Sad Meal

Uproar under the Golden Arches this morning as buyer’s remorse is uncomfortably settling in for those who jumped at the chance at nostalgia, McDonalds-style. The chain, to immediate national acclaim, announced a few days ago an adult version of its venerable Happy Meal. Officially — and ill-advisedly — dubbed the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box in reference to the (little known) fashion brand, it’s essentially an Adult Happy Meal. It comes in a larger-than-life yet instantly recognizable limited edition box within which resides your choice of a Big Mac or a 10 piece portion of Chicken McNuggets. Nestled tightly alongside you main is a large order of fresh, crispy crunchy fries. A large icy soda sidles up alongside the familiar journey down memory lane. But alas, not all is well in the sepia-toned here and now. Here’s the scoop. AS you can see in the promotional photo above, we have our beloved Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird and…drumroll…some weird mustachioed yellow person named Cactus Buddy (that fashion line tie-in again). Cactus Buddy? Who is that? Nobody wants Cactus Buddy. But that’s what the masses are receiving. In an icy effort to put the fashion Brand in front of as many people as possible, Cactus Buddy is the hay in the haystack with Grimace, Hamburglar and Birdie the Early Birdie relegated to special appearance and a small percentage of the overall figurine collection production run. And to add insult to injury, the Adult Happy Meal — with a likely Cactus Buddy tagalong — will set you back a cool $12.89 before tax. A regular Big Mac value meal costs $10.29 pre-tax. So McDonalds is charging you $2.60 for something you don’t want and never asked for. Good grief. Indigestion in more ways than one.