Woman joins her niece in the McDonald’s play area. Moments later, something sticky on the slide leaves her horrified and she alerts the staff
A McDonald’s PlayPlace is meant to be a place where kids can play while their families eat. Parents may expect some mess or germs, but probably not something that could make them question whether the play area is safe.
One woman already had concerns about indoor play areas when her boyfriend’s 7-year-old niece asked her to join her. TikTok creator Lizzie (@lil___red) agreed because they did not get to see the girl often. The restaurant was almost empty that morning, but the trip soon took an unexpected turn.
At first, Lizzie thought she had gone through some spilled food while using the slide. She stopped the child from going down and went to clean herself up. But when she looked more closely at what was on her leg, she says she realized it might be something much worse.
Then she realized what it might be
Lizzie (@lil___red) shared the incident in a video that has received around 2 million views. She says she and her boyfriend had taken his niece to a McDonald’s with a PlayPlace early in the morning because the 7-year-old wanted to eat and play there. Lizzie says the PlayPlace was large enough for her to join her niece. When they reached the slide, she went down and felt something sticky against one thigh.
Because she was wearing jean shorts, Lizzie initially thought someone had left jelly or food on the slide. She stopped her niece from using it and went to the bathroom with napkins. While wiping it off, she noticed it was stringy and says she gagged and vomited after smelling it, believing it was semen, though this was not independently confirmed.
“I immediately felt like really, really, really gross and disgusting,” she says. Lizzie cleaned herself as well as she could using toilet paper and soap before her boyfriend retrieved a change of clothes from their car.
What disturbed her further was that the substance had allegedly been left inside an area intended for children. Lizzie speculated about how it could have ended up on the slide, but she did not know who was responsible or when it had been left there.
Finding something unexpected and unhygienic at a restaurant has left other customers turning to staff for answers as well. The couple then alerted McDonald’s employees, and Lizzie says a worker called the substance “very questionable.” Staff then shut down the PlayPlace and began cleaning the area.
Her boyfriend called police but says they were told officers would not respond to such a call. The couple also asked to review the surveillance footage but were allegedly told McDonald’s protocol did not allow it.
Lizzie says she eventually left because her main concern at that point was getting home and taking a shower. Looking back, she says she wishes she had asked to speak with a manager and pushed the issue further.
Her biggest concern now is that a child could encounter something similar without understanding what it is. Other parents have also raised concerns about things their children unexpectedly encountered at McDonald’s. “Watch out for your kids. Stay safe out there, y’all,” she says. Viewers took the incident seriously, with some calling for the footage to be reviewed and questioning why police reportedly would not get involved.
“I’m confused why the police wouldn’t get involved? They need to take this seriously,” one person commented. “This is actually a huge deal girl,” another wrote. “I promise you this is a big deal. As a mom, this is horrifying,” a third added. “I PRAY that no child was involved in this…” one viewer wrote.
For Lizzie, however, sharing the video was primarily about warning other families. She says she does not know whether the same thing has happened elsewhere, but wants parents to consider checking play equipment before allowing their children to use it.
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