Speedee was the mascot that represented McDonald's before Ronald McDonald became widely known.
Speedee was introduced in the late 1940s, when Richard and Maurice McDonald were developing their fast-service restaurant concept in San Bernardino, California. The character was a smiling chef whose name evoked speed, reinforcing the brothers' emphasis on quick, standardized service.
The mascot appeared in early McDonald's signs and promotional material. It was linked to the restaurant's original Speedee Service System, a kitchen method designed to produce a limited menu efficiently. Speedee's visual identity therefore promoted both the food and the operating idea behind it.
Ronald McDonald replaced Speedee as the company's principal mascot during the 1960s. Speedee is sometimes confused with later McDonaldland characters, but he predates Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, and Grimace.