The Hamburglar was introduced in 1971 as McDonald's hamburger-stealing character.
The character became part of McDonaldland, the fictional advertising world McDonald's used to speak to children and families. Early versions were small, mischievous, and visually different from the later redesign that became more familiar to many viewers.
The Hamburglar's defining behavior was attempting to steal hamburgers, creating a simple recurring conflict for commercials and promotional stories. That role made the character easy to recognize even when advertisements changed.
The Hamburglar is sometimes mistaken for Grimace because both were prominent McDonaldland figures, but their branding functions were different. Grimace was associated with a large purple character, while the Hamburglar's identity centered on his striped clothing, disguise-like appearance, and hamburger obsession.