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Mario and pals are coming back to UK Happy Meals this week
The most famous Italian plumber, well... ever has been unexpectedly popping up all over the place lately. But skateboard shoes, late-night TV and smartphones were just the beginning. Now Mario is sliding back into Happy Meals from McDonald's according to Nintendo Life. His appearance is flawlessly timed ahead of this week's big livestream for the Wii U successor, Switch, too.
McDonald's pulls plug on Happy Meal activity trackers
McDonald's Happy Meals might be beloved for their included toys, but the food inside is just as unhealthy as most of the menu at the Golden Arches. As the Rio Olympics approached, the franchise hoped to reverse its kids combo's poor nutritional reputation by including an activity tracker in place of a normal toy. Unfortunately, reports of possible skin irritations prompted the chain to end the promotion early.
In Sweden, McDonald's Happy Meals come with VR goggles
Swedish kids (and adults) can get a toy much sweeter than Barbies and Hot Wheels with their Happy Meals this month. Over the weekends of March 5th and March 12th, 14 McDonald's outlets in Sweden are bundling real, working virtual reality headsets with their Happy Meal boxes. In fact, the boxes themselves were designed to transform into "Happy Goggles." You just have to cut on the dotted line, fold it a bit, slip in the goggles and your phone to get something similar to Google Cardboard. The best part is, it will only cost you around $4.10, and that includes the grub inside. It most likely won't be as good as more expensive VR devices, but it sounds like an affordable introduction to the world of virtual reality.
McDonald's releases McPlay app: 'Hey kids, this is advertising'
McDonald's has awkwardly tried to enter the App Store marketplace with an app it calls "McPlay," available for free on the App Store right now. I wouldn't recommend a download (personally, I've boycotted the golden arches for almost a decade now), but it is fascinating to see the fast-food giant not quite understand how to do iOS-style marketing. The app is just one game at the moment, asking players to throw a ball into a Happy Meal box. And McDonald's is obviously being as careful as it possibly can with this one. Not only is the app all about gathering nutritious food for kids, but there's a "for parents" nutrition section, and as you can see in the screenshot above, the app proudly proclaims, "Hey kids, this is advertising!" Funny. I think there is room for McDonald's on the App Store -- big brands like Starbucks and Walmart have seen some interesting success by integrating iPhones into their marketing plans. But this is just plain goofy, and it shows that the biggest fast-food chain in the world wasn't quite sure what to do with its first iOS entry. Better luck next time, McD's. [via App Advice]
Random Spyro toys invade Wendy's kids meals
Go on, admit it. You're with friends here. When fast food chains run video game promotions, including game-related toys with their child-sized value meals, you order an extra meal for yourself just to get the toy. Or perhaps you're more brazen, buying the toy outright to add to your collection. It's perfectly fine to admit you have a problem. We won't judge.If so, you'll be happy to know that Wendy's is hitching its Kids' Meals onto the coattails of Krome Studios and Amaze Entertainment's The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, offering a set of five toys based on the latest in the miniature dragon's trilogy of games. The trinkets run the usual gamut of weirdness, including a Spyro-themed game of checkers and a Spyro keychain, which simply pushes the notion of "toy" beyond all measure of credulity. As pack-in freebies go, these fall well below that of the competition, however random seems to be a running theme with Wendy's these days. To sweeten the deal, each Kids' Meal also includes a $5 off GameStop coupon for any version of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, though given the painful experience it was to play the last game this is simply not enough to make us go through the drive thru.
Mystery Wii toys coming to Wendy's kids meals
Man, we can't wait for ... whatever the hell these Wendy's Wii toys are. Seriously, we have no idea what these toys are supposed to be or do, except for the limited information what we can glean from the picture over at the Wendy's Kids meal site. That one on the bottom left looks kind of like a puzzle, and the one on the bottom right is obviously an Excite Truck, but we have no idea what the other things are supposed to do. Is that Wii remote at the top supposed to be a disc shooter? A laser pointer? A pog case? We just don't know.Until that "Coming Soon!" becomes an "available now" we're opening up the floor to theories. How in the world do these Wendy's toys work? The five best commenter responses based on humor, cleverness, relevance, plausibility and use of massive damage jokes will win ... the hearty respect of the Joystiq staff. Hey, it's harder to get than you might think.[Via Wii Fanboy]
WowWee robots invade McDonald's Happy Meals
WowWee's robot empire has seen some frighteningly rapid growth since the first Robosapien rolled off the assembly line, but it doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down, with pint-sized versions of a number of the company's bots now making their way into McDonald's Happy Meals. While the king has sadly been left out, starting today you can get a Walking Robosapien, Roaring Roboraptor, Talking Robosapien V2, Running Roboreptile, Walking Robopet, Chomping Roboraptor, or Stand-Up Robosapien with the purchase of a Happy Meal. Those less interested in fostering the inevitable robot uprising can opt for a My Little Pony toy instead. Of course, all of the bots are decidedly less capable than their pricier counterparts, although we doubt that'll stop some of you from trying to mod them anyway. Check out the gallery below for a better look at 'em.[Via RoboCommunity]%Gallery-1775%
