The McDonaldland advertising characters first appeared in 1971.
McDonaldland was a fictional setting created for McDonald's advertising, with Ronald McDonald joined by characters such as Grimace, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie. The campaign gave the brand a connected cast and a recognizable story world aimed at children.
The characters did not all remain unchanged. Their designs, personalities, and prominence shifted over time, and some were retired or used less frequently. Grimace, for example, began with a different concept before becoming the friendly purple character widely recognized today.
McDonaldland is distinct from the restaurant's basic logo branding. The golden arches identify the company broadly, while McDonaldland supplied a fictional setting for television commercials, promotions, toys, and other child-focused marketing.