Tuesday, February 4, 2020

McDonald's PLAY Atari Scratch N’ Win Contest from 1982!


One of my favorite fast food promotions that I missed out on was McDonald’s PLAY Atari Scratch N’ Win contest from 1982. For a few months back in 1982 you could get these awesome scratch off game pieces that were based on Atari games with the purchase of large sandwiches and other menu items. It is my understanding that the way the Atari scratch off games worked was that you had to find a pair of matching food or prizes before revealing a zap spot. Based on the commercials, prizes varied from Atari 2600 Video Computer Systems to a friggin’ cabaret Centipede cabinet!

While the contest may be long gone, some wonderful people have uploaded the commercials promoting McDonald’s PLAY Atari Scratch N’ Win contest to youtube. So without further ado, join us as we "taste the thrill of Atari at McDonald’s" through these four retro commercials!



Commercial One:

This commercial happens to be one of my favorites. You have the family hanging out all super psyched as they eat McDonald's and watch mom kick ass at Centipede! The commercial does a great job showing off all of the big ticket prizes that could be won.




Commercial Two:

Here we have the one two punch of the Atari contest and the McRib! This commercial includes a few people playing the game as video game graphics jump out of the game pieces. The actors apparently do not adhere to the "less is more" mantra which only adds to the fun.




Commercial Three:

This commercial puts the prizes front and center. You still get some scenes of people overacting while they scratch off their game pieces. 




Commercial Four:

In our last commercial we have more families playing Atari and staring at an Atari computer before we jump to more people scratching game pieces. 

We hope you enjoyed our look at one of the greatest McDonald's promotions ever. Be sure to check back next week for yet another McDonald's promotion, only this time it is one we experienced first hand!

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