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Omaha Steve

(99,669 posts) Sat Jul 11, 2015, 08:40 AM Jul 2015

Why toy 'Minion' curse words might just all be in your head

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150710/us--mcdonalds-swearing_minion-f6b126085e.html

Jul 10, 5:11 PM (ET)

By MARLEY JAY

NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's swears up and down that the little yellow "Minions" Happy Meal toy is speaking only nonsense words and not something a little more adult.

Experts say the company may be right, and the curse words many hear may be tied to how our brains are primed to find words even when they're not really there.

The world's largest hamburger chain and purveyor of Happy Meals said Friday that it doesn't plan to take the talking Happy Meal toy out of distribution, even though some customers say it sounds like it's cursing.

A toy bought by The Associated Press made a sound that could be interpreted as the phrase often abbreviated as "WTF." Another phrase sounded like it could be "Well I'll be damned." The sound quality of the toy makes it hard to say definitively who is right.

FULL story at link.

In this July 7, 2015, photo, images of Minions adorn a McDonald's restaurant, in Chicago. McDonald's says some customers have complained that a talking toy inspired by the movie "Minions," that is included in recent Happy Meals, uses curse words. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

12 replies

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Highlight:

Why toy 'Minion' curse words might just all be in your head (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jul 2015 OP

They fight over the remote in a cable TV commercial advertising voice remotes, and MADem Jul 2015 #1

People hear what they want to hear. hobbit709 Jul 2015 #2

I thought he had that look because he found out... LynneSin Jul 2015 #3

That, and they hear what they're told to hear. Igel Jul 2015 #5

Didn't we go through this years ago with Furbys? csziggy Jul 2015 #4

Great now I gotta go out and get a Happy Meal so I can have a cursing minion. Kalidurga Jul 2015 #6

That was my first thought too! tammywammy Jul 2015 #8

LOL GMTA nt Kalidurga Jul 2015 #11

Play it backwards and then you'll be worshipping the devil. Cal Carpenter Jul 2015 #7

I always like what Bill Hicks said: Initech Jul 2015 #12

This is hilarious. cwydro Jul 2015 #9

Wouldnt be the first time a cartoon got away with it LostOne4Ever Jul 2015 #10

MADem

(135,425 posts)

1. They fight over the remote in a cable TV commercial advertising voice remotes, and

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jul 11, 2015, 08:43 AM

Jul 2015

TOP CHEF sounds, to me, like TOUGH SHIT.... http://www.ispot.tv/ad/70ps/xfinity-x1-voice-remote-minions

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)

2. People hear what they want to hear.

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jul 11, 2015, 08:49 AM

Jul 2015

Just like seeing what they want to see in a burnt tortilla.

LynneSin

(95,337 posts)

3. I thought he had that look because he found out...

Reply to hobbit709 (Reply #2)

Sat Jul 11, 2015, 09:01 AM

Jul 2015

what actually is put in a McDonald's Chicken McNugget

Just saying....

Igel

(35,323 posts)

5. That, and they hear what they're told to hear.

Reply to hobbit709 (Reply #2)

Sat Jul 11, 2015, 09:44 AM

Jul 2015

That's called priming, and while a lot of the embedded consciousness psych research is drivel, priming is a real effect. Watched a video recently where the voice-over proudly gave a number of people in the frame. If you counted, you'd come up with half, but lots of others did the easy thing and cited the voice-over. Some even said they clearly saw what the voice-over said happened before the first second of the video. "Did you see that guy ___________?" (Well, no, because the video started a few minutes after that.)

The embedded consciousness research, last I checked, fell into two camps. Those who believed it happened and fairly often replicated other researchers' work, and those who did not, and couldn't replicate other researchers' work even given the same stimuli and protocols.)

Our minds play games over all sorts of things. Our attention gets focused and tunes out what's there; it hears or sees something, and is ready to hear or see related things; if nobody focuses it for us, we tend to find something to focus on, anyway, even if it's not there. The bane of science. But nifty for trying to sort out what's going on in the brain.