First, anti fast food groups tried to force Ronald McDonald to retire, then those Finnish activists cut off his head in a bizarre execution. Now come reports that McDonald’s has officially said farewell to its long-time mascot. But could it be true?

Many websites have picked up on a recent article on Bloomberg.com which cites a McDonald’s rep:

While Ronald still plays an ambassador role, he isn’t tied to the menu, says spokeswoman Danya Proud. Even as mascots like Burger King’s King shill on TV and the Web, Ronald has ceded the limelight to budding singers and dancers who sell mochas and frappes — not Happy Meals.

However, we noticed that while the statement in the above paragraph is attributed to a McDonald’s rep, none of it is actually a direct quote. So we contacted the same rep at the Golden Arches to find out what was really going on.

“We are absolutely NOT retiring Ronald!” Proud told Consumerist. “They came to a conclusion that we are semi retiring him because they haven’t seen him in commercials recently.

“Ronald is never associated with food, and while he certainly still appears in creative and advertising, they’re more evergreen, because they are never associated with a specific food promotion or event.”

So there you have it. Ronald McDonald will continue to terrify children into running away from McDonald’s and into the welcoming arms of Wendy’s for decades to come.

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