McDonald's created McDonaldland as the fictional world for Ronald McDonald and its other characters.
McDonaldland appeared in McDonald's advertising beginning in the early 1970s. It transformed the restaurant's food and branding elements into a fantasy setting populated by characters such as the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie the Early Bird.
The setting gave McDonald's a connected cast rather than a single mascot. Commercials could use recurring characters, locations, and storylines to make the brand more memorable to children. It also allowed menu items and restaurant imagery to become part of a recognizable fictional universe.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with a particular restaurant attraction, but it was primarily an advertising and promotional world. Its characters appeared in television commercials, packaging, playgrounds, and other marketing materials.