It’s not trolling. People are actually racist. Like everyone is, they just pretend not to notice. If it was just skin color, there wouldn’t be an issue. It’s behavior and tendencies towards violence for some, usury for others.
When my sister and I were young, a new 50s themed McDonald's opened near us. My dad was into antique cars and they bought a 57 Chevy from him for outside the store. There was a grand opening parade and my dad drove Mac Tonight in an old car. My sister and I got to ride with him. It was so fun.
I'm from Delaware and we had the same old style retro McDonalds too. That opened in the late 80s. ( the pink Cadillac ) McDonalds. It had a pink Cadillac back half outside and the front half inside was a big both. Which everyone wanted to sit at. But it was always occupied whenever we went. Which was pretty rare. Maybe five times a year. Which made it so much more of a big deal to go. I stopped eating most fast food all together a few years back.
I thought he was the coolest character when I was a kid in the 80s, and I always loved the night time settings of his commercials. I had no idea about the meme stuff of today.
I remember being entranced by the nighttime setting too... in fact looking at the years this thing was apparently around, the moon man might actually be my earliest memory of this earthly realm. I couldn't have been older than 3. It feels like a peyote psychedelic trip thinking back that far, or a fever dream.
@just a guy I got curious too and went down that rabbit hole... I don't recommend it at all. Long story short... n@zis came across it much like Pepe the Frog and it became a meme - - actually more than a meme, they wound up making racist AI generated text-to-speech rap albums... not just songs, or an album... albums. The internet never stops being a bizarre reflection of some of the best and worst parts of humanity.
@just a guy 😶😶😶 not sure why you went there as my comment doesn't claim the character was inherently that way - simply explained how the character _later_ became associated as such, similar to how the swastika symbol predates by centuries it's more modern usage and western representation. Much like others, I wasn't aware of what the video was referencing as I initially watched and so I went to go find out - - not justifying what happened, simply sharing the information so others can be aware without needing to expose themselves directly with that content or the accompanying comment sections.
@@TheLadyBlerdThanks for the explanation and for taking one for the team. I never saw these memes myself and it was only ever alluded to in passing by another channel I follow (The Kavernacle). But leave it to the Internet to ruin something innocent from our childhoods, I guess is the lesson.
When I was very young in a McDonalds with my parents, a Moon Man Mascot showed up. He even danced with my mom briefly! My dad made the comment, “How does he drive home without getting his face stuck in the steering wheel?” It was funny then and still funny now 😂
Actually "Mac" is not bad as a fast-food mascot at all, Wayy better than the rest of the ones McDonald's has foisted on the public. And don't get me started on "creepy" versions of the "Burger King".
@@jamesslick4790 I actually miss the Burger King kids club. That was an interesting group of mascots. I also remember reading some weird fanfic thing online way back when. I kind of cracked up when I read that Kid Vid and Snaps got married, and how I.Q. would come up with some "diabolical scheme." Of course, I can't find it, but still.
@@emanuelespinoza9325 I was in my 30s during the 1990's, But the "Burger King Kid's Club" characters were fine. And the even older animated "Burger Kings" we fine. It's the "live" plastic head "Burger Kings" that are creepy. I still love me a Whopper though! LOL. P.S. That fanfic sounds wild!
As someone born in 1979, Mac tonight was definitely iconic. I remember the commercials from the 80's and also some of the larger cutout advertisements of him. I believe he was even featured at the galleria mall in Dallas back in the day.
Funny thing, Doug worked alongside my mom at my local newspaper before going off to start his acting career. He learned about how to be a mime as a side-thing in college while studying journalism, if I remember correctly. Mime turned out to be a better direction, since he's achieved fame through his fantastic physical acting and perfect proportions for wearing LOTS of prosthetic makeup.
If I had a nickel for every childhood memory that referenced Mack the Knife, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Mac Tonight actually was still in McDonald’s commercials even after the lawsuit, but he really got more popularity in 1996 and 1997. He wasn’t in any commercials from 1998 - 2006 but as the video said, he was brought back in 2007. But he was in exclusive commercials in Hong Kong from 2008 - 2010. They used his logo to advertise the after midnight menu in 2013 which was Mac’s last appearance.
There was a statue Mac at my local McDonald's back then, and I live in a very rural area. I was sad when they got rid of him. Loved singing the commercial, and I was a teenager then.
There's a McDonald's near Richmond, VA (the Tuckahoe area, specifically) that as late as the later 2000s, they still had a Mac Tonight animatronic seated at the piano. It's gone know, but I was surprised how long he stuck around.
The Mac Tonight at the McDonald's next to where I work got removed about a year ago and I'm still upset. He was cool. I always sat at the table next his piano. They even let me sit at the piano once. I miss that Mac.
@@Appaddict01 no, they got rid of him because they did a whole remodel on the restaurant. McDonald's doesn't really care what the internet has done with their characters all that much. Just look at how much incredibly awful stuff has been done with Ronald and the rest of the characters.
@@Appaddict01 the idea that anyone outside of social media cares about "memes" is hilarious to me. So many people seem to think their life revolves around them, but as soon as you step away from the computer, no one cares. McD of all companies sure as heck doesn't care about a bunch of teenagers trolling each other online, it hardly impacts their business in any way.
I was petrified of this thing as a toddler - I had a nightmare of it with a knife wanting to kill me. I had no idea what it was though so I always called him the banana head man 😆
Ironic, since Mac Tonite is based on Mack The Knife, a penny opera about a serial killer who uses a knife as his weapon of choice. Young you might have picked up something somewhere lel
My mom and her friend bought a huge block of dense styrofoam and carved it into a crescent moon shape with a hacksaw to fit over my head. I was Mac Tonight for Halloween when I was in 3rd grade in 1988.
I really liked Mac’s design. I remember when I was younger, my family and I went to the Big E is Massachusetts. They had a Ronald McDonald event outdoors and Mac made a cameo appearance throughout the show with Ronald asking if anyone in the Audience had seen him. Good stuff.
Suggestion: The time when they blew up Jack of Jack-In-The-Box, which resulted in clown backlash. Also how Jack went from a happy animated clown family man to company executive. I personally liked the blowing up of the clown head order intercom. The gist of the ad was the powers that be at Jack-In-The-Box decided it was time to retire its clown mascot. One customer expressed a little sadness at that prospect. A voiceover explained the reasoning behind the decision, then asks the customer what should be done with the mascot. Her response: "Waste him!" Next shot, an exploding classic Jack-In-The-Box ordering system. The professional clown community was not amused. The organized into a protest group called "Jesters Against Clown Killing" aka JACK.
as i misremember, the words spoken before Jack was blown up were spoken by a little old lady, and were "Waste him!" my reply was written before reading Pamela Mays' post in its entirety; looks like i was correct about "Waste him!"
JITB went so far as to change their name to "Monterey Jack's" and then dropped "Monterey" in preference for "Jack's". That is a chain that's been chasing it's tail for a very long time now.
I remember the McDonald’s in Greenfield, WI they had a Mac Tonight at a piano and vintage music memorabilia all over the place. It’s was great!!!! I sure miss it!!!!
It would be a shame if that were the thing blocking a nostalgia campaign for this delightfully silly character, but in this day and age it probably is. In the future, everything will be memed for 15 minutes. (Most of the Moon Man memes--including the original ones--were not even edgy.) There's nothing you can do about it. So, everything will be cancelled.
@@salvadorromero9712 Are you sure you're remembering right? His most famous "songs" involve him saying "I'm killing [insert a certain derogatory word everyone knows]". There's a difference between a harmless stereotype like Speedy Gonzales which shouldn't work up a fuss, and saying you're committing violence against a minority, which is impossible to wash away.
Now that's gotta be creepy af bc he was already a creepy lookin dude lol! I was only around 3 when Mack came on the scene and all I remember is how scared I was of him 🤣
I remember seeing the animatronic version of him at the lakeside mall growing up. I know they held on to him for quite a while (at least mid 2000s). It's interesting to see the history of something I was always confused by as a kid
Should have gone in harder on the meme aspect of Mac Tonight. The reappropriating of a fast-food mascot into a super racist meme is one the most absurd/hilarious twists in the Moon Man journey.
When these commercials first aired in 1980something. I was a young boy and I loved Mac Tonight. My grandma made me a Mac Tonight costume that October and I won a Halloween costume contest. I still really like the theme and Mac holds a place in my heart.
Mac debuted when I was in middle school. All of the kids in my school loved him! Maybe little kids were scared? I still like him and made it a point to see him at Epic McDs.
The Mac Tonight animatronic in Orlando used to be placed in a little tropical water fountain/koi pond they had inside of the restaurant, right next to the elevators that take you to the arcade and play place. It scared the HELL out of me when I was younger lol. Nothing like anxiously waiting for the elevator while Mac Tonight serenades you to the sound of running water
Forgot about him until this video made me remember him. As a kid, I never thought he (or Ronald McDonald) were scary. I even had Mac motorcycle Happy Meal toy.
In the early 2000s there was a local “Solid Gold McDonald’s” which had a working Mac Tonight animatronic. I remember being confused by it but my dad got the reference to Mack The Knife
There was a Mac statue and piano in the McDonald's in front of Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, Va until just a few years ago. I was so sad when they remodeled and got rid of him.
I'm 44. I was a little boy when this mascot primered on TV. I actually liked this mascot. It was cool, interesting and it kicked my imagination into overdrive. This guy pops into my mind every now and then and when it does it makes me smile. For me, the mascot kinda reminded me of Ray Charles.
The "Solid Gold" McDonald's located in Greenfield, Wisconsin was my first introduction to "Mac". It was a specially designed McDonald's location with all kinds of rock n roll memorabilia as well as Mac display sitting at a baby grand piano in the Restaurant. As a kid growing up in Milwaukee in the 90s and early 2000s I remeber going there a few times. It was really cool! Closed in 2011, but you can find photos and tours of it on the internet. Check it out! I'm commenting as I'm watching so idk yet if they bring this unique location up LOl
I loved going to that location when I could convince my parents to drive out there for it! I even got to take my oldest kid there just before it closed, too bad it's gone now
40 years ago [1982], I met Doug Jones in Indiana. My senior year was coming up, I had made plans to attend Ball State University. So I went to the campus to walk around before going to a ball game. The mascot at BSU was/is Charlie Cardinal. In 1982, Doug Jones was Charlie Cardinal. I ended up talking to Jones while he remained in the costume. Of course, it was nothing to brag about at the time, and I only talked to him because I've always felt like school mascots are the best people to ask about the school. Anyway, Jones wasn't a star back then, but he was a really cool and considerate person.
Being an elementary school aged kid(at that time)...I had know idea who he was except that he was always singing and even though it was always night time. I always saw the inside advertisement of him at lunch time...even my 6 year old brain was confused lol
When McDonalds first opened up in Dunedin NZ in late 1988, the Moon man ad was was screening on TV at the time… I clearly remember the jingle. “ 🎶🎵 When the clock strikes🎵🎶”
I was in the fifth grade when these ads aired. My friends and I got a kick out of the Mac Tonight character and the song. 🎶DINNAHH AT MCDONAAAALLDS…IT’S MAC TONIGHT!🎶
My dad's been eating those since the early 90s but to be fair he's been dragging us to health food stores before it was cool when it was weird.. I remember loving family and school party's because I got to eat normal chips that didnt hurt my teeth and gums lol
My first introduction to Mac was through Saint Pepsi's ENJOY YOURSELF. I had no idea who this moonswagged man was or why he wanted me to eat at McDonalds, but I loved his design, his mannerisms and the song itself fit very with his overall style.
I'm surprised that wasn't covered in this video given the music video from 9 years ago on youtube has 18 million views. Never knew the character was used in memes.
