McDonald's has a lot of power in the United States, especially over children. They are known in the advertising world for thinking of the absolutely intelligent idea of offering an incentive to children for eating their food- a toy. Children return to the establishment because of the periodic toy change, and McDonald's toy collections can be seen in many children's rooms across middle-class America. I have participated in this as a child and I have observed it first-hand with my 9-year-old sister. When preparing for my trip to Sweden, my little sister specifically asked if I could order a Happy Meal at a McDonald's in Sweden so I could return with the toy for her. So, I did this, and to my surprise I was shown a choice of 2 books and asked which one I would prefer. By offering a book instead of a toy, the control over the purchase is transferred from less of the child to more of the parent. A book can be rather exciting, but is much less addictive in my opinion than a toy. I am very interested in which side this decision took place, whether it was Sweden that would not allow McDonald's to market their food with toys, or whether it was McDonald's who decided to change their method to better suite the Swedish people. Sweden is a very educated country, and books fit better with the simple lifestyle that I observe children to have here. Also, books are not wasteful, and can be recycled very easily. Small plastic toys end up in the trash, only entertain a child for a short period of time, and usually aren't given to new children to play with because of their temporary interest (often associated with popular movies or tv shows). However, the book can be passed down, reread, or even recycled. All of the elements associated with the idea of giving books with a Happy Meal rather than a toy represent Sweden's standards. This is important and goes well with my other observations related to children in Swedish advertising methods.
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