Let Me Tell You About My Paladin

Sid & Marty Krofft's McDonaldland

Permalink Reply by Deidzoeb on July 5, 2009 at 5:32pm: Anybody know what "The Professor" signified among the McDonaldland characters? I noticed this character etched on a mirror in an old McD's a few weeks ago and couldn't remember him. I found some references to him online and more pictures of him, but not what I was looking for.

(Left side of back row, hiding behind Mayor McCheese)
http://www.indefinite-articles.com/images/chilis/chilis03.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/2802586340/

The other characters generally represent a product or a new idea they're trying to market. The obvious ones are Big Mac (dressed as a cop), Mayor McCheese, Hamburglar, Captain Crook (to sell Fillet O'Fish). Less obvious are Grimace who focused on stealing shakes in the early years (before he received ~~Doc Savage's~~Ronald McDonald's brain operation to change him into a good guy?), the Fry Guys, and Birdie as a symbol of McDonald's being open early for breakfast. Can't remember what Mac Tonight represented. Ronald represents the whole place, no specific item.

Did the Professor have a function, some product or marketing idea that he emphasized? Someone on the web suggested that he might have invented McNuggets, but there's too big a gap between 1971 when the Prof was introduced and 1984 or so when McNuggets came out.

My googling skills have been stumped on this question.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Vulcan Stev on July 5, 2009 at 6:01pm: I do remember that Sid & Marty Kroft sued McDonalds for the McDonaldland concept that was supposedly a rip-off of the H.R. Puffnstuff land.

The professor, If I remember correctly, was Ronald's Q. He assisted Ronald and the kids in foiling the villianous Hamburglar, Captain Crook and Grimace before he went good. The whole series of ads was meant to be played on Saturday mornings and had various plots and subplots the evolved.

Mac Tonight, the guy with a crescent moon for a face, was brought on board to publicize McDonalds being open later in the evening after the kids had gone to bed and it was now the time for adults to eat fattening food.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Deidzoeb on July 5, 2009 at 7:20pm: Thank you! That makes sense, although easy to see why they let him fade into obscurity.

From what I've read in researching the Professor, the Krofts had a good case. It wasn't just that McD's characters looked like something out of H.R. Puffnstuff. Some ad agency approached the Krofts about being involved with McDonald's, then decided they could accomplish the same kind of thing without paying extra and cut them out of it.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1343/was-mcdonaldland-plag...

I never heard or paid attention to the lyrics of the original "Mack the Knife" until after the stupid McDonald's character came out, and I'm amazed they would use such a grisly song about a hit-man.; ▶ Reply to This