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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 explores the statues of Ronald McDonald that have been erected over the years. We have identified five large 3-D statues. A 6-foot tall standing Ronald with his right hand waiving. A four-foot seated model with hand on chin. A four-foot kneeling model with both hands on his thighs. 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. |
 | 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 include rigid 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. |
| This is thought to be an original 1960's, 4 ft. tall kneeling Ronald McDonald statue. Found in U.K. |  |
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. January 14, 1986 - Florida: "Vandals Get Ronald Mcdonald Statue -- To Go — A statue of Ronald McDonald was found knee-deep in a lake at Lake Sumter Community College early Monday after vandals took the 6-foot character from its stand at the nearby McDonald's restaurant. Cheryl Powell, manager of the restaurant east of the college on U.S. Highway 441, said the statue was stolen between 11 p.m. Sunday and 5:45 a.m. Monday. The theft is the second such caper at a Lake County fast-food restaurant in less than two months. On Nov. 19, a 20-foot inflatable chicken bucket was stolen from the parking lot of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is across the street from McDonald's. Made of fiberglass and worth about $2,000, the statue was discovered missing by a maintenance worker, Susan Carroll, 26, about 5:45 a.m. Monday. 'About 30 minutes later, someone from the college called and said they spotted him in the middle of their lake,' Powell said. Deputies found the statue wearing a lei around its neck, about 10 feet from shore. The deputies retrieved the statue and returned it to McDonald's. The thieves apparently snatched the statue from restaurant's Playland area by loosening three bolts that held it in place, Powell said. Carroll was inside the restaurant all night but said she heard nothing amiss outside, Powell said. Ronald was 'just a little wet,' said Powell, 25. 'He's back safe and sound now.' " [Story from the Orlando Sentinel]. November 30, 1986 - Deerfield Beach, Florida: "Ronald Mcdonald Statue Stolen - A $3,000 statue of Ronald McDonald was stolen from the McDonald`s restaurant, 3333 W. Hillsboro Blvd., on Tuesday, police said. The theft of the clown statue was reported at 4:35 p.m." [Story from the SunSentinel]. 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 possibility 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." June 3, 1989 - Seminole, Florida: "Thieves Order A Mcdonald's Statue To Go< Attention all cars. Be on the lookout. Missing subject has 'flaming' red hair, a red and white striped shirt, yellow jumper and oversized red shoes. The Seminole County sheriff's dispatcher sounded calm as she issued the bulletin Friday over the police radio, but later laughed and said her supervisor 'made me' air the description of the 10-foot tall fiberglass statute of Ronald McDonald. The statue was stolen between 1:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday from the McDonald's restaurant on Tuskawilla Road at Red Bug Lake Road, in south Seminole." [Story from the Orlando Sentinel]. 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." July 17, 1992 - Biloxi, Mississippi: "Ronald Mcdonald Theft Gets Airman In Mctrouble - An Air Force panel sentenced an airman to 75 days of hard labor for stealing a Ronald McDonald statue. 'I wish I would have never thought of this stupid idea,' reservist Tony A. Villarreal said after his court-martial. Villarreal, 20, said he stole the statue from a McDonald's restaurant in Biloxi May 14 and drove it to California, where he left it with friends. He had planned to put it in a raft off California's Santa Monica pier. Military investigators found the $2,350 statue on May 22. It was returned to Biloxi on an Air Force flight." [Story from the Orlando Sentinel]. 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] January 16, 2007 - Stewartstown, Pennsylvania: "Ronald McDonald Statue Reported Stolen - A broken Ronald McDonald statue brought home by a McDonald's assistant manager, repaired, and used to decorate her family's lawn for 20 years has vanished. "It was a holiday today," Thomas Grieger II said Monday. "I think the kids came and got him." State police were seeking information about the cement statue that Grieger estimated must weigh about 300 pounds. The statue originally sat outside the Shrewsbury McDonald's where Grieger's wife, Joy Grieger, was assistant manager. Someone tried to steal it, breaking off a hand and cracking a foot before giving up on the attempt. McDonald's did not want it back, so the Griegers took it home, patched it up and have used it as a lawn mascot ever since." [Reported by The Washington Post] June 12, 2007 - Burlington, VT: "Ronald McDonald Statue Stolen - Posters of a wanted man now hang in Burlington. Police are searching for Ronald McDonald -- well, a statue anyway. The statue was stolen from the Ronald McDonald House, which is a non-profit that provides a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill children. The families stay there while their kids get treatment at Fletcher Allen Health Care. The statue was a kid favorite. It was taken during the night. "This is their refuge," said Ronald McDonald House Director Pam Fenimore. "They come here to regroup and re-energize to go back to the hospital for one of those stressful days. They come here and sit and get photographed and the kids would come and play. It's just a shame he's not here anymore." It was no easy task to steal the life-size statue. The Ronald McDonald statue was bolted to a bench by the playground." [Reported by WCAX News] February 3, 2009 - Seattle, Washington: "Teens suspected of destroying Ronald McDonald statue - The damaged statue. (KOMO/4 picture) Two teens suspected of destroying a Ronald McDonald statue in Laurelhurst got a break today – They were released to their parents instead of being booked into jail. But police say felony malicious mischief charges may be filed for destroying the statue, which stood at the Ronald McDonald House. Officers say the boys, age 14 and 15, destroyed the statue that was a short walk from Seattle Children’s. They surrendered to Seattle police detectives about 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. “They were interviewed at the North Precinct,” detective Jeff Kappel said. “We are confident these are the only two involved."" [Reported by KOMO/4 News and The Seatttle Times] September 3, 2009 - Aurora, Colorado: "Ronald McDonald Statue Stolen From Home For Sick Kids - $3,500 Statue Found Missing Wednesday - A statue of Ronald McDonald that greets sick children at the Ronald McDonald House in Aurora has been stolen. The mascot for McDonald's has been sitting on a bench outside the home on East 21st Avenue since 2001, but when employees arrived Wednesday morning, he was gone. Employees have no idea who might have taken the $3,500 statue. 'It just makes you sad that somebody would think it's a great thing to steal Ronald,' said Executive Director Pam Whitaker. 'The kids come here, they sit on his lap, they talk to him. Everyone that visits gets a photo.' Whitaker told 7News they can't afford to replace the statue at the moment and children are already missing it." [Reported by ABC 7News TheDenverChannel.com] November 28, 2009 - Columbus, Georgia: " Ronald McDonald statue 'kidnapped' in Columbus - Columbus police are investigating a Thanksgiving clown-napping. The clown in this case is the fast-food icon Ronald McDonald, a life-sized statue of whom once sat upon a brown bench in the playground of the 1436 Manchester Expressway McDonald's. Not anymore. On Friday morning, employees discovered someone had cut a chain on the playground gate and “kidnapped” Ronald from the bench, causing some damage to it. A manager told police the theft likely occurred between 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day and 5 a.m. Friday. She said the business has video surveillance, which would be reviewed for clues. A worker answering the phone there Saturday referred inquiries to Pezold Management, the eatery's parent Columbus company. No one with Pezold Management could be reached for comment Saturday. Police say the Hamburglars responsible for this crime could face felony charges of theft by taking, because of the statue's value. It's worth more than $500, according to police records. The restaurant manager told investigators she would calculate the exact cost of the statue as well as the business' property damage. Thieves at least twice this year have targeted Ronald McDonald in other cities... Ronald McDonald first appeared in the fast-food chain's nationwide TV ads in 1965, and gained further exposure by joining the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade the following year. In 1971, other characters such as Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar joined Ronald in McDonaldland." [Reported by Ledger-Enquirer.com] February 3, 2010 - Roanoke, Virginia: "Ronald McDonald statue stolen from Roanoke Ronald McDonald House - Roanoke Police are looking for a stolen Ronald McDonald statue. The statue was taken from the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House in Roanoke two days after Christmas. The statue is over six feet tall and is waving. It greeted sick children and their families in the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House near Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The police report says it was stolen two days after Christmas. The house director tells us it takes two or three people to lift the statue and it does not fit in a car, only a truck or van. The director says they don't want to press charges. They just want the statue back. Police have made no arrests." [Reported by WSLS 10 News] March 31, 2010 - Safety City in Abilene, Texas: "A statue of Ronald McDonald was stolen from Safety City late Monday and the Abilene Police Department doesn’t think the “Hamburglar” is to blame. Safety City is an educational facility in the Melvin Martin Center for Children’s Safety. It features a town scaled to children, complete with buildings, streets, traffic lights and a working railroad crossing. Jennifer Stuckey of Safety City said she’s saddened by the disappearance of the clown that diligently waved to passers-by on South Seventh Street. She said the small-scale city is not accustomed to vandalism or theft. “In my 11 years, there’s really only been one or two incidents,” Stuckey said. Sgt. Keith Shackleford said investigators are still looking into the McCrime and aren’t sure why the thief or thieves targeted the iconic clown. The statue is valued at $5,000, making the theft a state jail felony. Anyone convicted of the crime could face up to two years in jail — meaning months with no way to satisfy a Big Mac attack — as well as a $10,000 fine. Stuckey said the statue originally was donated to the facility and has been posted in front of a replicated McDonald’s restaurant for nearly 28 years. Safety City is designed to teach children about everyday safety hazards, and is operated by APD, Abilene Fire Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Residents might remember a similar theft that occurred approximately eight years ago when another Ronald McDonald statue was taken from a restaurant on North Judge Ely. Although Shackleford said he didn’t think that case had ever been solved, he said there was no evidence that a serial Ronald McDonald snatcher is on the loose. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the clown-napping to contact Crime Stoppers at 325-676-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction for this felony crime." [Reported by ReporterNews.com] Update: April 2, 2010: "Ronald McDonald statue recovered - A stolen statue of Ronald McDonald was found late Thursday evening, not far from Safety City where it belongs. Police said Ronald was “OK,” and that the statue was being dusted for prints. Police Chief Stan Standridge said the statue was found in the north alley behind the 2600 block of South 7th Street, “very close to where he was stolen from” and near a health food store in a strip mall area. “Some may perceive this as a prank gone awry,” Standridge said. “I see this as a theft that needs to be investigated and prosecuted.” " [Reported by ReporterNews.com] August 3, 2010 - Fort Pierre, South Dakota: "Second man who stole, shot, burned Ronald McDonald statute [sic] sentenced - A second Fort Pierre man who pleaded guilty to charges in the theft and destruction of a Ronald McDonald statue in Pierre has been sentenced to serve 45 days in jail. The sentence for 19-year-old Tyler Fischbach was lighter than the six-month term handed down last month for 22-year-old Austin Uecker. Judge Lori Wilbur told Fischbach that he was equally culpable but did not have any prior felony convictions. The statue was taken March 13 from a McDonald's restaurant parking lot and later found north of Fort Pierre. Authorities say the life-size statue had been shot and burned. Fischbach and Uecker have been ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution." [Associated Press Story Reported by Rapid City Journal] February 12, 2011 - Helsinki, Finland: "Campaigners for ethically produced food today carried out their threat to behead Ronald McDonald - in a sick publicity stunt that has been branded 'poor taste' by the restaurant chain. Members of a group calling themselves the 'Food Liberation Army' staged the beheading in a Helsinki art gallery, after sparking outrage last week by releasing an Al Qaeda-style spoof video in which they were seen holding a hooded Ronald McDonald hostage. Members of the group stole a Ronald McDonald statue from a Helsinki restaurant on January 31, posting their videoed demands on YouTube days later." [Reported by Mail Online, U.K.] |
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© 1998 Topher
Updated 2018
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