The Hamburglar is the McDonaldland character portrayed as a hamburger thief.
He was created as a mischievous advertising character who tried to steal hamburgers, making the product itself part of the story. His name is a wordplay on “hamburger” and “burglar,” a style typical of McDonald's character branding.
The Hamburglar appeared alongside Ronald McDonald and other McDonaldland figures in television commercials, promotions, and licensed merchandise. His striped clothing and exaggerated behavior made him visually easy for children to identify.
The character changed appearance over time. Earlier versions looked more like a small, older trickster, while a later redesign presented him as a younger character. Those visual changes do not alter his central branding role: he is the hamburger thief, not the purple milkshake-associated character Grimace.