Do you remember the last time you saw Uncle McDonald?
A few days ago, I watched the hot search and realized that my Uncle McDonald had long since died.
On December 6, 2009, the prototype of Uncle McDonald, Michael Polla coffs, returned to heaven at the age of 86.
11 years apart, years barren.
He and his wife are buried together in a cemetery in Kentucky, and every year on their death anniversary, someone comes to offer a cluster of flowers.
Red and yellow color, déjà vu, memorial to that happy era.
In 1966, Michael became famous throughout the United States with his role as "Coco clown", and McDonald's hired him to design and interpret Uncle McDonald.com.
After several modifications, this mascot, which is "second only to Santa Claus in popularity", has finally turned out.
Red exploding heads, super big boots, yellow jumpsuits, pompous clown makeup, Uncle McDonald, a red is half a century.
He used to be the top, the superstar, the happy god of children all over the world rolling, sarai, crying, cheating, and going to worship.
But after all, it was once.
For the post-85s and post-90s, Uncle McDonald watched us grow up.
In 1990, Baohua Building, Jiefang Road, Shenzhen City, built a bamboo shed between the eaves and the pavilions.
Workers rushed to work day and night, the news did not go away, and a few days later, a huge "M" sign was ready to go.
Photo by Paul Lakatos
The neighbors had not yet shaken their minds, the roadside exploded again, and a two-meter-high doll was pulled on the board, and an old man pointed and asked, "Which Buddha is this?" ”
On October 8, Chinese mainland's first McDonald's opened, and the streets were crowded.
I didn't get to experience this grand scene, but my father just went to Shenzhen on a business trip that year, and his old man's memory was full of anger: "The team can be lined up to the bicycle shed in the back community, and finally I went to the street to buy a pancake and catch the car." ”
To put it bluntly, I just didn't eat it.
When we first met, Uncle McDonald's was popular and famous, and adults and children loved him.
Soon, he began his journey, the next stop, Beijing.
On Thursday, April 23, 1992, at the south entrance of Wangfujing, Uncle McDonald sat on the roof of the building, raising his eyebrows.
photo by Forrest Anderson
The clerk wears a red and white uniform, and like Maggie Cheung in the movie "Sweet Honey", The Big Mac and Mai Xiangyu are golden signboards, the voices are boiling, and the Beijing voice is loud
"Sir, your meal is good!"
True joy, echoes across the film.
The store was bustling, and there was no idle outside the door, and on a bench, Uncle McDonald's opened his left arm and crossed Erlang's legs, not seeing outside at all.
Young and old circled, curious, laughing, disgusted, shocked, the mood was written on the face, and the story remained in the wind.
photo by MIKE FIALA
Only those ice cokes that have been drunk in cotton jackets have become the evidence of time.
photo by Peter Charlesworth
Uncle McDonald, the next city, decided to go to Guangzhou.
The old guang loves to eat, and the whole country knows it.
On the left, there is intestinal powder shrimp dumpling boat porridge, on the right there is roast goose soup white chopped chicken, a red haired "ghost guy", want to come to eat, how easy is it to talk about?
photo by Tom Stoddart
But Uncle McDonald, not afraid.
In 1993, the twenty-ninth day of the first month, it was advisable to open the market.
Guangzhou's first McDonald's opened its doors on the first floor of the famous "63rd Floor" of Huanshi East Road, with unlimited scenery.
photo by Owen Franken
The old neighbor recalled the "war situation" of the day, and there was only one Cantonese word - Xu Yuan. (Referring to the extreme liveliness and spectacularness of the scene)
In just one day, Lao Guang adhered to the tradition of "losing the line and defeating the loser", swept 14129 orders, breaking the record of the highest in McDonald's history.
One clerk said, "If we hadn't sent a Big Mac to each of us before opening the door, we wouldn't have been able to eat it ourselves." ”
Photo by Chip HIRES
How much do Guangzhou people love to eat McDonald's?
In the divine drama "Foreign Daughter-in-law Local Lang", Kang Tianxiu's ultimate goal in life is to "eat McDonald's every day, eat in the morning, eat at noon, eat at night, and eat at night!" ”
The words are sonorous, and the words are heartfelt.
The happiness of Cantonese people is to eat, and the happiness of Guangdong children is to eat McDonald's.
Photo by Owen Franken
But another term for happiness is called unattainable.
The town I grew up didn't open the first McDonald's until 1999, and I ate my first cones after the millennium.
The last rays of the sunset at the end of the century illuminated those past events.
Cr:Thomas Sauvin
McDonald's has many flower names: Old Wheat, M Kee, McDonald's.
He is the most colorful dream of a child, and the most upset existence of his mother.
We exchanged 100 points, traded for housework, and even used bitter meat and tears to attack until mom let go: "Okay, take you to McDonald's." ”
If we go on Saturday, we start looking forward to it on Tuesday.
But mom always "scoffs" at McDonald's—
Wheat chicken, crispy, but hot; cones, tasty but phlegmy; hamburgers, satisfying, but useless.
She never ordered it, just let me eat it: "I don't eat these things." ”
photo by Chip HIRES
In the eyes of the mother, Uncle McDonald is a "friend", and every time he meets, he must cook a large pot of herbal tea to clear the heat and detoxify.
When I grew up, I realized that my mother actually liked to eat ice cream, and every time she passed the dessert station, she would ask, "The second half price, let's have one for each person." ”
Looks like me when I was a kid.
No wonder, eating a McDonald's meal before was too extravagant.
So much so that I have always admired the students who can celebrate their birthdays at McDonald's, they have shiny birthday hats, beautiful and sweet McDonald's sisters, and endless chips and fried chicken.
When I passed, I would look inside with the glass on my stomach, and my mother would buy a cones and accompany me.
At that time, a cones were only 2 yuan, which was cheap, but happy could be wholesale.
If you think about it, on a Saturday afternoon, the sun was like a poached egg in a blue saucer, and you were small, creamy and sweet, and when your homework was done, holding your mother's hand, you didn't have to think about it later.
photo by Joseph Sohm
Then, walk up to Uncle McDonald and pat his big boots, and he laughs, and you laugh.
Uncle McDonald didn't speak, he was a witness.
Ice cream melts easily and drips into time.
"Do you remember that McDonald's uncle at the door before?" When is it gone? ”
There was no search notice, no earth turning, this silent clown, even leaving was quiet.
McDonald's in the city has been transformed, the sign has changed from red and yellow to black and yellow, the cones have changed from 2 to 4, and happy paradise has pulled a red line, and no one has a birthday.
photo by Brent Lewin
Later, it even changed its name — the Golden Arches.
The golden light glittered, the carp leaped the dragon gate, and entered the world like an enclave of memory, forgetting its indigenous people.
That innocent and happy child, smoothly, grew into a depressed and melancholy adult.
Pull open the heavy glass door, there will be no more little sisters with their heads bowed to call you children, and a series of automatic ordering machines stand in front of you, cold and serious.
"Sir/Miss, what is your number?" How to listen, it is like a bank bill.
photo by Zhang Peng
Middle school students wear headphones and dive into their homework; office workers order a set menu, hurry up, and brush WeChat; a couple walks in with milk tea, takes a take-out, and leaves.
Everyone is busy, everyone forgets.
Only the "Happy Meal" sign in the corner reminds us that many years ago, there was a child who was very close to happiness.
Growing up is a primary school contraction problem.
When I was a child, it was a "happy meal".
After understanding things, just "happy".
Nowadays, eating a "meal" counts as a meal.
Open the photo album, you can still find one or two photos with Uncle McDonald, old, confused, like a snowstorm.
Over there, there is always sunshine, weekends, food, young mothers, and carefree children's hearts.
At this end of the photo, only the evening breeze, work, fast food, aging parents, and sleepless nights return.
photo by Joe McNally
Fast forward twenty years, McDonald's has not changed, there are still Big Macs, McLe chicken, big fries, as always.
It's just that the people who help them are changing all the time, changing jobs, moving, going to school, breaking up, getting old...
There are a lot of tastes, and when you think about it again, you can't eat it, there are many people who accompany you to dinner, and if you are not careful, you can't wait.
In this life, the taste is rewarded for a period of time, and the time is not waiting.
In October this year, I met Uncle McDonald again in Tianjin, and the deceased were reunited, each with their own hearts.
He changed out of his jumpsuit, put on a red suit, straightened his explosive head, and did not dare to his legs.
Decent and restrained, polite and outward, he sat there laughing all day, the vast city, no one to hug him.
-Uncle McDonald, 30 years, lonely?
- What about you, all these years, are you okay?
Picture 丨 Network
Responsible editor 丨ruhua
Edit 丨 Happy Little Fairy
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