Disturbing reason this iconic clown from a fast food chain was phased out

Human-shaped and sized mascots have had something of an extinction event over the past few decades.

From Mr Blobby to Ronald McDonald, a lot of 'old school' icons are no longer around.

But in the case of Ronald, do you know why?

Gotham/GC Images

McDonald’s red, white and yellow clown was introduced in the 1960s, and kids’ sensibilities were somewhat different back then.

If you can believe it, this terrifying cousin of Pennywise was part of the fun of heading to Maccies.

Ronald McDonald became a legendary icon around the world alongside pals Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and the Fry Kids.

Along with the birth of the Happy Meal, Ronald and pals were an essential component of the McDonald’s marketing plan for years upon years.

But much like the beloved Chicken Legend, the terrifying clown and his cadre of bizarre buddies are nowhere to be seen at your local McDonald’s.

Back in 2016, the fast food giant began phasing him out.

But it wasn’t Ronald’s fault that he got the boot, rather, it was all to do with a social media trend known as the Mannequin Challenge which soon descended into awfulness.

McDonald's/Instagram

Back in August 2016, the trend gave rise to a bizarre spate of people dressing up as killer clowns and pouncing on unwitting members of the public.

Incidents of these killer clowns showing up at schools, lurking in car parks late at night, and following people home were reported across the UK, US, and Canada.

In Florida, a group of 20 killer clowns attacked a family, and in the UK there was a reported case of a man in a clown mask carrying a knife and chasing a child to school.

For professional clowns, including Ronald, this was a very difficult time to be wearing multicoloured wigs, white face paint and a red nose.

"McDonald's and franchisees in the local markets are mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities and as such are being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events for the time being," the company said in a statement.

The UK’s McDonald’s website said: "We're afraid that Ronald McDonald no longer appears in McDonald's UK advertising, but he is still very busy working for us.

"He often travels up and down the country to help promote some of our exciting new activities and visits our restaurants to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals."