Thousands of vintage McDonald's memorabilia pieces will be auctioned for charity

If you've ever wanted a life-size figure of Ronald McDonald or Mayor McCheese, here's your chance.

Thousands of vintage McDonald's memorabilia pieces will go up for auction Saturday in a benefit for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida, which helps families of children suffering medical needs.

"There are a lot of memories here,'' said Ashley Gillis, the organization's community relations manager. "You walk in and you can just remember how excited you were as a kid to go to McDonald's and get a Happy Meal. It's something we can all relate to."

More: Plans for Ronald McDonald Family Room unveiled at children's hospital

"I can't pick a favorite,'' said Lauren Stimmell, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida event manager, as she walked through the DeLuna Winery warehouse where the memorabilia is stored.

She then picked up what looked like a large fry box filled with McDonald's French fries.

"It's a flip phone," she said. "It's really cool. There's so much stuff I never knew about."

She walked to one item that featured a picture of Ronald McDonald attached to a phone — a rotary phone.

"I was like, 'What on earth is this?'" Stimmell said. "A lot of kids don't even know how to use rotary phones today. But what you would do is pick it up and dial 'R' and you would get a message from Ronald McDonald."

Other items include a Grimace character pinata, a Ronald McDonald head with a nozzle to blow up balloons and Happy Meal toys dating back decades. You'll find McDonald's metal lunch boxes, NASCAR/McDonald's tie-in toys, framed photos of Ronald McDonald, store signage, McDonald's employee uniforms throughout the years and even 1970s-era Hamburglar figures that were later changed to a more friendly criminal face since the old one was deemed too scary for children.

The memorabilia dates back 50 years.

Most of the items came from a collector in Navarre, now deceased, and were later purchased by a former McDonald's franchise operator who donated them to the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida. The former franchise owner prefers to remain anonymous, Gillis said.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida auction will feature hors d'oeuvres and wine from DeLuna Winery.

Since opening in 1984, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida has served as a home-away-from-home for more than 20,000 adults and children.

Troy Moon can be reached at tmoon@pnj.com and 850-435-8541.

Want to go?

WHAT: McDonald's memorabilia auction benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday. Viewing begins at 5 p.m.

WHERE: DeLuna Winery, 116 E. Gonzalez St.

COST: Admission is $10.

DETAILS: Visit www.rmhc-nwfl.org or the Ronald McDonald Charities of Northwest Florida Facebook page.