Speedee was McDonald's original speedy-service mascot.
The character appeared in early McDonald's branding after Richard and Maurice McDonald developed their fast, limited-menu restaurant system in California. Speedee was typically shown as a chef-like figure, and the name linked the mascot directly to the restaurant's promise of quick service.
Speedee predates Ronald McDonald and the later McDonaldland cast. As the company changed its visual identity during the 1960s, Ronald became the dominant public-facing character and Speedee largely disappeared from consumer advertising.
A common mix-up is to treat Speedee as another name for Ronald McDonald. They were separate characters from different stages of McDonald's branding. Speedee represented operational speed, while Ronald became the central personality of the chain's family-oriented advertising.