Day 045 - 03 Nov 94 - Page 18

     
     1        characters, including even ronald mcdonald.
     2
     3        "The attitude of the other characters toward The Hamburglar
     4        is best described as: 'The Hamburglar can't help being what
     5        he is.'  They try to keep hamburgers safe from hi, and they
     6        try to catch him when he succeeds in fliching one.  He
     7        always get caught and corrected by Ronald.  His behavior
     8        never angers anyone in McDonaldland, after all, the
     9        temptation is too great for him to resist. (Ronald will
    10        even give The Hamburglar a hamburger from time to time just
    11        out of affection for the little guy.)"
    12
    13        What kind of behaviour is that designed to encourage or
    14        represent?
    15        A.  Again, I think the characterisation is correct here.
    16        He is a mischievous kind of character, sort of one of the
    17        fall guys for Ronald, and a character that you would see in
    18        a normal circus or any other kind of place that has
    19        characters similar to this.  But the character, I , think
    20        is explained adequately and accurately in this statement.
    21
    22   Q.   We have seen advertisements where he snatches burgers out
    23        of other characters' hands.  This part about "his behaviour
    24        never angers anyone in McDonaldland", do you think, in
    25        reality, if a child copied that and snatched a burger out
    26        of someone's hands, everyone would similarly be quite happy
    27        about it and not be at all----
    28        A.  No.  I would think that some parents would get upset if
    29        they snatched it out.
    30
    31   Q.   Would that not be thought of as bad manners, apart from
    32        anything else?
    33        A.  Yes.  Again, the paragraph on bad manners was
    34        specifically as far as children are concerned, I think.
    35        The characters obviously have to use their persona, but
    36        children never snatch hamburgers in our commercials.
    37
    38   Q.   What does it mean "The Hamburglar can't help being what he
    39        is"?
    40        A.  That is the character that he is.
    41
    42   Q.   Right.  What about "the temptation is too great to resist";
    43        what does that mean?
    44        A.  Obviously, he likes McDonald's hamburgers; that is part
    45        of his persona.
    46
    47   Q.   So much that he cannot help himself?
    48        A.  That is correct.
    49
    50   Q.   So he is addicted? 
    51        A.  No.  I do not think he is addicted.  I think as a 
    52        character that is the persona that he plays, that he enjoys 
    53        being mischievous.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It looks to me as if some copywriter could
    56        not resist the pun "Hamburglar", and then you are stuck
    57        with the character, are you not? I do not know what most of
    58        Middle America would think about burglars being unable to
    59        help what they are.  But there we are.
    60        A.  Again, I think it is mischievous character and is not