McDonald's "Archy Dancing" (lost commercial from fast food franchise; early 1960s)

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Archy, the former mascot of the popular fast food chain McDonald's.

Status: Lost

Archy was a McDonald's mascot who appeared throughout the early 1960s for the fast food chain McDonald's. The character would predate other McDonald's mascots like Ronald McDonald by several years.

Sometime in the early 1960s (likely between 1961 and 1963), Archy would be featured in a commercial where he would be "dancing around a McDonald's countertop".[1] This commercial has been confirmed to exist from a plaque at the oldest operating McDonald's in Downey, California.[2]

History

The existence of Archy is documented through a scattered collection of memorabilia, from gift bags to pin badges, to toys from early proto-Happy-Meals.[3] He was introduced as a replacement for the older mascot, Speedee, sometime between 1961 and 1962. A commercial would then be produced featuring the mascot, a first for the fast food chain.

Sources are disputed as to the exact year the commercial was produced; vlog footage from the aforementioned McDonald's (recorded by YouTube user Adam The Woo) shows an informational plaque stating circa 1963. The plaque would state that the contents of the commercial had Archy "dancing around a McDonald's countertop".[4]

Availability

Archy would of course go on to be replaced by Ronald McDonald, who first started appearing in TV advertisements in the mid-1960s. By 1965, one source suggests discussions to officially "retire" Archy were underway.[3]

Since then, the supposed commercial featuring Archy has fallen into obscurity and has not been seen since. Discord user Shishagumi2 has messaged McDonald's customer support via email, with a McDonald's representative responding to the message:

"Thank you for contacting McDonald's and for your interest in one of our commercials.

I'm sorry that we're unable to honor your request for a commercial. Every year McDonald's local and national advertising agencies produce thousands of commercials that are viewed all around the world. Unfortunately, we do not have a video library that contains copies of all McDonald's commercials that were produced.

Again, please accept our apologies for not being able to accommodate your request. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you in the future."

Giselle

Customer Satisfaction Representative[5]

Due to this response, it is unlikely that McDonald's still has the commercial in their possession. Although according to Reddit user Doodlebuuggg (aka Ziggy Cashmere), he contacted Mcdonald's archive department and had a talk with their archivist Mike Bullignton, where he asked him about the commercial, with Mike stating that they do have "pieces" of it, although it's not clear what material they have from it.[6]

Gallery

  • Museum plaque confirming the existence of the commercial.

    Museum plaque confirming the existence of the commercial.

  • One of many examples of Archy promotional goods.

    One of many examples of Archy promotional goods.

  • A 1960s toy featuring Archy.

    A 1960s toy featuring Archy.

Video

Adam The Woo's video featuring the oldest operating McDonald's and the plaque confirming the commercial's existence (8:48-9:16).

See Also


References

  1. ↑ The Daily Mail article mentioning Archy and the commercial. Retrieved 30 Aug '21
  2. ↑ Adam The Woo's YouTube video featuring the McDonald's location with the plaque. Retrieved 30 Aug '21
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The source stating that Archy would be retired. Retrieved 30 Aug '21
  4. ↑ The image of the plaque at the museum. Retrieved 30 Aug '21
  5. ↑ The email reply from the McDonald's customer service representive. Retrieved 30 Aug '21
  6. ↑ Comments left by Ziggy on a Reddit post about the subject. Retrieved 08 Aug '24
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