The McDonald's character the Hamburglar was introduced in 1971.
The Hamburglar became part of McDonaldland, a fictional setting populated by colorful characters connected with McDonald's products and restaurants. His defining trait was a comic obsession with hamburgers, making him a playful personification of the food being advertised.
The earliest version of the character looked different from the later, more familiar design. McDonald's subsequently refined the Hamburglar's appearance, along with the wider McDonaldland cast, to make the characters more appealing and recognizable to children.
The Hamburglar is sometimes dated to the beginning of McDonaldland's advertising because the campaign developed over several stages. The commonly cited introduction year for the character is 1971, while other McDonaldland characters appeared at different times.