McDonald’s introduced the Hamburglar character in 1971.
The Hamburglar became one of the fictional residents of McDonaldland, the colorful advertising world created to promote McDonald’s to children. He was portrayed as a small, mischievous character whose recurring desire was to steal hamburgers. His striped clothing, cape, mask, and exaggerated manner made him visually distinctive in commercials and merchandise.
The character was not simply a restaurant mascot in the same sense as Speedee. Instead, he belonged to a larger cast that included Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Grimace, and other McDonaldland figures. Together, these characters gave the brand a continuing story world for television advertising.
The Hamburglar’s appearance changed substantially over time. Early versions looked more like an adult criminal caricature, while later versions were redesigned as a younger, friendlier character. Those redesigns can make the original introduction date easy to confuse with later campaigns.