McDonald's introduced Speedee in 1948 as its first mascot in the original hamburger-chef logo.
Speedee was drawn as a chef with a hamburger-shaped head and was used to communicate quick service. The name came from the word “speed,” reflecting the McDonald brothers' streamlined restaurant system.
Speedee belongs to an earlier stage of McDonald's branding than Ronald McDonald, who appeared in 1963. The company also used the Speedee symbol in advertising and signage before the Golden Arches became its dominant visual mark.
The 1948 date is sometimes confused with the opening of the McDonald brothers' first restaurant, which occurred in 1940. The later national expansion under Ray Kroc changed the brand's public identity, but Speedee remains an important predecessor to McDonald's better-known characters.