The Hamburglar was McDonald's striped-shirt thief character who chased hamburgers in advertising.
He first appeared in 1971 as part of the expanding McDonaldland cast. Early versions portrayed him as a small, elderly-looking character called the Lone Jogger, but the character was redesigned into the familiar childlike figure wearing black-and-white stripes, a cape, and a mask.
The Hamburglar's role was simple and memorable: he wanted to steal hamburgers, while McDonald's advertising presented that desire as playful rather than threatening. His repeated catchphrase, “Robble, robble,” became closely associated with him. The character appeared alongside figures such as Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Grimace, and Birdie.
A common mix-up is treating the Hamburglar as a real historical person or as a name for a McDonald's sandwich. He was a fictional advertising character. McDonald's later modernized his appearance, but the original striped costume remains the version most strongly connected with the brand's classic 1970s and 1980s identity.