April 26: A Plea to McDonalds

It is true. Parents will do practically anything to see a smile on their children's faces. And those damn retailers and restaurants out there know this better than anyone...and take advantage of it, better than anyone. Take McDonald's for example, how many of you parents out there have ever done the location tour and treated the kids multiple times a week across a 2-week span in an effort to get that one Happy Meal toy your child wanted so badly? Just recently, we went through this process with their "How to Train Your Dragon" toys. Sure, it's starts out innocent; a surprise visit through the drive-thru on the way home from school and, "whoa, hey, you got a Terrible Terror!" And, the kids love it...for now. Soon, you feel the urge to stop by the local McDonald's again...just a few days later. But this time, you try the one North of your neighborhood instead of West, just in case they're handing out a different dragon....say, a Monstrous Nightmare. Only now, the kids are calling for a Night Fury or a Gronckle. But, you can't find a Night Fury or Gronckle, and soon the promotion is over and your kids frown at the mention of McDonald's knowing they'll get some leftover toy from a promotion 6-months ago until the new promotion begins. Whew, I feel better getting that off my chest. Well, like I said, we just went through this, and to return that smile to my children's faces, I went so far as to email McDonald's to ask if they had any surplus Night Fury or Gronckle toys hangin' around that they might send our way. Can't say I've ever gone to such lengths to locate a Happy Meal toy, but this one was a bit different because even Walmart, who somehow secured exclusive rights to the movie's toy line, is short on stock. I figured McDonald's would be the easiest, most affordable route to dragon nirvana. Unfortunately, I was wrong. They told me that their locations only get a certain number of toys, and, while empathetic to my quest, they couldn't help me. What a McBummer, huh?