LOL! McDONALDS PULLS ADS MAKING FUN OF FAR ROCKAWAY!

Ronald McDonald is welcome again in the Rockaways.

Queens Councilman James Sanders jokingly banned the mascot from putting his big red foot on the peninsula's beaches after Mickey D's launched an ad campaign poking fun at Far Rockaway.

After the Daily News asked about the ads - and Sanders demanded a letter of apology - the company agreed to pull them.

"I'm glad that McDonald's understands clowning around at the expense of a community is not funny," said Sanders, who had considered boycotting McDonald's as a last resort.

"We refuse to be the butt of a cheap joke."

The controversial posters encourage straphangers to pick up McDonald's iced coffee so that they don't fall asleep and end up in Far Rockaway - "unless, of course, you live there."

The restaurant chain put up 1,000 ads in subway cars, said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. The campaign was scheduled to last four weeks.

McDonald's spokeswoman Jennifer Nagy apologized to anyone offended by the ad. The company has two restaurants on the peninsula, including one in Far Rockaway.

"Our intention was to add humor to the situation of falling asleep on the subway, missing a local home stop and waking up at the end of the line," Nagy said in a statement.

"We never meant to disparage Far Rockaway or those who live there."

Sanders would still like Ronald McDonald - and the clown's bosses - to ride the A train to Far Rockaway with him. The Democrat even offered to spring for their subway fare.

"It may take a long time to get here, but it's worth it," Sanders said.



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