Ronald McDonald debuted in a McDonald’s television commercial in 1963.
The character was created as a recognizable restaurant mascot aimed at children and families. The first Ronald McDonald advertisement appeared in the Washington, D.C., market, where local television personality Willard Scott portrayed the character. Scott had previously played a similar clown persona named Bozo the Clown.
Ronald’s early appearance was different from the version familiar to later generations. He wore a tray-like hat, a cup around his nose, and other food-themed costume elements. McDonald’s subsequently standardized his look and promoted him nationally as the friendly face of the brand.
People sometimes confuse Ronald McDonald’s 1963 television debut with the later expansion of the McDonaldland advertising universe. Characters such as Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and the Hamburglar were introduced afterward, as McDonald’s built a larger fictional world around its advertising.