Ronald McDonald replaced Speedee as McDonald's main advertising mascot in the 1960s.
Ronald was introduced as a clown character designed to appeal directly to children and families. His early television appearances helped McDonald's build a recognizable personality around the restaurant rather than relying only on its name, food, or architecture.
The character was first portrayed in a 1963 television commercial by Willard Scott, who had already played a clown character called Bozo on television. McDonald's later developed Ronald's appearance and supporting cast for its own fictional world, McDonaldland.
A common mix-up is to identify one of Ronald's companions as the replacement mascot. Characters such as the Hamburglar and Grimace became important parts of the campaign, but they were supporting figures. Ronald was the central humanlike spokesman and remained one of the most recognizable symbols in McDonald's advertising for decades.