McDonald's Toy Stereotyping: One Happy Meal With a Side of Gender Issues To Go Please

http://www.queerty.com/mcdonalds-toy-stereotyping-one-happy-meal-with-a-side-of-gender-issues-to-go-please-20110318/

Raising My Rainbow is written by the mother of a slightly effeminate, possibly gay, totally fabulous son. She's chronicling their journey on Queerty right here. Read up on RMR's cast of characters.

C.J. doesn't want a Tonka Garage Truck, he wants a My Little Pony. C.J. doesn't want a Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Fused car, he wants a Barbie: A Fairy Secret doll. C.J. doesn't want a Young Justice action figure, he wants a Littlest Pet Shop pet. What C.J. wants totally confuses McDonald's.

January 21: We walk into McDonald's and order a Happy Meal. "For a boy, right?," the cashier asks looking at C.J.

"It's for a boy, but we would like the girl toy," I explain, as I have to on most trips to C.J.'s favorite dining establishment.

Go the San Francisco route and just ban happy meals altogether.

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/11/san-francisco-bans-happy-meal-toys

I'm glad to see parents standing up for their children... My folks would have gotten me the boy toy meal and tell me that I was lucky to get anything at all

Good for CJ's mom for getting him what he wants. My parents did the same thing for me. They'd ask me which toy I want every time, because it would change depending on the toys they offered.

people have told us at work to not say boy or girl toy because it's sexist, i mean really, how hard is it to ask someone what toys you have, then just ask "do you want the barbie or the monster truck?" that simple. if i worked drive through or counter I'd never ask the usual way because of kids like Cj. there have been a couple here actually that I've heard of. example from a drive through:
mom: I'll guess he'll have the car
boy: No i want the pony!
mom: why the f#@ do you want that for?!"
boy: i don't know cuz i just do!"
mom: fine i guess he wants the damn pony for some reason. give him that."
lol tough kid, from what i was told he had to have been no older than 6 or 7.

I would take a Tonka Truck over Barbie.  However, a Rainbow Brite or a Carebear would steal my heart any day.

Hmmm, now that I think about it McDonalds really does only have 'girl' or 'boy' toys. But I don't remember that growing up?

When I worked at Burger King years ago there was only one type of toy. There was no 'girl' or 'boy' toys (I am pretty sure it is still like that). Though I remember once we had Fantastic Four toys and a dad came up after getting his order with one of the toys asking if he could switch for a 'girl' toy and I told him that was all we had and he looked really offended.

Good for CJ's mom for getting him what he wants
What?  An steaming hunk of mixed cow parts soaked in heavy fat with a slice of tasteless cheese (more fat) slapped on top with a side order of starch cooked in still more fat? 

i remember that crap they do. i always got the boys toy, because that's what my mom assigned me for. of course i always wanted the girls toy, but they don't need the gender division on stuff. that just draws the line between male and female, and pressures even children to conform to it. i got hot wheels, hot wheels, hot wheels, and more hot wheels. my brother ended up getting them all because i couldn't find anything interesting with them.

Quote from: tekla on March 20, 2011, 05:17:35 PMAn steaming hunk of mixed cow parts soaked in heavy fat with a slice of tasteless cheese (more fat) slapped on top with a side order of starch cooked in still more fat?

And ice cream for desert.  If you're going to eat fast food, you might as well get an extra order of heart attack.

How negligent of me to omit the white refined sugar course.

My mom was surprisingly good about letting me choose the toy I wanted. She knew I was a 'tomboy' so she really didn't care because 'the phase would pass'. A terrible reasoning for her to say 'whatever', but at least I didn't have to deal with fighting with her over it or feeling bad. 

I'm sure its so 'timeless' that it won't change any time soon, but it would be nice if they could alter their ways. Even if they don't do it to save the feelings of certain kids, they should at least do it to discourage the huge 'battle of the sexes' that children go through with each other.

I am happy for the child , but my sense of humor sees another "genderist" issue that could be raised.    How about keeping their hamburger separate on the basis of whether it came from a cow or a bull!!  I think there are some McDonalds customers to whom that might make a difference if their brains could take it in. 

Quote from: tekla on March 20, 2011, 05:17:35 PM
Good for CJ's mom for getting him what he wants
What?  An steaming hunk of mixed cow parts soaked in heavy fat with a slice of tasteless cheese (more fat) slapped on top with a side order of starch cooked in still more fat?

mmm, mixed cow parts and fat

It's the gastronomic (and health) equivalent of wrapping your kid in bear entrails and tossing them into the shark tank.  It almost qualifies as child abuse.

Don't forget about the anhydrous ammonia.  Beef Products, Inc. makes sure to inject it into the hamburger meat they sell to fast food as well as school lunch programs.  It kills e-coli, so sure, you gotta use it!

As far as the toys, none of them really do anything for me.  I'm waiting for them to offer the Fanner 50.  Now that's a real boy toy!  Yep!  I owned one! 

Silly girl, everyone knows for a gun (and a real one at that) go to a bank

Quote from: tekla on March 23, 2011, 01:05:51 PM
Silly girl, everyone knows for a gun (and a real one at that) go to a bank

I hate it when people say this, my wife is from America, and I love her deeply. But for once I will say it: Only in America. Geez

Cindy

I get fantastic hamburgers from my local fish & chip shop, Really nice lots of salad, nice meat, cooked individually and none of the McCrap. I was joking with one of the guys about how their product and the thing from McC across the road was so different; he replied, their stuff is so good they serve it in a paper bag so you can puke into it. We give you a serviette so you can wipe your mouth.

And they are a meal in themselves.

Cindy