Ronald McDonald replaced Speedee as McDonald’s leading character.
Ronald was created for McDonald’s advertising in the early 1960s and became the company’s best-known public mascot. His clown appearance connected the brand with children and helped establish a larger fantasy-oriented character world around the restaurants.
Willard Scott portrayed the earliest television version of Ronald McDonald before the character’s appearance was standardized and developed for national advertising. Ronald’s role was broader than Speedee’s: Speedee represented rapid service, while Ronald represented the playful, family-centered personality McDonald’s increasingly promoted.
Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese later became associated characters, not replacements for Speedee in the historical sequence. Ronald’s rise also helped shift McDonald’s branding from an operational promise toward an entertainment-led family identity.