McDonald’s New Happy Meal Mascot Draws Harsh Criticism

International fast food giant McDonald’s introduced a new Happy Meal mascot Monday, and so far the social media reviewers have some pretty harsh criticisms regarding the mascot. The new mascot is named Happy, an animated red box with a pair of bulging eyes and a mouthful of large teeth. In a tweet by the McDonald’s account on May 19, the company introduced Happy as “our newest friend.” McDonald’s has announced a new mascot, called Happy, for its signature McDonald’s Happy Meals. Happy was meant to be a brand new brand ambassador to promote healthy eating to kids.

In a statement, a McDonald’s spokeswoman said “social media is a great place to have a conversation and express an opinion, but not all comments reflect the broader view.”

Meanwhile, social media is having a field day with their opinions: some of the critics have gone as far as to describe Happy as “scary” and “terrifying.” Among the reviews on Twitter: “I’m going to have nightmares about the new McDonald’s mascot,” and “McDonald’s Happy Meal Character Frightens Social-Media Users.” One user went as far as to call it a “social media fail,” and the Washington Post even described Happy as “a hideous demon creature.”

Happy was introduced Monday along with the company’s new low-fat yogurt. On the contrary, Happy is really not so new; he has actually been around for a few years – just not in the U.S. According to MarketWatch,  the mascot was introduced in France in 2009 and later was used in marketing campaigns in Latin America and Europe.

Photo Source: McDonald’s Twitter