Top 20 Weirdest McDonald's Commercials

  • 4 months ago
These ads are as unstable as the ice cream machine! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the oddest and most memorable McDonald’s commercials.

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:00 I love McDonald's sauce.
00:02 And you Kazuki.
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the oddest and most memorable
00:09 McDonald's commercials.
00:10 And while most of our list focuses on American ads, we do travel around the world for some
00:14 of these weird gems.
00:16 Lang Lang Lu!
00:20 Number 20, Runaway Girl.
00:22 A cute little girl interacting with Ronald McDonald doesn't sound at all like a weird
00:26 McDonald's commercial.
00:27 Oh, hi Ronald.
00:28 What's new?
00:29 However, what if we told you that cute little girl ran into Ronald as she was walking down
00:34 the street with a suitcase, thinking about running away from home.
00:38 Everyone keeps telling her she's too little, so she wants to run away to McDonaldland.
00:41 I'm thinking of running away to McDonaldland.
00:45 McDonaldland?
00:46 That's where I'm from.
00:47 Now, to be fair, Ronald does convince the girl to go back home, but he does so using
00:51 reverse psychology and magic.
00:53 It's done in a sweet, heartwarming way, but part of us can't get over the fact that
00:57 they used a runaway child to sell the brand.
00:59 Oh, okay.
01:01 Bye, Lindsay.
01:02 Bye!
01:03 Number 19, Being Six.
01:05 For the first 45 seconds of this minute-long ad, you'd be more likely to think you were
01:09 watching a trailer for a film by Francois Truffaut than a McDonald's commercial.
01:13 But this isn't French New Wave cinema.
01:15 This is an attempt to get you to go to Mickey D's.
01:18 So after watching a six-year-old boy experience the trials and tribulations of being a kid,
01:22 there appears in front of him the saving grace of all the tough times, McDonald's.
01:28 And as the boy bites into his hamburger, the title cards tell us that Happy Meals are compensation
01:34 for being six.
01:36 Number 18, Korean McDonald's commercial.
01:39 Many of us have had the experience of making funny faces at a little kid as a way to make
01:42 them laugh.
01:43 However, we've never, and we hope the same can be said for you, gone so far as to stick
01:48 our tongue out and scream at them.
01:54 Also, while the whole making faces thing begins as an attempt by the woman to inform the kid
02:01 that he has chocolate on his face, that premise seems to evaporate rather quickly as the face-making
02:06 intensifies.
02:11 Maybe the McDonald's ice cream in Korea is just so good that one can't control their
02:14 exaggerated reactions to it.
02:16 Or maybe this is just a weird commercial.
02:21 Number 17, How I Met Grimace.
02:24 Everyone loves a good origin story, but did we really need to know about the origin of
02:27 the Ronald and Grimace friendship?
02:29 Well, back in 1981, McDonald's thought we did, and apparently, the two friends have
02:34 known each other since they were babies, albeit large babies in oversized McBuggies.
02:39 When a baby Ronald sees what he thinks is an out-of-control buggy, he races off in his
02:43 buggy to stop it, and save the purple kid inside.
02:47 Yadda yadda yadda, and of course, it's McDonald's that finally saves the day, and begins a lasting
02:53 friendship.
02:54 Is there any problem McDonald's can't solve?
03:00 Number 16, Hats.
03:02 This one looks like you're watching some kind of try-on haul hat video.
03:05 And actually, that's pretty much what you are watching.
03:07 It literally is just Japanese model Yuri Ebihara trying on various white hats.
03:16 Known by her nickname, Ebichan in Japan, Ebihara skyrocketed to popularity in the 2000s when
03:21 the ad aired, but we're still not sure what trying on hats has to do with McDonald's.
03:25 Ebihara did several McDonald's ads, but at least the others featured actual McDonald's
03:29 food in them.
03:30 Shouldn't this ad be for hats?
03:32 A version was uploaded to YouTube featuring haunting music, racking up 1.4 million views.
03:37 This is not the original, although it certainly puts a new spin on things.
03:43 Number 15, Aussie We Do Ron Ron Ron.
03:46 We're not sure how many of the kids singing along in the commercial are aware of the 1963
03:50 song, "Da Do Ron Ron" by the Crystals, but that sure doesn't stop them from belting
03:54 out the "We Do Ron Ron Ron" in this Australian McDonald's ad.
04:04 Now on the surface, there's nothing super weird about Ronald McDonald dancing around
04:07 and singing with a bunch of kids as a way to sell the brand.
04:16 However did you happen to pick up on the fact that an older man in a clown costume is asking
04:20 a bunch of kids to do Ron Ron Ron?
04:23 Feel free to cringe now.
04:27 Number 14, Say Cheeseburger.
04:30 Asking the kids to say cheeseburger rather than just cheese to get them to smile for
04:33 a photograph seems like an obvious move for this McDonald's commercial from the 1970s.
04:42 But then, Captain Crook shows up.
04:44 For the younger generation, Captain Crook was a Filet-O-Fish loving pirate character
04:48 who made his first appearance in 1971 and was last seen in 1987.
04:52 While his appearance was eventually changed in order to look less mean, his OG look was
04:56 definitely sinister and definitely wasn't smiling.
05:00 We're not sure what's weirder about this ad, the fact that saying cheeseburger makes
05:04 him smile or the fact that we never actually see him smile, just Ronald and the kids'
05:09 reaction to it.
05:10 Yeah, you're right.
05:11 Probably the latter.
05:12 Number 13, Hiding from Father.
05:19 We can't imagine McDonald's in North America wanting to be associated with a young couple
05:22 getting busy while the girl's father is out of the house.
05:27 But apparently in Germany, the company's image isn't as wholesome as it is here, and
05:31 what initially looks more like a condom commercial than one for fast food, takes a rather funny
05:35 turn at the end.
05:40 But we definitely appreciate the joke.
05:41 We're not sure we're buying the message that McDonald's food is so delicious it's worth
05:45 revealing your half-naked self to your girlfriend's dad in order to get some.
05:51 Although those fries are really good, right?
05:53 Number 12, Pulp Fiction Parody.
05:55 The talking about McDonald's scene is one of the most iconic moments from Pulp Fiction,
05:59 and it was only a matter of time before McDonald's made a commercial parodying it.
06:07 Well that time was the mid-aughts and the place was Israel.
06:09 Two guys, who looked like they would be stand-ins for John Travolta and Sam Jackson, reenact
06:14 the scene, only in this case they referenced the fast food chain in Israel rather than
06:17 France.
06:18 They even get in a little regional dig at the end about how Israelis don't say please.
06:30 Number 11, George Bush.
06:32 We assume there are probably laws in place prohibiting a sitting American president from
06:36 doing a McDonald's commercial, or at least it would be heavily frowned upon.
06:42 But getting a presidential look-alike to do a McDonald's commercial in Israel, that's
06:45 all good.
06:46 We have to admit that this commercial, with the Secret Service rushing to secure a drive-thru
06:50 meal for the second President Bush, is good.
06:54 We're also pretty sure that, for a very brief moment when that limo window rolls down, more
06:58 than a few people watching thought it was actually George Bush in the car.
07:06 Number 10, Donald Trump meets Grimace.
07:14 It's surreal to think that the 45th President of the United States was in a McDonald's commercial
07:18 way back when.
07:19 What makes this even more unbelievable is that he starred alongside Grimace.
07:23 Donald Trump is completely blown away upon learning that McDonald's only charges $1
07:27 for a Big N' Tasty, and Grimace is apparently the mastermind behind this amazing deal, although
07:32 even he seems unclear on how exactly McDonald's pulled it off.
07:38 Nevertheless, Trump is eager to join forces with the Purple Monster.
07:43 Maybe he'll make Grimace part of his legal team.
07:45 Let's be honest, weirder things have happened.
07:50 Number 9, Cha-Cha Slide.
07:55 This commercial opens with a family sitting at a fancy dinner table in formal attire,
07:59 which is ironic considering they're eating fast food.
08:01 Seriously, how many grown men do you know that eat Mickey D's while wearing a white
08:05 collared vest?
08:06 Then out of nowhere, a kid emerges with a boombox playing DJ Casper's Cha-Cha Slide.
08:11 The hip-hop kid dips some apple slices while simultaneously dancing along to the music.
08:21 Family isn't sure what to make of this at first, but dad eventually gets into it.
08:24 It might be random, but this ad is undeniably funky, encouraging us all to play with our
08:29 food.
08:34 Number 8, Feed the Wastebaskets.
08:41 Some McDonald's commercials feel like mini episodes of Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
08:44 They're wacky, colorful, and literally anything can be a character.
08:48 For example, this commercial centers on sentient wastebaskets.
08:51 It begins with Ronald McDonald reminding us to feed the hungry trashcans your wrappers,
08:55 cups, and bags.
09:01 The bowtie-wearing bins then spring to life and sing an empowering jingle about wastebasket
09:05 awareness.
09:06 And if that's not weird enough, McDonald's also gave out wastebasket toys around the
09:10 same time this commercial came out.
09:12 Yeah, because that's what every kid wants to play with, trash bins.
09:15 Still, it's hard to fault an advertisement that encourages proper waste disposal and
09:19 gets its message across in a creative way.
09:24 Number 7, Captain Crook's Crooked Schemes.
09:27 Many villains have visited the psychedelic McDonaldland over the years, but Captain Crook
09:31 is definitely among the strangest.
09:33 This recurring character looked a lot like Captain Hook, except with googly eyes and
09:36 an expressionless face.
09:40 In this especially bizarre commercial, Captain Crook arms himself with a wooden sword and
09:45 tiny cannon.
09:46 The diabolical pirate won't let Ronald and Little Jimmy cross the bridge unless they
09:49 fork over some apple pies, and so, Ronald devises an elaborate ruse to best the pirate.
09:59 He supplies Crook with a phony apple pie treasure map, sending him on a wild goose chase.
10:03 Yep, it's just another day in McDonaldland.
10:06 Number 6, The Dinner Gong.
10:15 The Professor is another obscure McDonald's character that hit the scene in the early
10:19 70s.
10:20 In this zany commercial, the Professor shows off his latest invention, the Dinner Gong.
10:28 Of course, this isn't the most innovative invention, since gongs have been around for
10:32 a few millennia.
10:33 On top of that, his Dinner Gong still has a few bugs to work out.
10:36 Ronald and the Professor even enlist Mayor McCheese for help.
10:39 Once they finally get the gong working, they treat themselves to a meal at McDonald's
10:43 and go out on a cheesy pun.
10:47 By the way, are we the only ones who find it disturbing Mayor McCheese is eating at
10:50 a restaurant that sells hamburgers?
10:55 Number 5, What if Turks Invented Hamburgers?
10:58 Hailing from Turkey, this commercial imagines what the world would be like if the Turks
11:02 had created several inventions first.
11:04 They cover everything from the first fire, to man's first walk on the moon, to the
11:08 first robot.
11:09 Finally, they imagine a world where the Turks made the first hamburger.
11:17 In a nutshell, you get the Max Burger, a spicy Turkish delight.
11:23 We have a feeling that you probably need to be Turkish to understand all the jokes here.
11:26 Even if some of the humor throws you for a loop though, it's hard not to laugh at just
11:29 how odd this commercial is.
11:33 Number 4, Sega Electronic Games.
11:36 As a tie-in for Sonic Heroes, McDonald's released several handheld electronic games
11:40 with Happy Meals just as the games were pretty cheap.
11:43 The same can be said about this abnormal commercial.
11:47 Just look at how lifeless the animation is.
11:49 It's like they started rendering some early test animation and then gave up halfway through.
11:54 Rouge the Bat isn't even wearing any clothes.
11:58 Maybe this would have been acceptable during the 90s, but this ad came out in the early
12:02 2000s.
12:03 This is definitely one of Sonic the Hedgehog's most awkward moments, which is saying a lot
12:07 given some of his recent games.
12:11 Number 3, Tomato McGrand.
12:13 Sporting red hair, Hungarian model, Agota Varga, stars in this Japanese commercial for
12:18 the Tomato McGrand.
12:19 Her costumes, which were designed by Yoji Yamamoto, clearly resemble Rona McDonald's
12:26 costumes.
12:28 Do we even need to explain why this is weird on so many levels?
12:33 Rona McDonald has got to be the least sexual being in existence.
12:36 The idea of the character inspiring a hot female equivalent is simply mind-boggling.
12:41 As a result, this commercial isn't as stimulating as the advertisers likely intended it to be.
12:46 Let's just hope this doesn't become a trend at cosplay conventions.
12:49 Happy Meals aren't sexy, and that's just the way we like them.
12:55 Number 2, Tooth Fairy.
12:57 Commercials featuring Rona McDonald really make sense, but this particular one raises
13:00 numerous questions.
13:04 Looking at a photo album, Ronald reminisces about losing his first tooth.
13:07 He naturally leaves it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy, who kinda looks like Berda
13:11 from Two and a Half Men.
13:13 The following morning, Ronald doesn't find money, but does find a pair of red clown shoes.
13:18 Why does she leave him shoes?
13:19 What's the connection between teeth and footwear?
13:22 We don't know, but Ronald has collected enough shoes to last a lifetime.
13:25 Oh, and did we mention the shoes are living creatures that Ronald keeps prisoner in his
13:29 closet?
13:30 And we thought the wastebaskets had a bleak existence.
13:49 Number 1, Mac Tonight.
13:52 Designed to help increase business around dinner time, this outlandish character came
13:55 complete with a crescent moon head and a crooner persona.
14:03 This sunglasses-wearing oddball could often be found playing his piano on clouds, singing
14:07 a variation of Bobby Darin's classic interpretation of "Mac the Knife".
14:11 In fact, Mac Tonight shared so much in common with Darin, that McDonald's faced a lawsuit
14:15 from his estate.
14:17 These ads were trippy to say the least, but that's largely why they continue to stick
14:20 with us.
14:22 Plus, this was a breakthrough role of sorts for performer Doug Jones, who went on to appear
14:29 in multiple Guillermo del Toro movies.
14:32 Isn't that weird?
14:37 Which of these commercials left you more confused than hungry?
14:40 Let us know in the comments below!
14:51 [music]
15:00 (upbeat music)