The Hamburglar is McDonald's McDonaldland character introduced as a hamburger thief.
The character appeared in McDonald's advertising as a mischievous figure whose main obsession was stealing hamburgers. His name directly combined “hamburger” with the familiar word “burglar,” making the joke understandable even to young audiences. The Hamburglar became one of the most recognizable members of the McDonaldland cast.
His design changed over time. Early versions were more elaborate and sometimes portrayed him as an older, masked character. Later advertising presented a smaller, childlike version wearing a black-and-white striped outfit, a red cape, and a broad-brimmed hat. These changes reflected McDonald's effort to make the character more appealing to children.
The Hamburglar is often mixed up with Grimace or Mayor McCheese, but those characters had different designs and roles. The Hamburglar's defining branding trait was always his comic pursuit of hamburgers.