Island of Misfit Toys: Batman: The Animated Series (McDonald’s Happy Meal Premium, 1993)

A rather cool and simple find this week, we’ll be looking at a fast food premium given away by McDonald’s restaurants during 1993 in conjunction with the premiere of Batman: The Animated Series. I picked this up at a thrift store for $2 bucks.

One of my favorite quotes about McDonald’s was something Graham Linehan, the writer and producer of (among many things) the British sit-com The IT Crowd, said a few years ago. “Every time you have McDonald’s as a kid, it’s a victory. Every time you have it as an adult, it’s a defeat.” This is absolutely true and captures something I was thinking about when I found this Happy Meal toy. During most of the 1980’s, I loved Mickey D’s and would beg my parents to take us there for lunch or… dare I hope… DINNER. My order was always the same: The Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal.

By 1993, I had pretty much aged out of Happy Meals… but I was a tremendous fan of Batman: The Animated Series. Simply put, it’s the best version of the Caped Crusader ever captured in any medium and I watched B:TAS faithfully every weekday at 4:30 on FOX5 out of New York City.

I was excited to find one of these fast food premiums… and arguably the best from the B:TAS Happy Meal promotion. McDonalds offered eight toys in all during this giveaway.

Four of them were Hot Wheels style vehicles featuring Robin, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and The Joker. The other four Happy Meal toys were essentially small action figures, based on Catwoman, The Riddler, Batgirl, and the toy we’ll be looking at today, Batman himself.

Thrift Store Finds: Corporate Neckties

This week, we’re going to look at my small collection of corporate neckties. I don’t know what else to call these beautiful things.

You all know that I’m a fan of ugly neckties. Although I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to wear an eyesore like this around his neck every week, I do find that the ugly necktie, selectively employed, can be quite a good accessory. This is especially true when you’re teaching 160 ninth graders who’d just as soon be playing Temple Run on their iPhones than looking at your and listening to what you have to say about The Odyessy. I’m always on the lookout for a strange new addition to my tie rack.

“Corporate ties” are the blanket title I’ve given to any tie I run across which was clearly created for some sort or workplace or organization and ONLY for that workplace or organization. I own ties which feature Looney Tunes characters and I own ties which feature Marvel Comics superheroes… but that’s a different thing from what I’m talking about here. Take this first tie as an example.

2011-2012 school year: moo chop

2011-2012 school year: heavy users

I don’t know if “open campus” is a practice which other high schools indulge… I know my high school didn’t have it when I was growing up. In brief: Upperclassmen who hit certain GPA and conduct standards are allowed to leave the campus for lunch.

As an incentive, open campus seems to be a double-edged sword; while I believe it does inspire kids to do better in classes, the process seems almost impossible to monitor. Many kids skipping off campus for some Arby’s haven’t truly earned the privilege.

sketchbook: happy meal

I did this doodle in my sketchbook a few months ago while I was at a professional development. I wanted to try to draw off-brand versions of the McDonaldland characters I remember from when I was a kid. I guess I got a little lazy at the end there because I just straight-up draw Grimace in the background there at the end.