19 August,2010 10:59 AM IST | | Agencies
A new McDonald's ad featuring Gallic champion Asterix enjoying a burger and fries has sparked outrage among French comic purists who see it as an insult to their national heritage.
The billboard shows the fearless Gaul and friends celebrating their traditional banquet at the fast-food chain -- with Cacofonix the bard tied to a tree outside as usual.
"My childhood hero sacrificed like a wild boar! What next? Tintin eating at Subway?" said one blogger.
"How ironic, the indomitable Gauls making an advert for the invaders," was another outraged comment on Twitter.
The ad is of three designed by advertising agency Euro RSCG for McDonald's' 'Come as you are' campaign.
The others feature Cinderella pulling into a McDrive on a pumpkin, and the Ghostface character from the film Scream tucking into a Big Mac.
McDonald's has frequently been the focus of anti-American sentiment in France and is seen by many to symbolise the threat to French culture and cuisine posed by globalisation and homogenised junk food.
Asterix, meanwhile, whose plucky adventures fighting the Roman invaders first appeared in print in 1959, is often regarded as an emblem of France's rebellious spirit.
This is not the first time, however, Asterix has succumbed to the forces of capitalism.
In 2001, McDonald's signed him up in its marketing campaign for the the film Asterix and Cleopatra.
