\doc\web\99\11\gadget.txt Date sent: Sun, 08 Aug 1999 09:40:41 -0400 To: 71524.2205@compuserve.com From: Joan Battey Subject: Dots To Consider TO ALL: The following reprise of a news article on NewsMax' internet site (NY Daily News) surely is indicative of a number of unconnected dots: corporate manipulation, greed-at-the-top, malleable parents, "for the children" gimmick for advancing any agenda, and the constant diversion of the American public to trivial concerns and immediate gratification (which successfully diverts the public -- a la Socialist rules for subverting a country -- and keeps them from paying attention to other more important and more long-term impact on society). This news story focuses on McDonald's suckering in the dutiful parents bent on pleasing their children. A side effect, other than the McDonald's greed, profit and diverting from family meals, is that ALL children will ALSO be whining about seeing the DISNEY movie "Inspector Gadget," thanks to the tie-in promotional theme all over TV and elsewhere. One corporate hand washes the other in increasing co-op manipulation of the American market and the dim-witted American public. Story: McDonald's is in the midst of a month-long promotion of "Inspector Gadget" toys in the Happy Meals boxes. HOWEVER, moving on up from their usual shameless manipulation of children and parents, this time the little toys advertised come in 8 separate pieces, one to a meal, before the coveted toy is assembled. AND, worse yet, it has been discovered that the pieces are duplicated, so that numerous meals must be purchased before any guarantee of getting the next needed "body part" so that the whole toy figure can be achieved. Clever!! The promotion is limited to approximately one month, and ends this week. Hence, imagine the Cabbage Doll, Beanie-Baby frenzy that is generated in order to keep trying to get all the parts during the feverish double promotion time for the movie and the Happy Meal co-op promotion toys. This is "the first time McDonald's customers have needed to buy several Happy Meals in order to try to get a complete promotional toy assembled." [Rest assured that this is ONLY the first of many such promotions. Keep those microphones working steadily and the cash registers ringing away, folks!] One NYC mother complained that she has "already spent $45 on Happy Meals" just to try to get the toy assembled. She says it takes "four trips a week to keep trying to get all the parts." She also has co-workers and friends and relatives in other cities trying to get the so-far missing body parts to complete her child's toy. [This certainly proves the old saying that there is "no free lunch."] Employees at some Manhattan McDonald's said they "didn't have all the pieces in stock," "there is no way to avoid getting duplicates" instead of the needed parts for previously-obtained parts of the toy. Some stores have set up "trading nights" -- Clever, again, isn't that! Where customers can come in and trade duplicates for missing parts of their own toys. [Of course, if you're going to go trade, you might as well buy another meal or 2 or 3 or 4 while you're there.] One airhead parent said, "My husband I had to keep going back to McDonald's, and we visit five restaurants -- it's unfair and expensive." [But, dear duped parents, THAT is the whole idea!!] McDonald's was quoted as saying "We don't want to hassle parents or frustrate them. Our goal was to create a fun toy for kids to play with and collect." [ Sure! We are running out of rusting-out bridges to sell to all the dim-witted parents who buy into the marketing schemes that are driving every aspect of American society -- from schools to politics to the stock market to the retail flim-flams to social welfare totalitarian takeovers. "But, gee, we only wanted to have a little fun..." And fill the coffers and drive small competitors to the wall and march your kids from one corporate greedy promotion to another. "Get your little toys right here and then head for the movie, so you will see how much fun it will be to come back and have a whole collection of the wonderful Disney marketing tools."] At the risk of igniting another firestorm, this is why I say that focusing on taking kids out of public schools is wasted effort at this point -- because the focus has changed to all the world outside of the schools...] Joan Battey [Home, My eBay, Site Map] [eBay logo] [Main Navigation] [Search Sub-Navigation] 1425 items found for the search "inspector gadget" . Showing items 1 to 50. [Use Personal Shopper to save your searches!] [Application Powered By Thunderstone] e.g. "brown bear" -teddy more tips Sort by: Search Completed ascending descending Search Descriptions Items Search Result Current Auctions 16:46:44 PDT Item# Item Price Bids Ends 141060012 Rare MIB 1983 Inspector Gadget Doll by $60.00 9 in 4 mins Galoob 141063021 Inspector Gadget Leg Tool #4 $3.00 1 in 8 mins 141067120 McDonald's Inspector Gadget Leg Tool #4 $2.25 2 in 15 - MIP mins 142935579 McDonald's Inspector Gadget Siren Hat #8 $2.00 4 in 20 -MIP mins 142936165 MCDONALDS INSPECTOR GADGET #7 $1.99 2 in 22 COMMUNICATOR NR mins 142938080 MCDONALDS INSPECTOR GADGET #8, HAT/ $1.99 1 in 26 SIREN NR mins 142939468 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET All 8 MIP $13.50 3 in 29 +SPECIAL mins 141075546 McDonald Inspector Gadget Card- Gadget $2.00 4 in 29 Mobile mins Set of 8 McDonald's Inspector Gadget $20.01 4 in 31 142116858 Toys MIP [PIC!] mins 142940845 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET All 8 MIP $15.55 5 in 32 +SPECIAL mins 142941530 McD INSPECTOR GADGET #1 Narvik Head $2.26 2 in 33 Piece MIP mins 142941662 McD INSPECTOR GADGET #1 Narvik Head $0.99 1 in 33 Piece MIP mins 142942183 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET #2 Arm Grabber $4.25 2 in 34 MIP mins 142942370 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET #2 Arm Grabber $3.35 4 in 35 MIP mins 142943079 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET #3 WATCH BELT $4.66 4 in 36 MIP mins 142943257 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET #3 WATCH BELT $1.04 2 in 37 MIP mins 141081942 McDonald's Inspector Gadget #1 Toy $5.00 2 in 40 HOT!!!!!! mins 142948661 McDonald Inspector Gadget #2 Arm Grabber $2.25 4 in 48 -MIP mins 142949657 NEW! McD INSPECTOR GADGET All 8 MIP + $9.99 1 in 51 BONUS mins 142949913 McDonalds Disney Inspector Gadget 1-8 $15.00 1 in 53 MIP mins 142951513 INSPECTOR GADGET COMP MIP SET(8) + BONUS $10.50 7 in 55 mins 142144841 McDonalds Inspector Gadget #1 Head Piece $3.00 1 08/09 MIP 17:57 141103811 Disney Inspector Gadget piece #3 $0.60 2 08/09 17:58 142147412 McDonald's Inspector Gadget #6 Arm $3.50 1 08/09 Squirter 18:00 142964410 INSPECTOR GADGET #1--HEAD PIECE--HOT- $2.75 2 08/09 18:07 142966957 INSPECTOR GADGET #5 #6 #7 #8 PLUS BONUS $5.20 2 08/09 18:12 141115879 MCDONALDS INSPECTOR GADGET TOY #1 $3.00 0 08/09 18:14 142158127 Inspector Gadget Movie Calculator $5.00 2 08/09 (promo) 18:15 141118084 INSPECTOR GADGET TOY #2(MINT) $3.00 0 08/09 18:17 141119153 McDonalds Inspector Gadget #1 Head $2.00 0 08/09 M.I.P. 18:19 141121288 TOY #3 TO INSPECTOR GADGET(MINT) $3.00 0 08/09 18:21 141130608 McDonald's Inspector Gadget All 8 + Bag $16.00 5 08/09 18:33 142981412 INSPECTOR GADGET #7 SECRET COMMUNICATOR $1.60 0 08/09 18:41 142983169 INSPECTOR GADGET #8 SIREN HAT $1.60 0 08/09 18:44 142984601 INSPECTOR GADGET #7 SECRET COMMUNICATOR $1.60 1 08/09 18:46 142985786 INSPECTOR GADGET #2 ARM GRABBER $5.00 7 08/09 18:48 142987015 INSPECTOR GADGET #7 SECRET COMMUNICATOR $1.60 0 08/09 18:52 142988048 McDonald's INSPECTOR GADGET- COMPLETE $16.50 6 08/09 SET 18:52 142988581 INSPECTOR GADGET #3 WATCH BELT $5.01 8 08/09 18:54 142989175 McDonald's INSPECTOR GADGET #2 Left Arm $5.50 4 08/09 18:54 142989647 INSPECTOR GADGET #7 SECRET COMMUNICATOR $1.60 0 08/09 18:56 142989876 McDonald's "INSPECTOR GADGET" # 3 WATCH $2.24 2 08/09 BELT 18:56 142990665 McDonald's "INSPECTOR GADGET" #1 HEAD $12.50 3 08/09 PIECE 18:57 142990988 INSPECTOR GADGET #5 LEG CIRCUIT SIGNALER $3.50 5 08/09 18:58 McDONALD'S INSPECTOR GADGET COMPLETE $16.00 3 08/09 142195257 MINT [PIC!] 18:59 142991984 McDonald's INSPECTOR GADGET # 4 LEG TOOL $3.24 3 08/09 19:00 142992357 INSPECTOR GADGET #7 SECRET COMMUNICATOR $1.60 0 08/09 19:00 142992675 McDonald's INSPECTOR GADGET # 5 LEG $1.99 0 08/09 SIGNALER 19:01 142993577 McDonald's INSPECTOR GADGET # 6 ARM $1.99 1 08/09 SQUIRTER 19:02 142994285 McDonald's INSPECTOR GADGET # 7 $1.99 0 08/09 COMMUNICATOR 19:03 Items 1 to 50 matching the query "inspector gadget." Note: Bid counts and amounts may be slightly out of date. Click on the specific item(s) you are interested in for up-to-date information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------- Announcements | Register | eBay Store | SafeHarbor | Feedback Forum | About eBay Copyright © 1995-1999 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. [TrustE] Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement Last Modified: 1999-08-09 11:40:01