Ronald McDonald was introduced in 1963 as McDonald’s first major advertising character.
The character first appeared in a television commercial for the Washington, D.C., area, where local franchise operator Oscar Goldstein and station personality Willard Scott helped develop the early presentation. Scott portrayed Ronald in the initial advertisements before the role was taken by other performers.
Ronald’s costume combined familiar fast-food imagery with a clown design. His red-and-yellow appearance helped make McDonald’s recognizable to children and gave the company a character who could connect separate advertisements into a larger brand world.
Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese are also associated with McDonaldland, but they were not the first major McDonald’s advertising character. Ronald became the central mascot in later campaigns, while the other characters served as supporting figures.