McBeaufort

McBeaufort, also titled We Fooled a Town into Believing a 20 Story McDonalds was Being Built is a fairly elaborate prank video set in the small Australian town of Beaufort in Victoria. There they present themselves as representatives of the Chinese company Mindware, which seeks to build a 20 story McDonald's in the town center, demolishing many local establishments. Naturally, the locals mostly band together against it.

The video was posted to the YouTube channel of Misfit Minds on March 5, 2024, and can be viewed here.

Tropes used in McBeaufort include:
  • Big Bad: The fictitious Chinese company Mindware, which seeks to tear down a quiet town square and rebuild it into a 20 story McDonald’s.
  • Big No: After a Mindware representative requests the residents give a Big Yes and only received token support, they instead are met with a Big No.
  • Captain Obvious: A Mindware representative tries to explain the size of the 20 story McDonald’s by pointing at a house, then individually counting the imaginary floors to 20 to demonstrate how tall it is.
  • China Takes Over the World: The crew plays off feelings of Chinese sell the idea that the project will involve 1,500 foreign workers coming to Beaufort, Victoria.
  • Close-Knit Community: The town of Beaufort is generally shown as this, mostly banding together to oppose the construction.
  • Comically Small Bribe: A Mindware representative offers the residents of Beaufort 5% off McDonalds for the first week of operation to grow support.
  • Mockumentary: Has shades of this, with some mockumentary style shots, and generally depicting a story of the crew trying to get the town to buy into the project.
  • Numbskull Negotiator: The cast deliberately torpedoes public support for the project by acting antagonistic to local landmarks and enthusiastically noting the construction project will result in community cornerstones being lost.
  • Only Shop in Town: Played with. While some residents are shown plans for a town that still has disrespected local shops, at least one resident is told there’s no room for a grocery on a lower floor or the local bakery, thus he‘ll have to get his food at the McCafé.
  • Predatory Business: The fictitious business Mindware is clearly shown trying to get local consent to demolish historic landmarks and local mom and pops. The locals mostly aren’t having it.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: One of the locals points out that some of the buildings Mindware plans to demolish are protected by their heritage listing. The Mindware representative counters, noting that with their ties to the Chinese government, nothing has a heritage listing.
  • Villain Protagonist: The crew representing Mindware are clearly the bad guys.
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