Ronald McDonald may have quietly been phased out by McDonald’s, but he remains a legend of the fast-food institution. But did you know that there was another mascot before the iconic character took centre stage?
After making his debut in 1963, the Hamburger-Happy Clown featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; starred in books; appeared in his own direct-to-video film, The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island, and was written into video games such as Global Gladiators and Donald Land.
However, in 2016, McDonald’s decided to begin phasing out the character following a spate of ‘killer clown incidents’ being reported in the US, Canada, Australia, and Britain.
Despite a long hiatus, the fast-food titan’s talisman has officially returned, featuring in the new McDonald’s collectable CARDS promotion alongside the likes of Grimace, the iconic Golden Arches.
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But before Ronald McDonald became the face of McDonald's, there was a forgotten legend known as Speedee.
Who was Speedee McDonald's?
In the early 1950s, when McDonald’s was still in its infancy, Richard and Maurice McDonald wanted to advertise their business's USP: the serious need for speed.
To celebrate their no-fuss, no-thrills approach to serving up good grub at lightning speed, the entrepreneurs created Speedee - a back-of-house team member with a hamburger for a head.
The Daily Meal described the first-ever McDonald’s mascot as ‘a jaunty, pudgy, winking little chef' with a hamburger for a head and a chef's hat.
“He holds a sign reading 'I'm Speedee' just to make sure everyone's on the same page,” the site added.
According to a fan-updated website, Speedee did not appear in any commercials before being officially retired in 1962.
After decommissioning Speedee, the company began focusing on the Golden Arches logo we know and love and brought Ronald McDonald in as his replacement.
Despite the character retiring more than six decades ago, he does still feature at the Downey, California, branch of McDonald's.
The eatery, considered the oldest Maccies restaurant in the world, was built way back in 1953 and was granted eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places list in 1984.
In 2021, the original mascot was used to celebrate 50 years since McDonald’s opened its first eatery in Japan’s ritzy Ginza Mitsukoshi department store.
At the time, the cute chef was plastered across retro diner-inspired packaging.
McDonald’s CARDS promotion
Excitingly, lucky McDonald’s fans in Britain can get their hands on a little bit of history, with Speedee also featuring in the new CARDS promotion, as per Metro.
From 17 March, customers can begin collecting 24 limited-edition cards, with each pack of four containing a single character card.
The character will win you a selected free food item, while the other three cards hold an opportunity to win big.
You can collect them by purchasing medium and large CARDS meals, which include Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and McPlant meals.
Alongside Speedee, fans can pick up other nostalgic designs such as Fry Scoop, Molten Apple Pie, and a Cheeseburger Chair.
Ella Scott