McDonald’s introduced Mac Tonight in 1986 to promote late-night dining.
The character was a sunglasses-wearing, crescent-moon-headed figure who sang a rewritten version of “Mack the Knife.” His advertisements presented McDonald’s as a place to visit after dark, extending the restaurant brand beyond daytime meals.
Mac Tonight became especially associated with a piano-playing performer and a jazzy presentation. The campaign was prominent in the United States during the late 1980s, although McDonald’s later stopped using the character nationally.
Mac Tonight is sometimes confused with McDonaldland characters such as Grimace or the Hamburglar. Unlike those characters, Mac Tonight was created specifically for a late-night advertising campaign rather than as part of the main McDonaldland cast.