Dear customers: That Minion isn't cursing. Sincerely, McDonald's
The restaurant chain on July 3 introduced a Happy Meal line of the toys inspired by Minions.
(Reuters) - McDonald s Corp is standing by its latest Happy Meal toy, denying that its Minions are the foul-mouthed playthings that some of its fast-food customers say they are.
In videos posted online, some customers said they heard a curse when, by tapping one of the tiny plastic caveman characters against a hard surface, they activated its voice. Some commenters wrote they heard the words: "What the fuck."
"To me, it sure doesn t sound like anything a kid should be hearing," one commenter said on a YouTube video post.
The restaurant chain on July 3 introduced a Happy Meal line of the toys inspired by the animated film "Minions," a prequel to the "Despicable Me" movies that feature the small, yellow, gibberish-talking characters.
In a statement, McDonald s denied the toy used bad language, and a company spokeswoman said there was no plan to pull the toy from distribution.
"We’re aware of a very small number of customers who have been in touch regarding this toy, and we regret any confusion or offense to those who may have misinterpreted its sounds," McDonald s said in the statement. "The allegation that this toy is saying anything offensive or profane is not true."
McDonald s said the Minion Caveman toy emits three sounds - "para la bukay," "hahaha" and "eh eh."
"Minions," which opened in the United States on Friday, was made by Universal Pictures, which is owned by Comcast Corp, and Illumination Entertainment. A spokeswoman for Universal declined comment, referring questions to McDonald s.
