The cute and adorable "Minions," the yellow creatures that originated from Universal Pictures' "Despicable Me" film in 2010, have become quite a phenomenon among children and adults alike - with the miniature companions even getting their own self-titled standalone movie in 2015. Unsurprisingly, a number of merchandise have been offered up for grabs in an effort to let fans and followers of the "Minions" to bring home one of creatures. One of the company's that took advantage of the popularity of such characters is McDonald's.
Upon ordering a McDonald's Happy Meal, the customers can choose from among a variety of toys modelled after the "Minions" themselves. The fun experience suddenly came to a halt, however, when the adults discovered that the lovable yellow creatures are actually uttering profanities, according to Fox News Columbus.
"I heard what it said and I'm like, 'whoa, hang on here,'" recalled one of the customers, Taylor King, who purchased a Happy Meal on Monday to bring home to his 3-year-old son. He added, "It clearly says what it says." According to the Fox News report, King believes that the Minion he bought is saying "What the f---." Hence, he decided to do away with the toy in an effort guarantee that his young son will not pick up on curse words at such as early age. He explained, "(My kids) are old enough now where they're going to mock anything they hear from a toy." King went on to say, "It's coming from a toy. They're going to assume it's okay to say that."
King's story was further backed by yet another angry dad, Robert Frazier, who purchased several Minions for his three children. "As soon as we heard it, her mom took it away," the disappointed father shared with Fox News. He added, "I listened to it and that's when we found out that's what it was saying."
Meanwhile, another family who bought one of the Minion toys in a McDonald's branch in Longwood told Channel 9's WFTV that the caveman version of the Happy Meal also brought up the same issues. "It turned out to be a toy that decided to talk profanity," said Bradley Merten, a grandfather who purchased a Minion toy. He added, "I can't believe it's coming out of a toy."
"Minions speak 'Minionese' which is a random combination of many languages and nonsense words and sounds," McDonald's explained in an official statement provided by the company in connection with allegations that the said toys speak curse words, according to an email sent to The Hollywood Reporter. The statement further read, "'Minionese' has no translation to, or meaning in any recognized language. Any perceived similarities to words used within the English language are purely coincidental."
McDonald's then went on to point out that the caveman Minion toy, which allegedly utters the profanities, is actually saying "Para la bukay," "Ha ha ha" and "Eh eh," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
