The hamburger mascot used by McDonald's from 1948 to 1962 was Speedee.
Speedee was drawn as a smiling chef with a hamburger-shaped head. The character represented the McDonald's Speedee Service System, the brothers' method for producing food quickly and consistently after their 1948 restaurant redesign.
Speedee is sometimes confused with Speedy Gonzales or with later McDonaldland characters. He was not a person from a television campaign; he was an early corporate mascot closely tied to the restaurant's original service promise. McDonald's retired Speedee as the Golden Arches became the company's more recognizable visual symbol.