McDonald's launched the McDonaldland advertising world in 1971, introducing a fictional setting and a group of branded characters.
The campaign expanded McDonald's identity beyond its restaurant sign and menu. Characters such as Mayor McCheese, Officer Big Mac, Grimace, and the Hamburglar appeared in television commercials, packaging, playgrounds, and other promotions.
McDonaldland was designed to give children a recognizable story world associated with McDonald's restaurants. Its visual language used bright colors, exaggerated food-shaped characters, and fantasy locations, making the advertising feel more like children's entertainment than a conventional restaurant advertisement.
The campaign is sometimes confused with Ronald McDonald's debut, which occurred earlier, in the 1960s. McDonaldland refers specifically to the broader fictional universe and its ensemble of characters, not simply to Ronald McDonald.