McDonald’s used McDonaldland as the fictional world for its collection of advertising characters.
McDonaldland appeared in McDonald’s advertising beginning in the early 1970s. The setting presented the restaurant’s food and brand characters in a colorful fantasy environment aimed primarily at children and families.
Characters associated with the setting included Ronald McDonald, Grimace, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie the Early Bird. Some characters were used more consistently than others, and their designs changed across different advertising periods.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with the name of an individual character. It is the fictional setting, while Ronald McDonald is the best-known character connected with it. The brand world also helped McDonald’s turn separate promotional figures into a recognizable advertising universe.