In recent years, there has been a growing epidemic of obesity, particularly in America. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey published on the Center for Disease Control website, 12.5 million children ages 2 to 19 are obese. Many people are starting to complain that the advertisements for these restaurants are the result of such a trend of obesity. Although there are currently advertising campaigns aimed at encouraging children to adopt a healthy lifestyle, there are still hundreds of advertisements that place restaurants with some sort of ultimatum. Either restaurants change their advertising or they improve their menus. In 1979, McDonalds introduced its world-famous Happy Meals to the public. It included a hamburger, a soft drink, fries and, not to mention, a toy that happy foods have become so famous for. To date, McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King and Wendy's all offer a kids' meal that comes with a toy. The children of course don't seem to mind the free gift they receive with each meal; However, parents are becoming furious that the free toy is a bad gadget that is making children unhealthy. Most of these ads use current children's films and existing toys. Advertisements are also not limited to games and prizes that are usually attached to the bag or box of the meal. The more popular the toy, the more likely children are to ask their parents to buy the meal. Well, some parents and advocates are fed up with the promotion of toys and have taken steps to no longer include toys in their child's meal. One county in particular, Santa Clara, California, has already started a movement to ban toys. In April 2010, 6 county officials vo...... middle of paper ......move.gov/?About McDonalds_2011. McDonald's Company. Internet. April 26, 13, 2011 http://www. aboutmcdonalds.com/mcdFast Food Facts_2011. Rudd Center. Internet. April 26, 2011http://fastfoodmarketing.org/?10 Webley, Kayla. "A Brief History of McDonald's Happy Meal-TIME." Fri April 30, 20105 Latest News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews-TIME.com. Internet. April 27, 2011. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599, 1986073,00.html4 “Obesity and overweight for professionals: Childhood: Data |DNPAO|CDC”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Internet. April 27, 2011 http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/data.html9 “San Francisco bans Happy Meal.” Latest news and opinions from the Huffington Post. January 2, 2011. April 27, 2011.8 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/02/san-francisco-happy-meal-ban-mcdonalds_n_777939.html