McDonald's launched its McDonaldland advertising campaign in 1971.
McDonaldland was a colorful fictional setting created for McDonald's advertising. It populated the brand's television commercials and promotional materials with characters such as Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Birdie the Early Bird. The campaign gave children a story world that connected restaurant visits, toys, and food promotions.
The setting was not simply a logo or a single mascot. It was a coordinated brand universe with recurring characters, locations, and visual conventions. That made McDonald's advertising more serial and recognizable, especially during the expansion of family-oriented fast-food marketing in the 1970s.
The campaign's characters and designs changed over time, and some were retired or redesigned. This can cause confusion about launch dates, because particular characters were introduced in different years. The 1971 date refers to the beginning of McDonaldland as a broader advertising setting, not the first appearance of every character associated with it.