Is Ronald McDonald a bad role model?

Say it's not so...an activist coalition wants Ronald McDonald to hang up his big red shoes.

Corporate Accountability International, which was behind the effort to retire Joe Camel and also has campaigned against bottled water companies, says that a survey it conducted shows that most Americans agree that McDonald's should stop gearing its advertising toward children in light of what they called a "fast-food-industry childhood obesity crisis."

And so, the organization is is planning a "retirement party" for Ronald McDonald outside the McDonald's at State Street and Chicago Avenue at lunchtime Wednesday. The group will also present results of a survey it conducted showing that most Americans agree McDonald's should stop gearing advertising efforts toward children, in light of what they call a "fast-food industry childhood obesity crisis," according to Media Post News.

“For nearly 50 years, Ronald McDonald has hooked kids on unhealthy foods spurring a deadly epidemic of diet-related diseases,” said Deborah Lapidus, the senior organizer at Corporate Accountability International, to CNN.com. “Ultimately the report makes the case that it’s time that McDonald’s stop directing fast food to kids. Really, Ronald deserves a break and so do we.”

A spokeswoman for McDonald's says Ronald's role is to bring out the fun side of having meals with family and to promote an active lifestyle.

"He is the heart and soul of Ronald McDonald House Charities," McDonald's told the Chicago Tribune in a written statement, and he also "helps deliver messages to families on many important subjects such as safety, literacy, and the importance of physical activity and making balanced food choices."