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The Return of Chairman Snoopy
The mighty mutt of marketing has returned to Hong Kong McDonald's restaurants as the feature toy
By DAFFYD RODERICK
October 1, 1999
Web posted at 4 a.m. Hong Kong time, 4 p.m. EDT
On the eve of China's big anniversary party, Hong Kong's well-cushioned children
could hardly sleep with the anticipation. But it wasn't thoughts of the
Communist Party's greatness that made a fretful torture of their slumber. Nor
was it tender remembrances of the PLA pouring over the border on that rainy July
night in 1997. It was the return of Snoopy.
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The mighty mutt of marketing has returned to Hong Kong McDonald's restaurants as
the feature toy. When he first appeared in 1998, dressed in the traditional garb
of a variety of nations and territories, the plastic beagle caused a bigger stir
than any democracy movement. Kids and grannies lined up, often in the hundreds,
to buy. That led to rampant speculation, not to mention the consumption of more
special sauce than could possibly be healthy. It was the biggest marketing
success of the year, tapping into the Hong Kong psyche by allowing people to
indulge in the staples that make Hong Kong tick: speculation, consumption and
lining up. It even spawned a pirating industry of knock-off Snoopies.
Some health officials cried out that all that fast food was terrible for the
little ones, psychologists quoted Faith Popcorn's "small-indulgence theory"--in
tough times, little things take on monumental significance--and local newspapers
spilled a freighter of ink on the significance of the canine. And McDonald's
restaurants around the territory drew crowds that made it seem as if Aaron Kwok
himself was guest crew chief.
And now, the dog is back. And not a moment too soon. The people of Hong
Kong were starting to get fat-conscious. This spring, professors at Chinese
University announced a study showing that Hong Kong's children have the second
highest cholesterol levels in the world. Fast food, snacks, sweets and soft
drinks were named as the culprits. Combine them with one of the most inactive
bunch of children on the planet, with every hour of every day devoted to lessons
of one sort or another and you have a serious problem. More than 2,000 of the
little heavyweights sought out medical treatment for obesity from public
hospitals. And their problems weren't funny: diabetes, sleeping disorders, joint
problems and low self-esteem. One 12-year-old girl almost ate herself blind,
tipping the scales at 85 kg when she finally checked into the hospital,
suffering from severe diabetes.
Chinese University of Hong Kong senior instructor Patrick Lau Wing-
chung and his cohorts at Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital and Prince of Wales
combined to reduce the body fat of 100 kids plucked from Hong Kong's primary
schools with their "Fun and Fit" program. Lau says he stole a page from
McDonald's book by combining fun with fitness. He says Snoopy is tough
competition because he combines bad food with a fun and fashionable toy. "This
is an emergency," Lau says of obese children. "The problem is growing. If you
don't get a child's weight under control by the time he is 12, you can almost
forget about it."
But the dog has returned with his canine come-on for fast food, hoping to draw
collectors back in droves. McDonald's customers will be able to pick up the
next generation of the nationalistic little toys with their meal, sort of a "Fun
and Fat" program, for the next month. For to get the dog, you gotta eat the
food. Or at least buy US$1.90 worth of it to purchase up to four dogs for an
additional 75 cents each. Mayee Tang, communications manager for McDonald's
Restaurants (HK), said that there were healthy choices on the menu, such as
orange juice and apple pie, so kids could get the toy and eat healthy. Tang also
said that changes made to the program will take the edge off the hysteria that
surrounded last year's binge. This time around, redemption coupons are available
if the toys run out, and four separate dogs can be bought in one visit, as
opposed to last year's rules which required a trip to the golden arches every
single day for $1.90 worth of food and the Snoop Du Jour.
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