What fictional world did McDonald’s use for its 1970s character branding?

McDonald’s used McDonaldland for its 1970s character branding.

McDonaldland was a fictional world populated by advertising characters such as Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese. The setting gave McDonald’s campaigns a shared backdrop and allowed individual characters to appear in recurring stories, commercials, and promotional materials.

The campaign was designed to make the restaurant experience feel like part of an imaginative world, particularly for children. Characters could also support promotions, toys, and other branded materials beyond a single advertisement.

McDonaldland is sometimes confused with the name of a restaurant or a children’s play area. It was primarily an advertising universe. Its characters and imagery became one of the most distinctive phases in McDonald’s branding history.