The Great McPufnstuf Ripoff

Does anyone else who was a child of the 70s remember the psychedelic "McDonaldland" commercials and themed playgrounds? It was an advertising concept that McDonald's introduced in 1971 and centered around a trippy, magical place where bushes grew an unending supply of french fries, Filet-O-Fishes swam in lakes, and apple pies sprouted from trees. In addition to Ronald McDonald himself, other inhabitants of McDonaldland included Mayor McCheese, Officer Big Mac, The Hamburglar, the pear-shaped, purple, hairy Grimace, Captain Crook, and The Professor. 

This was the best quality version of an early commercial showing McDonaldland that I could find. The song is very groovy!

Tucked away in my basement, I have this wind-up McDonaldland train set and dolls of several of the characters sold during the mid-70s:

What I loved most were the McDonaldland themed playgrounds that only certain McDonald's in my area had. My brother took me to one when I was about five years old and I distinctly remember riding the Filet-O-Fish and playing inside Grimace:

If you're thinking by now that these mascots look like something Sid and Marty Krofft dreamed up, you'd be mostly correct. When McDonald's came up with the marketing concept in 1971, they modeled it exactly after the H. R. Pufnstuf TV show, created by the Kroffts. One problem, though - McDonald's never actually credited or paid the brothers. The pair sued the fast food giant in 1973, and ultimately collected over $1 million in damages about 4 years later. McDonald's was forced to phase out the magical sets and many of the original characters from their advertising. They tried to compensate in the 80s and early 90s by introducing new characters such as the French Fry Goblins and Birdie the Early Bird, but by then the magic was lost. Like a lot of things from my childhood, I'll always think of McDonaldland as distinctly 70s, never to be seen again.