The New McDonald’s Hamburglar Is Causing People A Lot Of Conflicted Emotions

You probably remember the Hamburglar from your childhood, he was the chubby-looking, striped cartoon thief who stole hamburgers and sold junk food to kids. But now, as with most things from your childhood, he's been given a reboot.

It's also no secret that McDonald’s sales have slumped recently, maybe because there’s too much competition and possibly a change in the appetite of the public who feel they want healthier food?

So just like TV shows that have run their course, it's time to either introduce a new character into the plot, or re-invent an old one. Enter Hamburglar.

Alongside flagging sales turnover it also looks like revival is happening because McDonald's is trying to hawk it's new "artisan" burger the Sirloin Third Pound Burger. But people are confused. Very confused.

There's basically two camps, those who think he looks like a handsome hipster/suburban dad and those who think he's a creep.

So new burger, new Hamburglar. Here's what he looks like.

And here's some of the reactions he's been getting on Twitter.

What do you think? Do you prefer the old Hamburglar or the new one?

One person who is defending the cause is actor James Franco who, when he was first trying to break into acting in the Hollywood scene needed some cash and a steady job to survive. After being turned down for waiting jobs in fancy restaurants he went to the nearest Mickey D’s and was hired the same day.

There's a great interview with him on the Washington Post you should check out about his time at the Golden Arches and how he feels they helped him get his first big break in Tinsel Town.

He says, "I was treated fairly well at McDonald’s. If anything, they cut me slack. And, just like their food, the job was more available there than anywhere else."

And just like a Hollywood movie it had a happy ending, James tells the Washington Post, "After three months of working at McDonald’s, I booked a Super Bowl commercial for Pizza Hut. Because it was for the Super Bowl, it was very elaborate: a computer-generated Elvis singing and serving the new Deep Dish pizza. From that point on, I could support myself through acting."

According to Franco it was a great place to work, snarfing down fries from the hopper and testing out foreign accents on customers. You can't argue with that.