Burger King kids meals come with wearable cardboard crowns

— -- Burger King's creepy king may be dead, but his crown is about to challenge McDonald's clown and become the newest symbol of the growing kids meal melee.

Today, Burger King will unveil plans to move its kids meals into boxes with wearable cardboard crowns and interactive games. The boxes also direct kids to a website where they can choose one charity — wildlife, environment or education — to which BK will donate one penny of the meal's proceeds.

The kids meals will be renamed BK Crown meals — including a breakfast version with oatmeal, apple slices and milk or juice. Oh, did we forget to mention that every kid who walks into BK — whether they order a meal or not — can ask for a freebie crown?

No, the dethroned king won't appear on the box, says Alex Macedo, senior VP of marketing. "The king is the child."

The move comes at a time when the big burger chains, under pressure from parents and health advocates, are making a torrent of changes to their often-criticized kids meals.

Also driving these changes: flattened sales to what is arguably the $168 billion fast-food industry's most important customer: kids. "Kids negotiate harder than lawyers when they want to eat out," says Warren Sackler, associate professor of hospitality and food service management at Rochester Institute of Technology. "They always win." Among the changes:

•Burger King. In an audacious PR stunt, BK today will send a BK-branded barge with a 60-foot, custom-made aluminum BK crown down the Hudson River within eyeshot of the Statue of Liberty. No, it won't be plopped on the statue's head, but it's about the right size.

•McDonald's. Micky D's is in the process of rolling out Happy Meals that come with fewer fries and with apple slices. It's even testing carrots, blueberries, mango and snow peas for possible inclusion in future Happy Meals, says Molly Starmann, director of family business marketing.

The new Happy Meals, which began to roll out in mid-September and are available in about half the country, will be sold nationally by March. McDonald's also is testing several new kid-focused entrees that it declines to describe, and other kid-targeted drinks made with milk or fruit-juice.

•Jack in the Box. Just months after the San Francisco City Council banned toys from kids meals high in fat, sodium and sugar, the regional burger chain removed toys from its kids meals.

•Wendy's. Under new CEO Emil Brolick, Wendy's is looking at revamping its kids program within the next year. The company declined to discuss details.