Ronald McDonald contributes to obesity epidemic: US poll

Kid-friendly Ronald McDonald contributes to the United States' growing obesity epidemic by luring youngsters to fast food joints, a poll has revealed.

"This clown is no friend to our children or their health," said Deborah Lapidus of Corporate Accountability International, a group that sponsored the poll and protests outside McDonald's around the country.

"He is a deep-fried Joe Camel for the 21st century," she said.

Around 47 percent of the Americans quizzed in the poll said that it was time for him to go.

Health experts argue that Ronald weakens parents' authority by being so attractive to kids, reports The New York Daily News.

"It's not acceptable to market unhealthy products to children, and I think the retirement of Ronald McDonald would be a step in the right direction," said Nicholas Freudenberg, a public health professor at Hunter College.