McDonald's golden archesEver since its creation in 1979, the Happy Meal has had a strange hold over children. We can remember being 6 years old, pining badly for the kid's meal, mostly because it came with a "toy."

Looking back, our behavior didn't make a whole lot of sense; whatever cheaply made trinket that McDonald's included in that magic cardboard box with a burger, fries and soft drink would clearly be inferior to 95 percent of the toys we already had at home. Yet we were still insanely jealous of the kid with the guilt-addled, divorced parents who let him get Happy Meals every night for dinner and had the roster of Taiwanese-made plastic treats to prove it.

Happy meals are still very popular among the young set. Because they are often used to market new movies, the toys have gotten considerably more elaborate.

If Santa Clara County, in California, has its way, however, the long reign of the Happy Meal toy will end. Last month the county's board of supervisors, citing out-of-control childhood obesity rates, voted 3 to 2 to ban restaurants from adding toys to meals with more than 485 calories -- which would include Happy Meals.

At first sniff, this story outraged us -- a Happy Meal without a toy is like an American flag without the stars. However, upon less-emotional reflection, and a review of the childhood obesity stats, maybe those meddlesome local politicians are onto something.

Let us know what you think, and read on for the pros and cons of taking the "happy" out of the Happy Meal.

Should the Happy Meal toy be banned?
No way -- that's ridiculous 651 (49.7%)
Probably not -- but childhood obesity rates need to be addressed423 (32.3%)
Yes -- if the government doesn't step in, the country will literally sink235 (18.0%)


Bad Idea, Santa Clara!
Why not just ban kid's meals with over 485 calories? If anything, that all-new "Shrek Forever After" toy is going to keep fatty junior too busy to demand that his stressed-out mom hook him up with a yummy apple pie desert -- and maybe some more French fries.

If you take the fun out of childhood junk-food consumption, the little tykes will be forced to grow up fast. And that means the elementary school set will soon discover more sophisticated fast food options, like Starbucks, which features quite a few drinks that have more calories than Happy Meals.

Right On!
Everybody flipped out about that 2-year-old from Indonesia who chain smokes. And while a Happy Meal habit isn't as bad as a two-pack-a-day habit, if you've seen "Super Size Me," you know the awful things a McDonald's-heavy diet can do to the human body. And those inexplicably addictive little toys are to Happy Meals as nicotine is to cigarettes.

As the appetites of our nation's youths get more and more out of control, we're going to need to ban Happy Meal toys -- or run the risk of a choking epidemic.