The Bizarre McDonald's Broccoli Side Dish We're Glad Was Never Released

Say what you will about McDonald's, but the fast food giant certainly isn't afraid to take a risk on a new product. From the frankly confounding Hula Burger (a sandwich with a ring of pineapple in lieu of a meat patty) to the thankfully short-lived McPizza, the Golden Arches have housed some truly odd, or simply misplaced, eats. However, there's one dish that McDonald's tried and failed to market that makes the Hula Burger look mundane in comparison. We're talking about the tested, but never sold, concept of bubblegum broccoli.

It's almost impossible to conjure an image of what this combination would even look like and, frankly, we just don't know all that much about what the product was. All we know comes from comments made by former CEO Don Thompson way back in 2014. According to Thompson, the concept of bubblegum broccoli came from a push by the chain to get kids to eat healthier foods. Apparently, at least according to Thompson's comments, children didn't respond too keenly to the taste of the dish, and were left a little confused at the combo. So are we, to be honest. There surely has to be a better way of getting kids to eat their veggies. Cheese, for example, in lieu of the modern amalgam that is bubblegum flavoring, makes a much better pairing for those little green florets.

If you're reeling for more information regarding the bubblegum broccoli combo (was it pink? Was the bubblegum flavor a sauce or powder?), you're not alone. There are no details regarding this supposed test product outside of a comment made by the chain's former CEO in 2014. In fact, when CBS News reached out to McDonald's for a comment regarding the candy-coated veggie, the chain gave no illuminating details, instead saying only "We're always looking at new food innovations and recipes that will appeal to our customers." So, no word as to whether this dish involved some sort of GMO-derived, neon pink broccoli crop, but we can certainly imagine.

Instead of serving up this candy-flavored veggie, McDonald's went with a more traditional route for a healthier take on its children's meals. In 2014, the same year its CEO divvied up scant few details on its broccoli experiment, the chain introduced a Go-Gurt low-fat yogurt side for its Happy Meals. The strawberry yogurt tubes were short-lived, unfortunately, and now the only two Happy Meal sides available at McDonald's are french fries and apple slices. But who knows what the future holds for healthy Happy Meal sides.

Maybe bubblegum broccoli could have forever changed the way we see our greens, turning the flowering veggie into America's next best dessert invention. But this isn't likely; the food item probably would have gone down in history as one of the chain's biggest blunders, like the lawsuit that ended the crescent moon-shaped Mac Tonight. Speaking of blunders, there have been many at McDonald's, even some that rival the absurdity of its candy-flavored broccoli.

For instance, the chain introduced McStuffins, a line of stuffed sandwiches in the 1990s. These Hot Pocket-esque sandwiches never quite fit the vibe of the chain and didn't take off. Then there's the McSpaghetti. This pasta meal was introduced to the American market in the 1970s, much to the confusion of diners just looking for a quick, tasty cheeseburger. Unlike the McStuffins, the spaghetti dish did find success overseas in the Philippines — and at one McDonald's in Orlando, Florida. So, who knows? Maybe bubblegum broccoli could have been something special. I mean, probably not. But one can dream.