Saying bye to "Happy Meal" toys

Who can recall their favorite “Happy Meal” toy from McDonalds?
I admit I had a whole collection when I was young. I still remember some of my favorites- Simba (in plush) and the Tarzan wind-up toy.

I loved going to McDonald’s. What kid wouldn’t? There’s all the delicious food, a play gym with all those bouncy balls, and to top it off, cool happy meal toys! There is something special about getting something that was just for kids. These toys were almost as exciting as my ketchup smothered French fries.

Did you know the first McDonalds “Happy Meals” was sold in 1979 in Kansas City, and it came with a set of toys: a puzzle book, ID bracelet, McDoodleer stencil, McDonaldland eraser or a McWrist wallet? I wish I got those. Since then, McDonald’s has released hundreds of Happy Meal toys, everything from Disney movie figurines to animals from the Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Well, sadly, we may have to say so long to the coveted toys in “Happy Meal.” In a recent government call to action as Grace sent us in an email, toys included in McDonald's “Happy Meals” have been banned in the San Francisco Bay area. The underlying reasons for this ban include the hope to lure kids away from eating unhealthy food. Could this ban catch on to other cities across the nation?
On one side of the debate you have proponents arguing that the big food corporations are the ones to blame for the childhood obesity epidemic. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), who is threatening the suit writes, “This advertising is unfair to kids and to parents who are put in the position of constantly telling their kids no.” In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the occasional “Happy Meal” and we have to give them credit for giving kids a better variety like apple slices and milk, right?

Childhood obesity and proper nutrition are certainly important issues and fast food and sugary beverage consumption certainly contribute to the rise of the childhood obesity epidemic, but are these big corporations the only people we should blame?

There are people who argue that it’s all the parents’ fault. As one angry commenter on the article wrote, “Why are we blaming McDonald's for parents lack of common sense…Don't blame fast food chains because of a lack of parenting skills.” A major part of the issue that we cannot overlook stems from the home, indicating how important it is for parents to be a model for healthy eating and living. Young children learn from and imitate what their parents do so if the parents aren't eating fries, Big Macs, and a Coke from McDonald's several times a week, then the child won't either.

While this ban might only affect the food choices of a small percentage of the population, doing something is always better than nothing, right? Giving parents another incentive to feed their children wisely might make us that much closer to giving up our spot as one of the world’s unhealthiest nation; a title that I would be more than happy to say goodbye to. But do you think removing toys from higher calorie kids meals actually influence what they choose to eat?