Australian couple hosts a McDonald’s party for one-year-old: Slammed by critics
An Australian couple has hit back at critics who described them as “bad parents” for throwing a McDonald’s themed party for their daughter’s first birthday.
Tattoo artist Maggie, 35, and her electrician husband Kieran, 36, from Victoria, invited 100 guests to their home for the lavish $3,000 backyard event.
“We chose the theme because we remembered how much fun we used to have at Macca’s parties when we were kids — and we’d just bought the old McDonald’s playground for Murphy’s first birthday present,” Maggie told FEMAIL.
On the day itself, guests were served burgers, chips, nugget boxes, a few buckets of KFC, slushies, and celery and carrot sticks that remained ‘untouched’.
But after sharing a video of the 2019 party on TikTok, others were quick to criticize, with some saying the party was a waste of money as Murphy won’t remember it.
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Aussie mom Maggie (left with eldest daughter) and her husband Kieran (right) hosted a McDonald’s party for their daughter Murphy’s first birthday (left) in 2019
100 guests attended the backyard event and were served burgers, fries, nugget boxes, a few buckets of KFC and slushies (Photo: The Food)
“We decided to throw a big party because it took us over three years to conceive, so it was a huge milestone,” Maggie said.
The couple bought a used McDonald’s playground from eBay for $5,000 and the party itself cost $3,000.
“It (the second-hand playground) was one of our best buys because when we went into lockdown and playgrounds closed, we had our own. My daughter plays in it most days,” Maggie added.
On the day of the party, the couple rented an inflatable slide and ball pit because the playground hadn’t been set up yet.
“We decided to throw a big party because it took us over three years to conceive, so it was a huge milestone,” Maggie said. The couple bought a used McDonald’s playground from eBay for $5,000 and the party itself cost $3,000. On the day they rented an inflatable slide (Photo: 2019’s party)
‘The day went very well. All the kids were excited that we had McDonalds and that was a great novelty,” said Maggie.
Both children and parents enjoyed the inflatable slide and all food was eaten alongside the vegetable sticks
The couple have two daughters: Murphy, four, Billie, two.
On November 23 this year, Maggie shared a video of the event on TikTok, which has garnered over 3 million views and left strangers intrigued.
Some called the theme the “best party ever,” while others said the fries “would have gone cold quickly.”
Maggie says the second-hand playground was worth every dollar as it was used to keep their kids entertained during the lockdown. The couple now have two daughters: Murphy, four, Billie, two
After sharing a video from the 2019 party on TikTok, others were quick to criticize, some saying the party was a waste of money as Murphy won’t remember it.
“Lots of people loved TikTok, but we also got a lot of criticism, which is to be expected when I start sharing my life online,” Maggie said, adding, “But I think people shouldn’t be so quick to judge and label someone like a bad parent. So I try not to respond to the negative comments’
Some even went so far as to call Maggie and Kieran “bad parents” for serving McDonald’s at a children’s party.
“A lot of people loved TikTok, but we also got a lot of criticism, which is to be expected when I start sharing my life online,” Maggie said.
‘But I do think people shouldn’t be so quick to judge and call someone a bad parent. So I try not to respond to the negative comments.’
“To the people who say why spoil when they don’t remember – it’s worth it when you see how much fun they have that day.”
She added that Murphy is now four and “likes” to watch videos from the party. In the future, they will probably organize a children’s birthday party again.
Maggie decided to share their story to emphasize how mean others can be on the internet and that you shouldn’t judge too quickly.
