Is Ronald McDonald a beloved corporate mascot or a sinister huckster who gets kids hooked on junk food?

Corporate Accountability International, a watchdog organization based in Boston, claims that through television commercials and by appearing at schools, libraries, hospitals and McDonald's restaurants, Ronald is marketing directly to impressionable children. The result they say contributes to diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

As part of a larger initiative to fight fast-food marketing aimed at kids, the organization has started the "Where's Ronald" initiative, a Ronald McDonald scavenger hunt in which activists track down the clown by photographing or videotaping him at public appearances.

"We need your help to expose the near ubiquity of the clown and the ways it is used to hook our kids on food that makes them sick," CAI says. The grand prize? A gift certificate to a "sustainable, healthy restaurant near the winning participant's home."

Whoever did up this car clearly has an almost pathological obsession with McDonald's and far too much time on their hands. I'd love to know whether the interior has a yellow roof and red velvet seats. Or a shake machine, for that matter. Mickey D.'s should cut this dude a check, since he's done such a fine job of showcasing their brand in such a bizarre fashion. There's even a Super Size Me bumper sticker. I wonder if the horn plays the entire "I'm lovin; it" jingle or just the "da da da da da"?
[via SuperSized Meals]

Before I even went to this list of American food icons that never really existed, the first name that immediately popped into my head was Betty Crocker. And yup, she's on the list. Along with Ronald McDonald, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Jemima.

I can understand why the clown is on there, though he doesn't really seem to fit in with the other three. Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, and Aunt Jemima aren't just icons like Ronald McDonald, they also have seemed like people who actually do the cooking and not just represent a company. In fact, Uncle Ben was recently promoted to be Chairman of the Board of his company, and Betty Crocker has become sexier over the years.

But what fake icons are missing from this short list?

[via Jade]

I've never eaten a McRib and recently learned that I may never get the chance to do so. Oh, who am I kidding a 'cue-obsessed person like me would never get within 50 feet of McDonald's boneless "rib" sandwich. But that doesn't mean that in a moment of weakness I wouldn't want to at least entertain the possibility of trying one.

I was slightly upset when I typed my ZIP code into the McRib Farewell Tour II site. My appetite had been whet by the snazzy sound check and the photos of nubile young McRib groupies flashing across my monitor. I'd even recorded a cool light show to go along with the song I Want to Hold You One More Time. My use of soft blue tones to emphasize the plaintive chorus of "No bones, I get lost in your sauce," was particularly brilliant. I also added my name to those of the other 45,583 folks who'd signed the Save the McRib petition. Imagine my disappointment when I entered my ZIP only to be told "Drag. McRib isn't playing in your area, sorry dude." No way in hell am I creating a tour shirt for myself! Curse Ronald McDonald and his minions.

What on earth would Slashfood be doing reading Autoblog?! We wouldn't have fast-food drive-thru windows if we didn't have cars.

Over at Autoblog, they're having an interesting discussion about McDonald's new Happy Meal Hummer tie-in. I won't comment about the fact that "girl" Happy Meals get Polly Pockets and "boy" Happy Meals get one of six miniature Hummers. No, the discussion over there is about the New York Times article that "offers up a plodding critique of the promotion, McDonalds, and of course, GM / HUMMER. The reactions collected are so over-the-top, the article practically reads like satire."

Is the Hummer tie-in such a bad thing?

In light of  Andrew's recent post about Lady McCartney's White Lies campaign, I thought it high time to point out another eye-popping project: Vegan Action's McVegan campaign.

That's right, Reggie McVeggie -- the vegan alternative to Ronald McDonald -- shows up in greasepaint and smilingly recites the McVegan slogan "billions and billions saved" as onlookers get free vegan eats.

The idea behind this project is to present the public -- vegan believers and non-believers alike --an example of how commerce can be environment-friendly, animal-friendly, and consumer-friendly.

It's even possible, through the site, to bring a McVegan event to a festival in your town.

I'm not sure how a McVegan tent would play out here at Charlottesville's Dogwood Festival, but seeing how the local Shriners react would be well worth it ...