McDonald's used Speedee as its mascot before Ronald McDonald.
Speedee was a chef character representing the restaurant's original Speedee Service System. The system emphasized quick preparation and served as an important part of the McDonald brothers' early identity after their 1948 restaurant redesign.
Speedee appeared in early McDonald's signs and promotional material, often alongside the restaurant's original hamburger-focused branding. The name connected directly to the company's promise of fast service, rather than to a specific menu item.
Ronald McDonald gradually became the better-known company mascot in the 1960s, but Speedee did not disappear from the earliest period of McDonald's history. A common mix-up is assuming Ronald was the original mascot; he was a later addition to the brand's advertising world.