Friday, July 30, 2004

McDonalds Suffocates Children...For Safety

I picked up a flier at my local McDonalds about their "community service." Usual PR stuff but I noticed a reference to a high-tech safety device they designed called McBaby, which I had to investigate. It turns out they created a multi-million dollar mannequin called McBaby that simulates the breathing system of a child. It's supposed to allow toy manufacturers to test to see if their toys are a choking hazard.


I'll be the first to say this is a great idea and will help save lives...but am I the only one who thinks it's a little creepy for Ronald McDonald to hand scientists a lifelife child and say "Go ahead, stuff whatever you want down its throat! Just try and kill it!" Watch the video clips of scientists working with McBaby. If it doesn't make you at least a little queasy, you're a stronger man than I am.

5 comments:

Maurice Mitchell said...

You're right that is freaky. Did they have to call it a "McBaby"?! They could have named it the pulmonary test device, or something a little less garish. It's like some kind of sick joke.
Next time I go to the drive-thru I should ask for the "large fries and a McBaby".
I guess we should be grateful they didn't call it "McChokes-a-lot".
Have you submitted that to that McDonald's Watch site?

Maurice Mitchell said...

Love the title by the way: a funny title is have the fun of these news story reports to me.

Nigel G Mitchell said...

I don't think McD Watch would be interested, because admittedly it's a noble cause. The mannequin will be a boon for scientists trying to improve safety, and since McD distributes so many toys, this is a vital issue to tackle. What I don't get is why they had to make the McBaby so realistic. If it's a test for suffocation, why'd they need arms and legs and hair? They could've just made it a torso. In fact, I would have gone out of my way to make it unrealistic, maybe making just a mouth and nose or making the head transparent.

Nigel G Mitchell said...

McChokes-A-Lot...I think that would've been a better title, good one. Or maybe Mayor McChokes.

Maurice Mitchell said...

"Mayor McChokes" Ha! Yeah, he could do double-duty promoting their new "Heimlich Happy Meal".