Precursor to Creepy Clowns: Ronald McDonald

Could the precursor to 2016's Creepy Clown Epidemic be an icon of clownish food-aligned pleasure, Ronald McDonald? Could this imagery have become more creepy via social media? Was it in our consciousness before the first 1981 Phantom Clown sightings? Was Ronald McDonald the setup for Stephen King's IT?

When on Tuesday, October 11, 2016, the McDonald's Corporation acknowledged that it will henceforth be "thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events" as a result of the "current climate around clown sightings in communities," it became obvious that the overlap was not imaginary.

Ronald McDonald was created in 1963 as a human figure in a clown costume who ate hamburgers (allegedly by Willard Scott, who played TV's original Bozo).  It was Coco the Clown who originated today's costume and makeup in 1966, according to Wikipedia. But the industrial art use of this imagery goes further back that Willard Scott.

The plastic lifesize sculptures of Ronald McDonald, apparently, came on the scene earlier, in 1962, according to the authoritative site by Topher, who

identified five large 3-D statues. A 6-foot tall standing Ronald with his right hand waiving. A four-foot seated model with hand on chin. A four-foot kneeling model with both hands on his thighs. The life-sized sitting model which is pretty common today, and the 7-foot standing statue of Ronald holding McDonald's food items which is still being manufactured.

The advent of the Internet has caused the employment of the Ronald McDonald statues in a variety of compromising poses. The most frequent one photographed is the seated figure.

The seated Ronald was manufactured by Dutchland Plastics Corporation, out of Ootsburg, Wisconsin, for Interior Systems (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin). The life-size statue has been in production since 1992. The mold design is a three-piece cast aluminum mold, but the manufacturer runs the part as a two-piece mold. The part has extensive undercuts. Through 1997, over 3,000 statues have been ordered since production began. The materials used include rigid PVC and HCFC blown urethane foam. Dutchland Plastics won The PVC Award (a trade award) in 1997 for their work.
Original versions needed to be retrofit to prevent to a child's head from becoming wedged between Ronald's legs. Source.

Ronald McDonald is a trademark of McDonald's Corporation. The fair use of the following photographs is for the editorial purpose of examining a sociological and psychological phenomenon that has made use of these normally corporate-aligned sculptures. Public outsider art has been created from seemingly harmless statues.

Of course, a satisfied Ronald McDonald appears in social media too.

While, meanwhile, other statues have been used to frighten, as well, or mystify.

Then danger strikes and is punished.

Trident Stolen From Poseidon's Fortress

According to WJON, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that a theft occurred at the “Poseidon Fortress” house in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Sheriff John Sanner says deputies were called to 32208 County Road 1 in Le Sauk Township on Thursday, October 16, 2014, for a theft complaint.

[The Sacs or Sauks are a group of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands culture group. Due to the yellow-clay soils found around Saginaw Bay, their autonym was Oθaakiiwaki (often interpreted to mean "yellow-earth"). The Ojibwe and Ottawa name for the tribe (exonym) was Ozaagii, meaning "those at the outlet." From the sound of that, the French derived Sac and the English Sauk. The use of "le," for "the" is thus used in American location names, as per "Le Sauk."]

Sanner says the caretaker at the residence reported that somebody stole (at a time unknown) the trident from the bronze Poseidon statue in front of the house. Source.

The Poseidon Fortress/House is the site of a spoof of an actual real estate video of the home for sale. See below.

Maine Earthquake

I was sitting at home, when at 7:12 pm Eastern, my house shook like it has never before. (Freight trains roll through this part of Portland, a block and half away, so I thought when it started, it was just another train. But this was shaky like no train going by.)

I've felt earthquakes before. During the parts of two years I lived in San Francisco, earthquakes, mostly small ones, were not unusual. The biggest quake I remember before tonight was one in southern Illinois, on November 9, 1968. It hit at 11:02 am, and it measured 5.4. I vividly recall I was working with mental health patients at Anna State Hospital, in a large hall, used as a gym, on the hospital campus. We all raced outside, although I did wait a bit under the arch doorway of that grand hall. Reading about that New Madrid quake nowadays, I see what a large event it was and how lucky we were.

Tonight's earthquake is said to have measured at first 4.5, then it was upgraded to 4.6, definitely the largest in New England in a long time. Eyewitnesses across the Boston area reported feeling the quake for up to 20 to 30 seconds. (Wednesday morning, and the feds have downgraded it to 4.0. I must say, they must not be New Englanders and survived that one, cause it sure didn't feel like a little 4.0 quake.)

The epicenter is said to be centered west of Hollis and Lake Arrowhead, Maine, 23 miles west of Portland, where I live. But more importantly, the epicenter was first said to be 17 miles deep, then later only 3 (and on Wednesday, 4.1) miles deep. That is a very shallow earthquake, and probably why it felt so powerful here.

Mainers are tough people, and there does not seem to be any damage reported from this quake yet. (Wednesday: Some cracked foundations and chimneys are being discussed.)

Standing on the sidelines at a soccer game in Waterboro Tuesday night, Kevin St. Jarre saw the spectators in the bleachers across the field suddenly stand up. Then a ripple, a "landwave," began rolling from the bleachers and heading toward him.

"It came across the field, and it passed beneath my feet and then behind me to where the team was sitting on the bench," said St. Jarre, who coaches the Massabesic High School varsity girls, who were playing against Scarborough High School.

"We pulled the players off the field and took a five minute break and calmed the girls down." ~ Tom Bell, writing in the Portland Press Herald, October 17, 2012.

What surprised me was the explosion of humor on the social media. Here are photographic samples of the "damage" and how people immediately reacted to this earthquake.

An earthquake hit off Japan also on October 16th. But thirty minutes after the Maine earthquake, one hit in New Zealand.

Isaac Laughs

Hurricane Isaac penetrates New Orleans with more than a tickle, a giggle and a trickle.

One meaning of Isaac is "he will laugh." 

So he may.

As it is above, so it shall be below. 

Here you see Katrina above and Isaac below. 

Hurricanes separated by seven years, to the day on August 29th, 

are mirrors of each other.

Hurricane Isaac is pulling media attention from the Republican Convention of 2012, where various people, such as Governor Christie, are praising the man of many states, tax havens, and positions.

Ah, Governor Christie gives forth with a Masonic signal to the faithful, which he appears to be practicing for his speech tonight. 

Meanwhile, Karl Rove (R), former Deputy Chief of Staff to former U.S. President George W. Bush engages, no doubt, in the five points of contact in the Masonic semi-hug with U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on the floor before the start of the abbreviated first day of the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.

 

Cartoonists will note the turmoil that Isaac has brought to this political week.

 But most of the imagery will be more about hurricane clouds than Republican ones.

The obviously juvenile game to be played more often, I'm afraid, will be a secret one to see how many unfortunate meteorologists and meteorology-wanabes stand in front of their maps filled with penal graphics versus weather patterns. This is necessary for human survival, via comedic relief, of course.

The first winner for 2012 goes to KJRH, Tulsa, Oklahoma weatherman Taft Price, who walked right into the deadly "Hurricane Weather Dong" trap, when he was discussing Tropical Storm Isaac, above. Discovery credit to Patrick.

Taft joins the Hall of Weather Map Shame occupied by these gentlemen.

Our well wishes for safety and health to all in the path of Hurricane Isaac