True story, McDonalds and Jack-in-the-Box were both looking for white faced clowns with bright red lips circa 1958. Box execs had sat down with Ronald first and really liked him. They dug the yellow onesie and the fact he was a "real" clown and not some hodge podge of simple shapes. However Ronald insisted on janitorial jobs for his special needs friend grimmace and hard on his luck ex-con hamburglar. Box wasnt about to let some clown dictate who filled out their minimum wage rolls so they moved on Jack, who was rumored to be a shoe-in for the McD's job because of his impeccible fashion sense and sophisticated vocabulary. Box made an offer to Jack who had just been rejected by Gumby and who was desperate for income due to some pricey medical bills related to a serious stomach bug he had. Jack accepted on the spot. McD's ended up with Ronald and billions later the rest is history. It could have been Jack, tho.