Speedee was the McDonald's mascot before Ronald McDonald became the chain's best-known character.
Speedee was introduced in 1948, when Richard and Maurice McDonald reorganized their San Bernardino restaurant around the Speedee Service System. The character was depicted as a chef with a hamburger-shaped head and represented fast food preparation.
The name connected directly with the restaurant's original selling point: speed. Speedee appeared in early signs, packaging, and promotional material, helping customers recognize the new self-service restaurant concept.
Ronald McDonald gradually replaced Speedee in consumer-facing advertising during the 1960s. Speedee is sometimes confused with later McDonald's characters, but he was not a burger thief or a clown; he was a visual symbol of the restaurant's service system.