prizes

McDonalds Monopoly Board Winners

September 22, 2015 By Alexa Mason Leave a Comment

It goes without saying that most people at one point or another have played McDonalds Monopoly game. In fact, people are so enthusiastic about the game you now can find websites, Facebook groups, and other types of social media dedicated to the game. Games are usually introduced with great fanfare, and the playing time is usually around 2 months. Players receive game pieces as they make their normal purchases.

Why is the McDonalds Monopoly game so popular? Perhaps it’s so popular because it’s so easy to play. Or, it’s so popular because Monopoly taps into our competitive spirit and reminds us of nights playing Monopoly with our friends? The long-standing joke is that Monopoly creates enemies. Fortunately, McDonald’s Monopoly doesn’t!

Some of the reasons why McDonalds Monopoly is so popular is that it’s the game we grew up with, without creating enemies. Last year’s prizes included: meeting Lebron James, trips for 2 to the Super Bowl, and $10,000 towards utility bill payments. Also, Monopoly is the best game ever for competitive people.

There is also the ultimate McDonalds Monopoly game prize which is a cash prize of 1 million dollars. The prize is paid in small increments over time, typically around $50,000 a year. If you’re hoping to win, it’s not that odds are forever in your favor-but that it’s difficult to win the big cash prize. It’s part of the thrill of playing.

In 2010 John Kehoe became the only million dollar prize winner in the U.S. and Canada. Interestingly enough, of all the items chose to order, he ordered the oft maligned McRib sandwich. The McRib is also a cult favorite for numerous fans and was brought back more than once. At the time that John won, he was jobless so winning the million dollars happened at the right moment for him.

But, John’s winning the grand prize is, in fact, an unusual event because there are very few winners of the million-dollar prize. Most people who play and win will likely win food related prizes according to businessinsider.com Given that there are so few cash prize winners, how is it that the McDonalds Monopoly game continues to be so popular with its patrons? My guess is that most people DO experience winning in some fashion while playing the game. As mentioned before, most people will win food related prizes. This is nice because patrons are awarded instantly and everyone loves to experience that feeling!

Other prizes that patrons can win include a number of in-store items such as:

• French Fries

• Quarter Pounder with cheese

• McCafe drinks

It’s safe to say that most of us most likely won’t be winning the big bucks, but it’s a lot of fun and super easy to play. In terms of marketing, McDonalds Monopoly game connects with its core clientele in a fun and interactive way that places very little pressure on its customers. I’m looking forward to playing the next time the game starts up. Who knows, maybe I’ll win the million dollar prize.

Chiquita Bananas Minion Sweepstakes Extended for Today Only! Tons of Prizes Left!

July 31, 2015 By Will Lipovsky Leave a Comment

Extended for today only (July 31st, 2015) is the Chiquita Bananas Minion Sweepstakes! You can win tons of prizes – up to 4 prizes per hour. They include trips, towels, water bottles, and more. To get started, simply go to the minions sweepstakes page. If you’re not ready to get started just yet, read this post to learn about the many ways to win.

My favorite way to win is just by clicking ‘Instant Win‘ at the top of the page. From there, you click the big ‘instant win’ button on the page. To claim your prize, you just need to login or signup. I’ve been subscribed to Chiquita emails for months now and I’ve never be spammed by them. The emails are so infrequent, I hope they haven’t forgotten about me.

Besides the instant win button, there are 5 other fun ways to play. Note: Just click on each image to go to the website:

This game is super easy but requires you to have some Chiquita bananas in your possession. Who doesn’t need bananas? They are cheap and healthy. I like to use them for nice cream. Definitely go get a few bunches today. Anyway, all you do is scan the sticker with your phone and text CHIQUITA to 44844. There are 32 stickers you can scan to win prizes. Thus, there are many ways to win in a hurry. Text STOP to the same number to stop receiving text messages from Chiquita.

This way to win isn’t as simple but it’s definitely more fun. It’s a fun memory test game. You complete all 7 levels to win a prize. If you do well, you even get your name on the official top score list on the right of the page. Thousands of people around the world will see your name up in lights! They are really fun, really simple games. They feel like the games being played in the Lumosity TV commercials.

This is by far the most fun game to play for me. Who doesn’t like to shoot stuff at targets?! It’s like a fun carnival game you can play from home. You simply toss bananas at moving targets. If you get a good score, you earn a good prize! Right now it only takes 10,000 points to get on the high scores list! Prop tip: lead your shots – but not by much.

Sticker showdown is another easy way to win a prize! You simply vote for your favorite Chiquita minion stickers. I voted on 4 stickers before being asked to login to claim my prize. It’s also cool because you can see how others voted – 60% for one sticker, 40% for the other, etc. It was kind of fun to see if my selections matched everyone else’s preferences.

The FINAL way to win (method 6 of 6) is to share a digital Minion greeting card from the Minion Cardmaker. Have your child send one to a friend or family member. Or send one to a kid you know. It’s fun to send cards – plus you have a chance to win a prize. It’s like be rewarded for being kind. Pretty great if you ask me!

Click here to get started playing and winning!

Cute Marketing? McDonald’s Apparently Giving Toys That Swear

July 13, 2015 By Will Lipovsky 2 Comments

One week ago, McDonald’s released Minion Mania for the month of July. It’s the result of Universal and McDonald’s teaming up to promote the new movie, Minions (a prequel to Despicable Me). This month, McDonald’s is giving away Minion toys in Happy Meals, over $1 million in cash, and hundreds of thousands of toys. But this marketing campaign may have a sour twist.

As soon as the game began, reports of potty-mouth Minions began appearing online. Parents were outraged when these toys, apparently, spoke profanity. Parents from all over took to the internet to let themselves be heard.

You will most likely find this story either silly or sickening or maybe even down right despicable.

Many people believe the Minions have two foul-mouthed phrases:

“What the f**k?”

and

“I’ll be damned.”

News of this spread quickly. McDonald’s quickly answered for these allegations:

Minions speak ‘Minionese’ which is a random combination of many languages and nonsense words and sounds. ‘Minionese’ has no translation to, or meaning in any recognized language. Any perceived similarities to words used within the English language is purely coincidental.

McDonald’s went on to say the toys go through rigorous testing before being rolled out to children. McDonald’s also said all their Happy Meal toys comply with all safety regulations. McDonald’s claims they are perfectly appropriate for children.

Parents are concerned because they don’t want these phrases to be repeated by their children. Some parents believe if the toys aren’t saying curse words – it still sounds like they are swearing. Since kids do not understand Minionese, they will use their own language to decipher what is being said. Cut Minionese phrases sound like foul-mouthed English phrases to some parents.

Happy Meals (which the toys come in) are targeted at children. Children are impressionable. Even if the toys comply with all government toy distributions standards, one must ask if McDonald’s did this on purpose.

The Illinois-based company design these toys understand the English language. Did they ever consider the toy, at least somewhat, sounds like it is using words most parents find to be ‘bad’? Maybe yes, maybe no.

However, nothing can be known for certain. McDonald’s denies it has done anything wrong. Many other parents believe the toys are just fine – whether they speak profanity or not.

McDonald’s has no plans to recall the toys.

This is a qualitative argument which has no definite answer.

As found through neurology, human brains try hard to find meaning in everything. It’s why we can see shapes in clouds. It’s why we see more in paintings that just brush strokes. Not long ago, people were seeing the face of Jesus in potato chips and burnt into their morning slice of toast. Humans want to find the deeper meaning in things. It’s what makes us human.

Our brains do the same sort of detective work when we listen. We want to find meaning. Some people may really believe the toys are swearing at them. But this could just be their brain’s attempting to relate a common phrase in English to what the Minions are saying in Minionese. Our brains can get confused.

I invite you to finish this article yourself. Is this McDonald’s toy swearing? Is it just innocent Minionese? Should you even care because McDonald’s is a ridiculous waste of money? Leave a comment below after watching the video:

The Odds of Winning McDonald’s Minion Mania

July 7, 2015 By Will Lipovsky 2 Comments

The Minions have invaded McDonald’s! Starting today and going until August 3rd, 2015, McDonald’s is hosting Minion Mania. If you want the nity grity details about this game at McDonald’s, read this post we wrote earlier in the week. If you want a brief overview, here it is:

Minion Mania is an instant win game hosted by McDonald’s. It’s much like the hugely popular McDonald’s Monopoly. You buy food, collect the code off the eligible food package (not all food qualifies) and enter online to win some pretty awesome prizes. What if you don’t like McDonald’s? That’s okay. You can play without making a single purchase. To do so, read this article we wrote earlier today.

There are TONS of prizes be be had with this game. 361,295,467 to be exact. They are giving away everything from $1 million in cash prizes to trips to Universal Studios. All prizes are up for grabs beginning today. Here are the prizes and their respective odds:

Medium Soft Drink

Odds of Winning: Odds 1 in 31

Sundae

Odds of Winning: Odds 1 in 41

Sausage McGriddles

Odds of Winning: Odds 1 in 61

Small Fries

Odds of Winning: Odds: 1 in 61

Small McCafé Smoothie

Odds of Winning: Odds 1 in 61

Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait

Odds of Winning: Odds 1 in 61

Large Iced Coffee

Odds of Winning: Odds: 1 in 61

Premium Chicken sandwich

Odds of Winning: 1 in 121

Quarter Pounder w/Cheese

Odds of Winning: Odds 1 in 121

Chicken Snack Wrap

Odds of Winning: 1 in 121

Minions Movie Ticket

Odds of Winning: 1 in 1,446

Despicable Me 2: Mini-Movie Collection Download (3 mini movies)

Odds of Winning: 1 in 3,613

$50 Arch Card

Odds of Winning: 1 in 463,200

NBC Sports Experience Trip

Odds of Winning: 1 in 13,895,980

NBC Show Experience

Odds of Winning: 1 in 18,064,774

Trip to Universal Orlando Resort

Odds of Winning: 1 in 25,806,820

Trip to Universal Studios Hollywood

Odds of Winning: 1 in 25,806,820

There’s also an online sweepstakes which runs each week. You can enter up to 10 times a day. The prize each week is $250,000! However, I can’t give you the odds of winning those jackpots ($1 million in total). Those odds are yet to be determined. We all know McDonald’s will sell 361,295,467 eligible menu items but we’re unsure how many people will enter the $250,000 drawing each week.

An Analysis of the Odds

The odds may seem depressing. But fear not. Once you factor in all 361,295,467 prizes, your overall chance of winning at least something jumps to 1 out of 6. This means, if you’re a regular McDonald’s patron, you’ll probably win something! Plus,the game is fun. And you may discover a new menu item you enjoy after winning it. That or maybe you’ll just enjoy the sweet taste of victory.

To keep your spirits high, here are three things with wayyy worse odds than 1 in 6. Of course, all of these things have much less to do with luck than the Minion Mania game:

Becoming a Movie Star

Odds of Winning: 1 in 1,505,000

Becoming a Billionaire

Odds of Winning: 1 in 7,000,000

Winning $1,000 in the McDonald’s Monopoly Game

Odds of Winning: 1 in 36,950,005

See, the odds of winning something at McDonald’s this month are actually pretty respectable. I don’t know about you but even just winning a small fry sounds alright to me. Make sure to stay tuned for more posts about Minion Mania. Please comment below if you’ve won something. It’s fun to brag and everyone loves hearing good news!

Have fun!

How to Play McDonald’s Minion Mania for FREE

July 7, 2015 By Will Lipovsky 2 Comments

This post is about how to enter the McDonald’s Minion Mania contest for FREE. There are tons of prizes offered including food, cash rewards ($1 million will be given in total), and trips to Universal Studios.

Moments ago, I finished testing this method. It works.

Yesterday, McDonald’s had a claim code on their website. By using it, a person could get two free submissions into the Minion Mania contest. I went to the site today and it was taken down.

But the fine print still says, ‘No Purchase Necessary to Play.’ When you click ‘How to Win’ it says you need a claim code – which the site says can be found on food containers upon purchase. That doesn’t make any sense without first reading this article. How can you play for free without buying something? There’s a way.

Luckily enough, I remembered the free claim code advertised on the site yesterday before it was taken down. I also have the information that says it is good until 11:59:59 p.m. EST on July 13, 2015. With this code, you get 1 entry for the week 1 drawing and 1 entry into the final drawing. Yes, this one claim code will earn you a chance to win $500,000 ($250,000 for week 1 and $250,000 for the final week’s drawing) + other prizes like trips and food!

Step 1

Go to http://minionsatmcd.com/ (link opens in new tab)

Step 2

Enter MINIONMANIA and hit ‘submit’

Step 3

Fill out the necessary information. The form does require you to input a telephone number as well as email. That’s the only annoying part. Leave the box about promotional emails unchecked if you don’t want McDonald’s sending you mail on a regular basis. The form takes approximately 20 seconds. Submission complete.

Incentives to Do This

The McDonald’s Minion Mania contest is similar to McDonald’s Monopoly. The contest is time limited and there are TONS of prizes to win. In fact, there are 361,295,467 prizes to be claimed in just one month. The contest is also limited to the United States, Guam, and Saipan (an island near Guam). The odds of winning at least something is 1 out of 6. Go to McDonald’s just a few times this month and your chances of winning one of those 361,295,467 prizes are pretty high. Granted, McDonald’s openly states that most prizes are food items. Here’s what you’re most likely to win:

Premium Chicken Sandwich
Quarter Pounder w/Cheese
Small Fries
Chicken Snack Wrap
Small McCafé Smoothie
Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait
Large Iced Coffee
Sausage McGriddles
Sundae
Medium Soft Drink

How to Keep Playing after Using the Free Code

You get 10 code submissions per day. Here’s how to get the codes.

Remember, the free code only gets you two submissions. If you want to improve your odds, you must buy McDonald’s food. While this doesn’t make for much of an investment (you’ll likely spend more on food than you’ll win) if you’re eating at McD’s anyway, you may as well play the game! Here are the food items to buy in order to get the codes to play the game:

Big Mac
Egg McMuffin
Sausage McMuffin with Egg
Egg White Delight McMuffin
10-piece Chicken McNuggets
20-piece Chicken McNuggets
Large or Medium Fries (your best choice if you want lots of chances to win)
Premium Salads
Large McCafé Frozen Beverages

But EVERYONE should enter the free code given above. It takes less time to enter that code than it does to order a Big Mac.

More posts coming about other tips and tricks for playing McDonald’s Minion Mania.

Enjoy playing – just don’t win my $$$! 🙂

The Top 5 Prizes You’re Most Likely to Win in McDonald’s Minion Mania Game

July 6, 2015 By Will Lipovsky 10 Comments

FOOD! You’re most likely to win food in the McDonald’s Minion Mania game. It’s just as with the McDonald’s Monopoly game. But there are 5 other prizes which you do have a respectable shot of winning. I’ll get to those in a second.

Telling you about the many different types of food you can win would make an awfully boring post, don’t you think? I think so. However, it is worth mentioning the types of food items you can (and probably will) receive. Your odds of winning are 1 out of 6 according to the official Minions at McDonald’s page. Most (59,980,601) of the 361,295,467 game prizes are for food items. Here’s a quick run down of what types of food items you can hope to win. Then we’ll get onto the better prizes which still have decent odds:

Premium Chicken Sandwich
Quarter Pounder w/Cheese
Chicken Snack Wrap
Small McCafé Smoothie
Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait
Large Iced Coffee
Sausage McGriddles
Small Fries
Sundae
Medium Soft Drink

Now I’m hungry. Let’s move on to the bigger prizes:

Minions Movie Ticket – 250,000 available – Odds of Winning: 1 in 1,446

It’s a Fandango movie promo code valid for one showing of Minions (up to $13). Must be redeemed by 9/30/15.

Despicable Me 2 Mini-Movie Download – 100,000 available – Odds of Winning: 1 in 3,613

It’s a special 3 mini-movie collection starring characters from Despicable Me 2 and Minions. It’s a digital download worth $4.99.

Despicable Me 2 Movie Download – 1,000 available – Odds of Winning: 1 in 361,296

This free movie download may be just what your family wants. The movie is 2-years-old by now but animated movies hold up well, don’t you think? This prize is worth $2.99.

$50 Arch Card – 780 available – Odds of Winning: 1 in 463,200

This is a killer prize! Imagine getting $50 worth of food off the dollar menu. That’s a lot of free food.

NBC Sports Experience Trip – 26 available – Odds of Winning: 1 in 13,895,980

If this isn’t enough reason to take your kids to McDonald’s – I don’t know what is. 26 lucky winners will receive a 3-day, 2-night trip for 2 to attend a live-action NBC Sports Experience. This may even be for a playoff game. Date and time restrictions apply, of course. The prize holder gets to decide what sport they would like to attend. The winner will also receive a check for a discretionary $500. This prize is worth $4,200. Age restrictions apply.

Feeling Lucky?

There are other prizes up for grabs for the lucky few. For instance, each week McDonald’s is giving away $250,000 to one lucky winner. This runs from July 7th to August 3rd. Yep – McDonald’s will be giving $1,000,000 as part of their Minion Mania contest.

There are also several trips available to Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. There will be 14 winners for each of the prizes. They are 4-day, 3-night experiences.

The chances of winning these contests is pretty slim. But if you’re going to eat at McDonald’s anyway, you may as well try your luck. Buy any of these participating food items to earn a chance for a prize:

Big Mac
Egg McMuffin
Sausage McMuffin with Egg
Egg White Delight McMuffin
Large McCafé Frozen Beverages
10 or 20-piece Chicken McNuggets
Large or Medium Fries (your best choice if you want lots of chances to win)
Premium Salads

Did I mention you don’t necessarily have to spend a cent to enter this contest? To use a snazzy promo code and submit your name for free, click here.

Note: If you haven’t read this post, What Everyone Should Know about the McDonald’s Minion Mania Instant Win Game, you definitely should before playing.

Check out this post for tons more ways to win but it’s for TODAY ONLY!

Good luck!