McDonaldland was the fictional world that hosted Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, and other McDonald's advertising characters.
McDonald's introduced McDonaldland in 1971 as a colorful fantasy setting aimed primarily at children. Its characters included Mayor McCheese, Grimace, Officer Big Mac, and the Hamburglar, with Ronald McDonald serving as the central human-like mascot.
The campaign made menu items and restaurant themes into a shared fictional universe. Characters often lived in settings built around food, such as hamburger-shaped objects and fantastical landscapes. The world appeared in television commercials, in-store materials, playgrounds, and other promotional media.
McDonaldland is sometimes remembered as a cartoon series, but it was principally an advertising and merchandising concept rather than a standalone television program. Its character system helped McDonald's make the brand's family positioning more vivid during the 1970s.