McDonald's (TV commercial), Willard Scott RONALD McDONALD original costume McDONALD'S - Bozo MAX WELDY commercial prop
original movie costume
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Original Max Weldy Costume Co. RONALD McDONALD costume, made for and worn by the first Ronald McDonald-retired NBC-TV weatherman WILLARD SCOTT in the late 1960s. This is the "revamped" costume, when Ronald became the national spokesclown/mascot for McDonald's restaurants. Scott was based in the Washington, D.C. area, which is where this commercial aired (he mentions Washington and Annapolis, MD. in the ad), and is the area where the costume was found.
The costume is absolutely huge, and actually fits me, and I am 6'4", an inch taller than Scott is. Leather clown shoes and human hair wig.
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Ringling Bros. Circus performer Coco the Clown (real name Michael Polakovs) was hired in 1966 to revamp Ronald's image, and it was he who created the now familiar costume and make-up. The new Ronald was much different than Scott's original creation.
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Willard Scott on Ronald... the following excerpt from his book JOY OF LIVING:
"At the time, Bozo was the hottest children's show on the air. You could probably have sent Pluto the Dog or Dumbo the Elephant over and it would have been equally as successful. But I was there, and I was Bozo ... There was something about the combination of hamburgers and Bozo that was irresistible to kids ... That's why when Bozo went off the air a few years later, the local McDonald's people asked me to come up with a new character to take Bozo's place. So, I sat down and created Ronald McDonald."
---------------------This particular costume dates from the latter 1960s, and the above B&W photo of Willard Scott (in this costume) on a kid's TV show is dated 1969, which I assume is correct. The plastic "McD" pockets snap on and off for cleaning purposes.
SEE the complete Willard Scott "Ronald McDonald Doll" commercial (in this costume) on the above YOUTUBE link.
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SEE my other vintage TV/film props on YourProps.com: The Addams Family (1964), The Munsters, Bozo, Forrest J Ackerman, PAPER MOON, Elvis, and MORE!
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