Children's playground attached to a McDonald's restaurant
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]
References
^ Behr, Felix (March 24, 2021). "This Was The World's First McDonald's PlayPlace" . Mashed.com . Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 .
^ "McDonald's Design Heritage" . Fast Company . October 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 .
^ "McDonald's Playground" . Illinois Periodicals Online at Northern Illinois University - (Main Page) . Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 .
^ "This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore" . Reader's Digest . July 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 .
^ "Leaps and Bounds Merges With Discovery Zone; McDonald's" . Bloomberg . Jul 18, 1994. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved Apr 18, 2022 .
^ Young, David (Jul 19, 1994). "McDonald's to Unite Play Unit With Discovery Zone" . Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved Apr 18, 2022 .
^ Fields, Robin (1999-06-29). "McDonald's Fined Over Child Injuries" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02 .
^ Jones, Charisse. "McDonald's to shut seating, play areas amid COVID-19 pandemic" . USA TODAY . Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02 .
^ "This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore" . Reader's Digest . 2020-07-02. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2023-01-02 .
^ Shustack, Chase (2022-08-07). "Whatever Happened To McDonald's PlayPlaces?" . Mashed . Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02 .
^ "Will the McDonald's PlayPlace Go Away for Good?" . The Takeout . 2022-08-11. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02 .
^ Lawrence, Kelsey (2017-04-17). "Where Have All the Fast-Food Playgrounds Gone?" . Eater . Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02 .
^ Harrington, Rebecca (May 12, 2017). "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 . Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 .
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