbing a Murphy's stout at Fado Irish Pub after an Ovechkin score.

Up ahead, the two jumbo electronic billboards flash colorful displays of anything from cell phones to under amor.  Then there's the music -- the soothing tone from New Orleans Jazz from the man with the scraggly beard or the street drummer using overturned paint buckets mimicking the beat of the street drum corps.

So there's not much China in Chinatown anymore.  Back before the Verizon Center revitalized this once edgie ethnic enclave,  Chinatown stretched 9 blocks from Judiciary Square to the old Convention Center (now a huge parking lot). It was a family-oriented neighborhood, and over the years as development encroached, the boundaries started shrinking.