mcdonald's

The 80s and 90s were the heyday of ball pits and elevated tubes. For me, it was at IKEA, in particular. I remember many weekends spent crawling around in the supervised ball pit while my parents shopped for affordable Swedish furniture. For many others, McDonald's Play Place was the absolute mecca. Greasy cheeseburgers, salty French fries, sodas, ice cream, and unlimited access to a relatively state-of-the-art indoor playground? It was heaven!

Times have obviously changed. Some parents are more mindful of what their kids are eating on a regular basis, others are more wary of the germs floating around in these communal and rarely-cleaned spaces. Others still struggle with the fact that taking a family of four out for McDonald's Happy Meals and burgers isn't nearly as affordable as it used to be. Add it all up and you've got a recipe for major changes to the thing we remember so fondly from our childhoods.

A woman recently shared a stark photo of a modern McDonald's Play Place. It's honestly shocking how much things have changed.

In the photo posted by Nancy French on X, we see a mostly empty corner of a McDonald's restaurant with a jovially painted wall and two chairs placed directly in front of a couple of touchscreen devices that presumably have games and puzzles loaded onto them. That's...it. That's the whole play area.

"This is so heart breaking. I’m at a new McDonalds in Franklin, TN and look at their 'play place' for children. Two screens/two chairs," she wrote.

In a follow up photo after visiting the same location, French shared that the restaurant had added a jumping-pad sort of apparatus. But even still, it's a far cry from the incredible jungle gyms of our youth. French added that it didn't seem like the space was unfinished and waiting for a further build out. It was spartan by design.

The photo sparked disappointment at first, but then a wave of nostalgia.

French's photo struck a nerve across generations. Millennials, Gen X, and even Boomers were outraged by what they say. The photo racked up over 16 million views on X as more and more comments poured in, mostly from people who missed the "good old days" and were sad this generation of kids might miss out on those same experiences.

"That's so depressing," one user wrote bluntly.

"Where have all the ball-pits gone? I gained 90% of my immune system from those growing up," said another.

"When I was growing up our local McDonald’s had ball pits and a huge slide into them from a bunch of inner tubes you crawled in. I’m so [grateful] I grew up without screens," someone added.

"This image hurts me, because it's like....I remember the sheer joy of those play places. Spending 40 minutes running around like a rugrat in tunnels and slides and ball pits while giving my mom a whole 40 minutes to sit and do nothing but breath as a single mom (which now as a dad I comprehend fully 100000%)? This is dystopia," wrote a reddit user after the photo was reposted in the subreddit r/ABoringDystopia, which, honestly, perfectly captures the vibe.

More and more fast food restaurants are ditching kids playgrounds. Why?

Fast food joints bulldozing their playgrounds, or not even bothering to add a proper playground to new builds, is a noticeable phenomenon. I've seen it where I live, as well. We have a McDonald's or two nearby with good play areas, but all the other fast food brands in the area have gotten rid of theirs.

There are a few reasons why the "play place" is becoming more of a rarity:

Insurance and liability: Restaurants that choose to have a playground on-site must be insured against potential accidents and injuries that might happen on their property. It's actually a bit of a myth that Americans are incredibly litigious, but McDonald's in particular has faced a number of high-profile lawsuits and may rather not expose themselves to more.

Germs & post-COVID: Another thing COVID ruined! Public kid's play spaces like ones in fast food restaurants didn't see much use in 2020 and 2021 and, in fact, became a bit of a waste of space. Many closed down permanently during this time and never reopened. In 2025 and beyond, parents are a lot more worried about the spread of disease in hard-to-clean places like ball pits and play tubes.

More room for drive-throughs: Due to COVID lockdown restrictions, a lot of fast food restaurants invested heavily in expanding their drive-through operations. Drive-throughs continue to be far more popular than eating inside fast food restaurants, and play areas take up valuable real estate that could accommodate more cars.

Even the design and aesthetic of fast food restaurants has become gray, modern, and sterile in comparison to the vibrant colors of decades past. Some design experts say "gray" is taking over the world with minimalist design becoming more popular. It's almost like they don't want you to feel happy and comfortable in the restaurant, so you'll eat elsewhere.

Still, some argue that no more slides, ball pits, and tubes at fast food restaurants isn't as much of a loss as it seems.

Maybe it should have been a red flag that we needed to go to McDonald's for affordable food and a safe place for kids to run around in the first place.

"The slides are fun, but why do they have to be at McDonald's? Why are public play areas often few and far between, and good, inexpensive food so hard to come by? Why are our happy childhood memories branded with the golden arches or the logos of other mega companies, to the point that we almost feel a kind of nostalgic brand loyalty as we reminisce about our earliest days, our recollections all too similar to television ads?" one commenter wrote on Reddit.

Whatever the case, I hope these places never disappear completely, and that the pendulum swings back the other way. Maybe the days of hosting your birthday party at McDonald's is over, but it's still nice to have a somewhat affordable and fun place to take your kids that you know they'll enjoy. I have strong positive memories of spaces like this from my own childhood and hope that my kids will have the same opportunity.