Speedee was the character used to represent McDonald's Speedee Service System in the late 1940s.
Speedee was depicted as a small chef-like figure with a hamburger-shaped head. The character communicated the restaurant's central promise: food could be prepared and served quickly through a streamlined system. McDonald's introduced this system after Richard and Maurice McDonald redesigned their San Bernardino restaurant in 1948.
Speedee predates Ronald McDonald and the later McDonaldland characters. The mascot was also distinct from the Golden Arches, which became the company's dominant visual symbol during the 1950s and 1960s.
Because Speedee disappeared from mainstream advertising as McDonald's branding evolved, people sometimes mistake the character for an early version of Ronald McDonald. Speedee's identity was tied especially to speed, efficiency, and the restaurant's early service system.