What mascot was used in McDonald’s original 1948 logo?

McDonald’s original 1948 logo featured the mascot Speedee.

Speedee was a smiling chef-like character whose name referred to the restaurant’s promise of fast service. He appeared with a hamburger-shaped head and was used to communicate the McDonald brothers’ innovative Speedee Service System.

The system emphasized a limited menu, assembly-line preparation, and quick customer service. It was introduced at the brothers’ San Bernardino, California, restaurant in 1948 and became a foundation of modern fast food.

Speedee was later replaced in McDonald’s branding by the Golden Arches. Ronald McDonald, introduced in the 1960s, became the company’s best-known human mascot, but he was not part of the original logo. The Hamburglar and Grimace were later McDonaldland characters, not early McDonald’s brand symbols.