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.
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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