A PlayPlace is an amusement commercial playground attached to a McDonald's restaurant. It features play areas such as tube mazes, slides, ball pits, and video games, as well as tables for eating. First established in 1971 at the Chula Vista, California location, it is usually rainbow colored and themed after McDonaldland.[1]
History
The McDonald's PlayPlace first appeared in California in 1971,[2] and debuted for McDonald's franchises at the 1972 Illinois State Fair.[3][4]
The world's largest PlayPlace was opened in 1976 in Orlando, Florida. It is part of the World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's, which features family entertainment center-like attractions, including arcade games and pizza.[5]
In 1991, McDonald's created a chain of family entertainment centers based on PlayPlaces called Leaps and Bounds, that eventually merged into Discovery Zone and Chuck E. Cheese.[6][7]
In 1999, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission fined McDonald's $4 million after failing to report over 400 injuries that children sustained after using the Big Mac Climber jungle gyms.[8]
In March 2020, all PlayPlaces in restaurants located in the United States were temporarily closed due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. But most reopened in 2023.[9]
In the 2020s, PlayPlaces have appeared less frequently in new and renovated restaurants, reportedly due to factors such as health and safety concerns, decreased usage, families eating out less, a shift in marketing from kids and families to young adults, and McDonald's wanting to present a more "sleek and modern" image of the chain.[10][11][12][13]
External links
References
- Felix Behr. This Was The World's First McDonald's PlayPlace Mashed.com, March 24, 2021, retrieved March 21, 2022^
- McDonald's Design Heritage Fast Company, October 1, 2010, retrieved March 21, 2022 Pamela Riney-Kehrberg. The Nature of Childhood: An Environmental History of Growing Up in America since 1865 University Press of Kansas, 4 April 2014, retrieved 30 January 2026^
- McDonald's Playground Illinois Periodicals Online at Northern Illinois University - (Main Page), retrieved March 21, 2022^
- This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore Reader's Digest, July 2, 2020, retrieved March 21, 2022^
- Rebecca Harrington. We visited the largest McDonald's in the US and ate pizza, pasta, and a Belgian waffle - here's what it's like Business Insider, May 12, 2017, retrieved March 21, 2022^
- Leaps and Bounds Merges With Discovery Zone; McDonald's Bloomberg, Jul 18, 1994, retrieved Apr 18, 2022^
- David Young. McDonald's to Unite Play Unit With Discovery Zone Chicago Tribune, Jul 19, 1994, retrieved Apr 18, 2022^
- Robin Fields. McDonald's Fined Over Child Injuries Los Angeles Times, 1999-06-29, retrieved 2023-01-02^
- Charisse Jones. McDonald's to shut seating, play areas amid COVID-19 pandemic USA TODAY, retrieved 2023-01-02^
- This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore Reader's Digest, 2020-07-02, retrieved 2023-01-02^
- Chase Shustack. Whatever Happened To McDonald's PlayPlaces? Mashed, 2022-08-07, retrieved 2023-01-02^
- Will the McDonald's PlayPlace Go Away for Good? The Takeout, 2022-08-11, retrieved 2023-01-02^
- Kelsey Lawrence. Where Have All the Fast-Food Playgrounds Gone? Eater, 2017-04-17, retrieved 2023-01-02^