HAPPY DAYS, HAPPY TOYS

I see a civil servant from Plymouth put up for sale at auction his collection of 7,500 McDonald's Happy Meal toys because his wife said that they took up too much room in his house and that either they, or she, would have to go. He agonised for a week and got rid of his wife. No - only joking. He reluctantly shipped the whole collection of Happy Toys to the auctioneer. Apparently, this most civil of servants visited McDonald's every week for twenty-five years until he got his sense of taste back. According to Wikipedia, that utterly authetic encyclopaedia of Hard Facts, Happy Meal toys have become increasingly elaborate in recent years. Whilst initially they were little more than cheap plastic trinkets such as frisbees or balls, they have gradually been replaced with increasingly sophisticated toys, many of which are aligned to some existing toy line or contemporary motion picture. Between 1996 and 2006, this was usually a Disney movie. That was when old Walt came to his McSenses and decided that he wasn't going to put his name to any more grub that did not accord with his own views on healthy eating, i.e. two lettuce leaves and a nutmeg sandwich, brown over easy. The degree of sophistication of contemporary Happy Meal toys is such that today each one comes with a wiring diagram and a full socket set. Surprisingly, the civil servant had to go back round to the auction room in his Ford Thames van, because there were no takers for his collection. No-one met his reserve of £10 the lot. I find this an incredible state of affairs. I can only assume that most people prefer their wives.