McDonald's new Happy Meal mascot 'scares' social media users

OAK BROOK, Ill., May 20 (UPI) -- McDonald's new mascot, Happy, aimed at getting children to eat healthy, has gone viral on social media with most people feeling the mascot looks very scary.

The new animated Happy Meal character will be introduced nationwide May 23, and was originally introduced in France in 2009. Happy is expected to be an ambassador for balanced and wholesome eating and bring "fun and excitement" to children's meals.

Here is McDonald's tweet introducing Happy to Twitter:

But social media, especially Twitter, has exploded with tweets from users suggesting that the mascot looks so terrifying it will automatically stop children from eating McDonald's. Happy is a red box, similar to McDonald's fries' packaging, and has arms and legs with two beady eyes with the golden arches on its head.

"Happy is about bringing more fun and excitement to kids' meals, including eating wholesome food choices like low-fat yogurt," McDonald's said.

And here are some of Twitter's reactions to Happy:

Some users were worried about Happy's intentions.

Others didn't like that he has legs.