Toy Dragon On October 27th 1987 the Zodiac Killer mailed a letter to the Vallejo Times-Herald threatening to run over children on Halloween night. Three months later, two communications were mailed from Chattanooga in Tennessee on February 1st 1988 and February 8th 1988 to McDonald's regional office at 2 Northgate Park, with claims to be from the Zodiac Killer and the pasted messages of "CHINESE ZODIAC", "The Chinese Zodiac" and "Many Chinese believe". The rest of the text has been withheld from the FBI files.
There is currently no possible way to determine whether these two letters were from the Zodiac Killer or an imposter, but we do know that any communication from the Zodiac Killer would likely have been inspired by recent newspaper articles, or current media affairs. Therefore, if these letters were from the Zodiac Killer, why would he create a union of the McDonald's fast food chain and the Chinese? There is usually reason behind his offerings. Bearing in mind that the Zodiac Killer had threatened children just a few months previous, we have to consider that his Halloween theme of targeting children may have continued regarding McDonald's, a popular outlet for kids. So how can we possibly group the "Chinese Zodiac", McDonald's and children into one neat package?
The Chinese zodiac is a cycle of 12 animals, each associated with a specific year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The animals in order are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal is believed to influence the personalities and destinies of those born in its respective year. In 1988, according to the Chinese zodiac, it was the Year of the Earth Dragon, spanning from February 17th 1988, to February 5th 1989. These two communications arrived with the upcoming Chinese New Year on the horizon.
There is currently no possible way to determine whether these two letters were from the Zodiac Killer or an imposter, but we do know that any communication from the Zodiac Killer would likely have been inspired by recent newspaper articles, or current media affairs. Therefore, if these letters were from the Zodiac Killer, why would he create a union of the McDonald's fast food chain and the Chinese? There is usually reason behind his offerings. Bearing in mind that the Zodiac Killer had threatened children just a few months previous, we have to consider that his Halloween theme of targeting children may have continued regarding McDonald's, a popular outlet for kids. So how can we possibly group the "Chinese Zodiac", McDonald's and children into one neat package?
The Chinese zodiac is a cycle of 12 animals, each associated with a specific year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The animals in order are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal is believed to influence the personalities and destinies of those born in its respective year. In 1988, according to the Chinese zodiac, it was the Year of the Earth Dragon, spanning from February 17th 1988, to February 5th 1989. These two communications arrived with the upcoming Chinese New Year on the horizon.
The Chinese New Year in 1988 wasn't just celebrated in the Chinese community and their restaurants, the year of the dragon was a feature of the McDonald's Happy Meal. A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard box with a yellow smiley face and the McDonald's logo. The packaging and toy are frequently part of a marketing tie-in to an existing television series, film or toyline. This was the case in 1988, when different colored Chinese dragons were included in the Happy Meal of children. I wouldn't be surprised if the Zodiac Killer contacted the McDonald's regional office to threaten kids within McDonald's establishments, which was listed under "extortion" in the FBI files. The Zodiac Killer (if responsible) may have threatened children if his demands were not met, using the Chinese New Year as his inspiration.
The first McDonald's envelope on February 1st 1988 (and likely the second) was addressed to "dan r." using the word "attention". Unlike the original article on this topic (accessed via the blue link), I now believe I have identified the correct individual referred to as "dan r.". He was Dan Richard, the area supervisor of McDonald's. Because Dan Richard, the area supervisor, appeared to be the target of the letter writer, it's reasonable to conclude that the author of the two communications was threatening the Chattanooga branches of McDonald's as a whole (one option being poison). Below is a cutting from the Chattanooga News Free Press from 1988..
CHATTANOOGA NEWS FREE PRESS 1988
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