A McDonald's customer has joked 'randy' Ronald is inviting customers to attend 'swingers parties' - as one of their Happy Meal side snacks appears to reference a 'secret symbol' used to initiate saucy meet-ups.
Dieting Matthew Leggett thought he'd picked a boring option by ordering a pineapple stick alongside his meal at the fast food giant's Bracknell, Berkshire, store.
But when the 31-year-old read his pineapple's wrapper he burst into laughter upon spotting printed text that said, 'some people say that pineapples, when upside down, can taste sweeter'.
The 'upside-down pineapple' is said to be a discreet sign used by swingers to 'identify themselves' in public and request a meet-up without overtly revealing their raunchy interests.
Matthew says he recognised the reference after seeing a woman had one tattooed on her, only for TikTok viewers to point out its hidden meaning
He immediately explained the link to fiancee 25-year-old Kate Whitaker and posted images of the wrapper and its message to Twitter.
The post cheekily questioned if McDonald's was 'trying to tell him something' and even jokingly branded McDonald's mascot Ronald McDonald 'Randy Ronald'.
He's since said the comment, printed in a font that looks like it's been written in pen, appears like Ronald is 'inviting customers to a swingers party'.
He speculated that a 'cheeky copywriter' had put it there as a 'wink wink' joke - in a similar manner to the Magic Roundabout innuendos.
Matthew, from Wokingham, Berkshire, said: "It sounds like they're inviting you to a swingers party because it’s one of those things that either you know about or you don’t. It feels a bit like a 'wink wink'.
"I’m trying to diet so I was reading [the wrapper] to distract myself from my fiancée eating her chips, so when I read it I laughed.
"I told her but she didn’t know the significance of the upside-down pineapple so I had to Google it and show her.
"I knew because I’d seen an article about a girl with a pineapple tattoo who had found out it was swinger code when she posted it on TikTok and she was inundated with comments.
"I thought it was funny as fruit packs, like pineapple sticks, are usually with Happy Meals for kids rather than adult meals.
"It's cheeky. It might encourage people to have an upside-down pineapple on display in their homes to see if it really is sweeter.
"If you have some friends over or parents of your children's friends they might get the wrong idea. It might lead to some awkward conversations!"
Matthew posted the images, along with a screenshot of him Googling 'upside-down pineapple symbol', within minutes of spotting the reference.
He's even speculated it could have been written by a joking designer who thought customers, including children, may not catch on to the 'swingers code' reference.
Matthew said: "It might have been a cheeky copywriter having a bit of a laugh knowing that children wouldn’t understand the significance, like the Magic Roundabout innuendos.
"It’s like an Easter egg in a game or a Marvel film, where you would only notice it or remember it if you know about it already."
Matthew's Twitter post said: "Got a pineapple stick from McDonald's. Is there something you're trying to tell us? Randy Ronald."
McDonald's has been contacted for comment.
