McDonald's PlayPlace explained

McDonald's PlayPlace
Location:Various McDonald's restaurants
Status:Operating
Theme:McDonaldland
Operator:McDonald's
Season:Year-round (indoor and outdoor)

The McDonald's PlayPlace is an amusement commercial playground attached to a McDonald's restaurant. It features play areas such as tube mazes, slides, ball pits, and video games, as well as tables for eating. First established in 1971 at the Chula Vista, California location, they are usually rainbow colored and themed after McDonaldland.[1]

History

The McDonald's PlayPlace first appeared in California in 1971,[2] and debuted for McDonald's franchisees at the 1972 Illinois State Fair.[3] [4]

In 1991, McDonald's created a chain of family entertainment centers based on PlayPlaces called Leaps and Bounds, that eventually merged into Discovery Zone and Chuck E. Cheese.[5] [6]

In 1999, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission fined McDonald's $4 million, after failing to report over 400 injuries that children sustained after using the Big Mac Climber jungle gyms.[7]

In March 2020, all PlayPlaces in restaurants located in the United States were closed due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

In the 2010s and 2020s, PlayPlaces have appeared less frequently in new and renovated restaurants, reportedly due to factors such as health and safety concerns, decreased usage, families eating out less, a shift in marketing from kids and families to young adults, and McDonald's wanting to present a more "sleek and modern" image of the chain.[9] [10] [11] [12] However, PlayPlaces are still found in most new restaurants in Australia.

The world's largest McDonald's PlayPlace at the World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's in Orlando, Florida, features family entertainment center-like attractions, including arcade games and pizza. It was opened in 1976.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Behr. Felix. This Was The World's First McDonald's PlayPlace. Mashed.com. March 24, 2021. March 21, 2022. June 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220629182553/https://www.mashed.com/364347/this-was-the-worlds-first-mcdonalds-playplace/. live.
  2. Web site: McDonald's Design Heritage. Fast Company. October 1, 2010. March 21, 2022. March 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220321153245/https://www.fastcompany.com/1687893/mcdonalds-design-heritage. live.
  3. Web site: McDonald's Playground. Illinois Periodicals Online at Northern Illinois University - (Main Page). March 21, 2022. March 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318003318/https://www.lib.niu.edu/1972/ip721106.html. live.
  4. Web site: This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore. Reader's Digest. July 2, 2020. March 21, 2022. May 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220512015530/https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-playplaces-disappearing/. live.
  5. Web site: Leaps and Bounds Merges With Discovery Zone; McDonald's. Bloomberg. Jul 18, 1994. Apr 18, 2022. April 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220418104128/https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1994-07-18/leaps-and-bounds-merges-with-discovery-zone-mcdonald-s. live.
  6. Web site: Young. David. McDonald's to Unite Play Unit With Discovery Zone. Chicago Tribune. Jul 19, 1994. Apr 18, 2022. April 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220418104128/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-07-19-9407190331-story.html. live.
  7. Web site: Fields . Robin . 1999-06-29 . McDonald's Fined Over Child Injuries . 2023-01-02 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . 2023-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181254/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-29-fi-51130-story.html . live .
  8. Web site: Jones . Charisse . McDonald's to shut seating, play areas amid COVID-19 pandemic . 2023-01-02 . USA TODAY . en-US . 2023-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181254/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/16/coronavirus-mcdonalds-close-seating-play-areas-amid-concerns/5063942002/ . live .
  9. Web site: 2020-07-02 . This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore . 2023-01-02 . Reader's Digest . en-US . 2023-04-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230410170419/https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-playplaces-disappearing/ . live .
  10. Web site: Shustack . Chase . 2022-08-07 . Whatever Happened To McDonald's PlayPlaces? . 2023-01-02 . Mashed . en-US . 2023-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181254/https://www.mashed.com/950754/whatever-happened-to-mcdonalds-playplaces/ . live .
  11. Web site: 2022-08-11 . Will the McDonald's PlayPlace Go Away for Good? . 2023-01-02 . The Takeout . en . 2023-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181255/https://thetakeout.com/will-mcdonalds-playplace-go-away-for-good-1849397887 . live .
  12. Web site: Lawrence . Kelsey . 2017-04-17 . Where Have All the Fast-Food Playgrounds Gone? . 2023-01-02 . Eater . en . 2023-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181255/https://www.eater.com/2017/4/17/15222432/fast-food-playground-safety . live .
  13. Web site: Harrington. Rebecca. We visited the largest McDonald's in the US and ate pizza, pasta, and a Belgian waffle - here's what it's like. Business Insider. May 12, 2017. March 21, 2022. March 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220321153543/https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-largest-mcdonalds-serves-pizza-pasta-sandwiches-2017-5. live.

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