PlayPlace
{{short description|Children's playground attached to a McDonald's restaurant}}
{{Infobox amusement park
| name = McDonald's PlayPlace
| image = McDonald's PlayPlace Bloomfield CT (14454762068).jpg
| image_size = 220px
| caption = An indoor PlayPlace at a McDonald's in Bloomfield, Connecticut
| resort =
| location = Various McDonald's restaurants
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| status = Operating
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| theme = McDonaldland
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| operator = McDonald's
| previous_names =
| season = Year-round (indoor and outdoor)
| visitors =
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| rides =
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The 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, they are usually rainbow colored and themed after McDonaldland.{{cite web|last=Behr|first=Felix|title=This Was The World's First McDonald's PlayPlace|website=Mashed.com|date=March 24, 2021|url=https://www.mashed.com/364347/this-was-the-worlds-first-mcdonalds-playplace/|access-date=March 21, 2022|archive-date=June 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629182553/https://www.mashed.com/364347/this-was-the-worlds-first-mcdonalds-playplace/|url-status=live}}
History
The McDonald's PlayPlace first appeared in California in 1971,{{cite web|title=McDonald's Design Heritage|website=Fast Company|date=October 1, 2010|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/1687893/mcdonalds-design-heritage|access-date=March 21, 2022|archive-date=March 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321153245/https://www.fastcompany.com/1687893/mcdonalds-design-heritage|url-status=live}} and debuted for McDonald's franchises at the 1972 Illinois State Fair.{{cite web|title=McDonald's Playground|website=Illinois Periodicals Online at Northern Illinois University - (Main Page)|url=https://www.lib.niu.edu/1972/ip721106.html|access-date=March 21, 2022|archive-date=March 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318003318/https://www.lib.niu.edu/1972/ip721106.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore|website=Reader's Digest|date=July 2, 2020|url=https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-playplaces-disappearing/|access-date=March 21, 2022|archive-date=May 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512015530/https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-playplaces-disappearing/|url-status=live}}
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.{{cite web|last=Harrington|first=Rebecca|title=We visited the largest McDonald's in the US and ate pizza, pasta, and a Belgian waffle - here's what it's like|website=Business Insider|date=May 12, 2017|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-largest-mcdonalds-serves-pizza-pasta-sandwiches-2017-5|access-date=March 21, 2022|archive-date=March 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321153543/https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-largest-mcdonalds-serves-pizza-pasta-sandwiches-2017-5|url-status=live}}
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.{{cite web|title=Leaps and Bounds Merges With Discovery Zone; McDonald's|website=Bloomberg|date=Jul 18, 1994|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1994-07-18/leaps-and-bounds-merges-with-discovery-zone-mcdonald-s|access-date=Apr 18, 2022|archive-date=April 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418104128/https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1994-07-18/leaps-and-bounds-merges-with-discovery-zone-mcdonald-s|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Young|first=David|title=McDonald's to Unite Play Unit With Discovery Zone|website=Chicago Tribune|date=Jul 19, 1994|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-07-19-9407190331-story.html|access-date=Apr 18, 2022|archive-date=April 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418104128/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-07-19-9407190331-story.html|url-status=live}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Fields |first=Robin |date=1999-06-29 |title=McDonald's Fined Over Child Injuries |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-29-fi-51130-story.html |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181254/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-29-fi-51130-story.html |url-status=live }}
In March 2020, all PlayPlaces in restaurants located in the United States were closed due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Charisse |title=McDonald's to shut seating, play areas amid COVID-19 pandemic |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/16/coronavirus-mcdonalds-close-seating-play-areas-amid-concerns/5063942002/ |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181254/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/16/coronavirus-mcdonalds-close-seating-play-areas-amid-concerns/5063942002/ |url-status=live }}
In the 2010s and 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.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-02 |title=This Could Be Why You Don't See PlayPlaces in McDonald's Anymore |url=https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-playplaces-disappearing/ |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Reader's Digest |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410170419/https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-playplaces-disappearing/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Shustack |first=Chase |date=2022-08-07 |title=Whatever Happened To McDonald's PlayPlaces? |url=https://www.mashed.com/950754/whatever-happened-to-mcdonalds-playplaces/ |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Mashed |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181254/https://www.mashed.com/950754/whatever-happened-to-mcdonalds-playplaces/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2022-08-11 |title=Will the McDonald's PlayPlace Go Away for Good? |url=https://thetakeout.com/will-mcdonalds-playplace-go-away-for-good-1849397887 |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=The Takeout |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181255/https://thetakeout.com/will-mcdonalds-playplace-go-away-for-good-1849397887 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Lawrence |first=Kelsey |date=2017-04-17 |title=Where Have All the Fast-Food Playgrounds Gone? |url=https://www.eater.com/2017/4/17/15222432/fast-food-playground-safety |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Eater |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102181255/https://www.eater.com/2017/4/17/15222432/fast-food-playground-safety |url-status=live }} However, PlayPlaces are still found in several restaurants in Canada and Australia.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/services/playplaces-and-parties.html McDonald's PlayPlaces]
- [https://www.tigerplay.co.uk/ Specialist Soft Play Designers]
- [https://www.wedantakids.com/ Wedanta Indoor Home Playground]
{{McDonald's}}
Category:Indoor amusement parks
Category:Amusement parks opened in 1971
Category:1971 establishments in the United States
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