Thought Theater

Remember Devo? Well they're back in the news...but not as a result of a musical renaissance. It seems that McDonald's recently introduced an American Idol happy meal figure that has some of the characteristics that made the band so identifiable...especially their flower pot hats. With that said, the band has decided to sue McDonald's for "stealing" their signature image.

From InfosJeunes:

Iconic 80s electronic band Devo is suing McDonalds for copyright infringement over a Happy Meal toy included as part of an American Idol promotion. The toy featured Devo's trademark plastic tiered red funnel hat, distinctive glasses, and orange jumpsuit and was named "New Wave Nigel." Devo popularized that unique look in the video for their 1980 hit "Whip It," and they say McDonalds is blatantly ripping them off [...].

Devo is currently riding the artistic integrity highway in explaining its legal action. Bassist Gerald Casale, credited with creating the band's unique look, is quoted as saying that McDonald's "didn't ask us anything. Plus, we don't like McDonalds', and we don't like American Idol, so we're doubly offended."

I suspect Devo might change their mind if the end result is a cut of the take. It's funny how a little cash can make so many problems suddenly vanish. Regardless, I can't blame the band for complaining...the toy is clearly modeled after the Devo look and that may well entitle them to some type of payment.

The following graphic is a mixture of a couple of the ideas I was considering for this posting. My ambivalence led me to combine what I was working on into one bizarre image...which seems fitting for anything related to Devo.

Make sure you don't miss Ryan Seacrest's cameo appearance in the Devo portion of the graphic. In the graphic, I chose the words of a Devo song, Jocko Homo, that comports with all the scuttlebutt about which way Ry Ry swings.