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Topher's Ronald McDonald Statue Page
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Ronald McDonald is McDonald Corporation's famous goodwill clown. Research has shown that 96% of all kids in the United States can identify Ronald. This site expores the statues of Ronald McDonald that have been erected over the years. We have identified four large 3-D statues. A 6-foot tall standing Ronald with his right hand waiving. A four-foot seated model with hand on chin. The life-sized sitting model which is pretty common today, and the 7-foot standing statue of Ronald holding McDonald's food items which is still being manufactured. |
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The 6-footer (really about 5 feet, 10 inches) was manufactured by a company called Omni which went out of business years ago. These durable statues are over 25 years old. This friendly statue is of a smiling Ronald with his right hand waiving (at about a 90 degree angle). His legs are slightly apart and his large feet face outward (at about a 45 degree angle). The ends of his shoes curl upward slightly. |
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The seated Ronald was manufactured by Dutchland Plastics Corporation, out of Ootsburg, Wisconsin, for Interior Systems (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin). The life-size statue has been in production since 1992. The mold design is a three-piece cast aluminum mold, but the manufacturer runs the part as a two-piece mold. The part has extensive undercuts. Through 1997, over 3,000 statues have been ordered since production began. The materials used includerigid PVC and HCFC blown urethane foam. Dutchland Plastics won The PVC Award (a trade award) in 1997 for their work. Original versions needed to be retrofit to prevent to a child's head from becoming wedged between Ronald's legs. |
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The 7 foot statue is really 6 feet, 5 inches in height. This 77-inch high, by 27-inch wide, statue Ronald is also manufactured for Interior Systems, located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. View larger image of this statue. |
 | This is thought to be an original 1962, 4 ft. tall seated Ronald McDonald statue. |
Ronald McDonald Statues in the News
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The Misadventures of Ronald McDonald
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While most people enjoy the friendly Ronald McDonald statues, a few individuals have taken out their aggressions on the helpless figures. We are personally very fond of the statues and wish them nothing but happiness. 1981 - Oklahoma State University: A full-size Ronald McDonald statue was pulled from Theta Pond. 1988 - Melbourne: A Ronald McDonald statue is kidnapped from a suburban McDonalds store. "Police in Melbourne are hunting for thieves who stole a Ronald McDonald statue from a local McDonald's restaurant earlier this week. Ronald, wearing daggy yellow overalls, oversized clown shoes and sporting a frightful red hair-do, was last seen standing next to a fake pot plant, feet bolted firmly to the floor and eyes fixed on the menu in his eternal search for a burger without pickles. A McDonald's spokesperson refused to speculate on the motive for the theft, but ruled out the possiblity that Ronald was abducted by the Hamburgler. The search continues". 1988 - Wollongong, and Mt. Gravatt in Queensland: "Now comes the news that a second statue has gone missing from a bus shelter in Wollongong, and a third from Mt. Gravatt in Queensland. Simple cases of theft. Or are they? Not The World News believes the mysterious thefts are part of an international conspiracy to subvert the capitalist stranglehold of the McDonald's corporation, replacing Ronald with a communist stooge which will inevitably lead to a domino effect throughout the fast food industry, bringing down the Colonel, HRH Burger King and anyone else who pretends you can get a decent, healthy meal for less than $5." "The 1.5 metre high fibreglass Ronald in the gardens at the Mt. Gravatt store has also gone walkies. It looks to me like someone sawed him off just above the shoes. Mind you, this is not the first indignity visited upon the leading cultural imperialist... a couple of months back I drove through the drive-through (which I guess is what drive-throughs are for) and noticed Ronald was covered from head to knees with a black garbage bag." 1991 - Phoenix: "The kidnapping of a lifesize Ronald McDonald statue ended when the clown was found burning in the desert. The 300 pound statue, stolen on June 16th from a McDonald's in Mesa was found by a sheriff's helicopter crew that night. In a phone call claiming responsibility, a man said the robbery was an attempt to get the corporation to offer better food for vegetarians". [Story from the San Jose Mercury News]. Undated - Kingsport: "Someone has stolen a six-foot-tall statue of Ronald McDonald from one of the fast food chain's operations in Kingsport. The fiberglass statue had been bolted to the ground at the restaurant's playground. Police ask that you give them a call if you see Ronald hanging around your neighborhood." 1995 - China: "Earth Islanders at a NGO conference started a demonstration against the Mcdonald's franchise operating on the site. They were joined by women objecting to the entrance of fast-food chains into India. A Ronald McDonald statue was ripped from a bench, carried off and dumped in a sewage pond. The demonstration was reported around the world". May 21, 1997 - Brandon, Mississippi: "Police have solved part of a super-sized crime at McDonalds - a fiberglass statue of Ronald McDonald was recovered in a ditch. It is just these mischievous kids, said Police Chief Eudene Adcock. We are trying to find who it was. The statue of the red-haired clown was stolen May 6 from the McDonald's at U.S. 80 and Interstate 20. Adcock believes the thieves put the statue where it could be found after reading a weekend news story that said the theft was a felony. McDonald's owner John Hinders has his own idea about Ronald. He went out jogging, got tired and laid down in the ditch to rest, Hinders joked. It's not the first time the statue has been hamburglered. Three youths paid $3,000 to avoid court two years ago after the statue fell out of their truck during a police pursuit". [Associated Press Report] March 4, 1998 - Montpellier, France: "Four masked men in black and white costumes slipped past customers and stole a Ronald McDonald statue from a McDonald's restaurant in southern France. Before making their escape in a van with false license plates, the thieves scrawled an anti-McDonald's message on the terrace of the fast-food restaurant in Saint-Jean-de-Vedas, outside the Mediterranean city of Montpellier: Humanitarian intervention. Ronald McDonald rots away your guts and pollutes your head. React. Deliver the planet from this blight. [Reported by Detroit News] |
Please e-mail me if you have any comments. Thank you.
© 1998 Topher
Back to Topher's Castle HomepageRonald McDonald is a trademark of McDonald's Corporation. Support Ronald. Enjoy McDonald's!
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Information is from sources believed to be reliable but we cannot guarantee its accuracy.