Why McDonalds Got Rid of Ronald McDonald the Clown

Ronald McDonald, the McDonald's mascot clown, made his debut in 1963 on local television spots in the Washington, D.C. area.

The clown was created by advertising agency owner and McDonald's franchisee Oscar Goldstein, with Willard Scott as the original performer. 

As a child growing up in the 60's and 70's, I remember seeing the iconic clown in commercials and in the McDonald's restaurants.  

But McDonald's began phasing out Ronald McDonald the clown around 2003 as the company shifted its marketing focus to appeal to more adult consumers.  In 2016, McDonald's continued phasing out the clown due to the climate around clown sightings in communities, following reports of creepy clown appearances.

McDonalds was wise with this shift.  They were in touch with the culture and realized what had worked in the past may not be relevant today.  To the general public, clowns were becoming a symbol of horror.  One commercial entailed Ronald introducing himself to a young boy who claims he isn't supposed to talk to strangers, only to become convinced when Ronald magically creates some hamburgers for him. Their exchange closely resembled the iconic meeting of Pennywise and Georgie Denbrough in IT, complete with the clown introducing himself to prove that they're not strangers.

McDonalds realized they needed to make some changes after this commercial aired and got negative reviews.  They made the shift because they listened to their target audience.

As ministry leaders, we can learn from this.  Methods must change at times if you are going to remain effective. What are you still doing that you need to stop doing?  Are there things that you are doing that started decades ago and are no longer relevant? 

We must be anchored to the truth but be geared for the times we live in.

What are the Ronald McDonalds that you need to get rid of?  What do you need to change?  What do you need to tweak? Are there any equivalents to "scary clowns" still lurking around your ministry?

It is important to make sure you are in touch with your target audience.  Childhood has changed.  Children have changed.  It's not 1970.  It's 2025 at the time of this writing. It's a whole new world that God has called you and I to evangelize and disciple. 

Let go of the past and embrace the future of children and family ministry.  Don't be "clowning" around!