10 Reasons Why McDonald's Was Iconic

As bad as it may sound, I have many fond childhood memories related to McDonald's. Before they started offering "healthy" options with Happy Meals like milk, yogurt, absurdly small fries, and apple slices, it was a joyous place to be. I remember when nearly every location had a play area before they started to downsize and eventually do away with most of them. McDonald's was so committed to the fun, child friendly atmosphere that it was like going to a mini theme park for me.



Here is a list of 10 reasons why McDonald's had it going on:

1.  Happy Meal toys. Bonus when they were based on the movie you were obsessed with.
2.  McNuggets. There was something so satisfying about peeling the skin off the nugget and eating it separately.
3.  Hi-C fresh from the tap.
4.  Playing a weird hybrid of hide & seek/ tag with random kids you met on the playground.
5.  Breakfast. Mainly the hash browns.
6.  McFlurries (when the machine was working). I'm still confused as to why they made the spoon look so much like a straw.
7.  The characters: Mayor McCheese, The Hamburglar, Grimace. Iconic.
8. That feeling of rolling into school late after a doctors appointment with a McDonald's bag in hand.
9.  The triumph you felt when your parent actually stopped instead driving past.
10.  The excitement of getting handed the colorful Happy Meal box.