McDonaldland introduced McDonald's characters such as Grimace and the Hamburglar.
The fictional setting appeared in McDonald's advertising beginning in 1971. It presented the restaurant's brand as a colorful world populated by recurring characters, including Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Grimace, Birdie, and the Hamburglar.
McDonaldland was designed to make advertising feel like an ongoing children's story rather than a series of unrelated product commercials. The characters could support promotions, packaging, playground themes, and television spots while giving McDonald's a recognizable cast.
The characters' designs and roles changed over time. Grimace, for example, was originally depicted differently from the friendly purple character most people know today. McDonaldland is therefore the name of the branded fictional world, not the name of a restaurant chain or a single mascot.