PARENTS have been left fuming after McDonald’s confirmed that a new Happy Meal toy may “limit access” for certain kids.
The fast food giant was slammed online recently for the controversial move that left one child in hysterics – and a father to pick up the pieces.
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The drama began when a parent posted to the social media platform X, revealing that his nine-year-old son couldn’t get a certain Happy Meal toy.
McDonald’s is currently running a promotion with A Minecraft Movie, a cinematic adaption of the popular video game starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa.
This promotion means that kids can grab Minecraft-based toys in Happy Meals right now with a card that you can redeem for a Minecraft item in-game.
But when one parent went to redeem the card online, he was not able to.
The furious father said: “Hey @McDonalds @Microsoft @Minecraft what is this?
“You sell Happy Meals that kids can’t redeem?
“I have an upset nine year old and now I’m a pi***d off parent.”
The post showed him trying to redeem the code on the card that he got from the Happy Meal.
But the website he did this on told him to pick another product.
This means that he would have to go and buy another Happy Meal at McDonald’s just to get another card.
The fast food chain replied to the post: “Nat, we hear you.
“The Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is rated 10+ by the ESRB, which may limit access for kids under 10.”
HIT BEDROCK BOTTOM
The reason that the code didn’t work is because Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is a different version of the regular Minecraft game.
The r/Minecraft thread on Reddit explains that Bedrock is the version that the creators “intended” to make.
It is the game at its most refined, instead of the Java version, which is an earlier version.
One person on the thread said: “Yes, java was created first, but bedrock is how they “intended” for Minecraft to be.
“It is also good to know that the java version is still going to be continually updated.”
Fast Food meal deals
Here are some of the current value meals offered by popular fast food joints.
Taco Bell’s $7 Luxe Cravings Box:
- Chalupa Supreme
- Beefy Five-Layer Burrito
- Double Stacked Taco
- Chips and nacho cheese sauce
- Medium drink
McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal:
- McDouble or McChicken sandwich
- Four-piece Chicken McNuggets
- Small fries
- Small soft drink
Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag:
- Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Four-piece chicken nuggets
- Junior fries
- Small soft drink
Burger King’s $5 Your Way Meal:
- Whopper Junior, Chicken Junior, or Bacon Cheeseburger
- Fries
- Four-piece chicken nuggets
- Soft drink
The ESRB is the ratings board that certifies video games with an age verification.
This suggests that, while an annoyance, it isn’t technically McDonald’s fault.
That policy is not decided by them, and they have to follow it as a result of the tie-in promotion.
So, the toy only restricts access to certain kids because of something decided already by a separate entity, not McDonald’s.
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