Ronald McDonald became McDonald's chief advertising mascot in 1963.
The character was created for McDonald's television advertising and was portrayed as a clown associated with the restaurant's food and family-oriented image. Willard Scott, then a television personality in Washington, D.C., played an early version of Ronald in local commercials. The character's costume and appearance were subsequently developed into the standardized Ronald McDonald familiar from national advertising.
Ronald was presented as the central figure of McDonaldland, a fantasy setting populated by other branded characters. His red hair, yellow clothing, striped sleeves, and oversized shoes made him visually distinctive in children's marketing. The character appeared on signs, packaging, restaurant materials, and promotional events for decades.
Ronald is often confused with the earlier Speedee mascot or with later McDonaldland characters such as Grimace and the Hamburglar. Those figures supported the brand, but Ronald was the principal human-like mascot introduced in the 1960s.